Board & Advisors

Board

Jeff Herron, President of the Board
Vice President, Beaconfire

Jeff Herron is a co-founder of Beaconfire and the principal consultant who leads the delivery team. As part of his client work, Jeff serves as the liaison for evaluations of technology available to nonprofits in the marketplace. Jeff has led Beaconfire on dozens of client initiatives including projects for Heifer International, Human Rights First, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Alzheimer's Association. He has also been a featured speaker on Internet issues and web development strategies, presenting to associations and other nonprofits at the national and regional levels. Before co-founding Beaconfire, Jeff was a senior project manager at Commerce One, formerly AppNet/NMP. Previously, he served as Manager of Online Services for the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, a pioneering national professional association. In this role, Jeff spearheaded a representative and cross-functional team in the development of online web initiatives.
 

Laura S. Quinn,  Secretary of the Board
Idealware Founder and Executive Director

Laura has been working in the software sector for more than 12 years. As Idealware’s Director, she directs Idealware’s research and writing to provide candid reports and articles about nonprofit software. Prior to Idealware, Laura founded Alder Consulting, where she helped helped nonprofits create Internet strategies, select appropriate software, and then build sophisticated websites on a limited budget. She has also selected software, designed interfaces and conducted user research for multi-million dollar software and website implementations with such companies as Accenture and iXL. Laura is a frequent speaker and writer on nonprofit technology topics.

Steve Backman
President, Database Designs Associates

Steve is founder and principal of Database Designs Associates. Database Designs' twenty-year consulting practice focuses on software strategy and on-line web and data systems for the nonprofit sector. Steve directs the consulting practice and takes an active part in software selection and architecture.  After years of corporate software development experience, Steve started Database Designs with an emphasis on learning from and adapting what's emerging and most useful in mainstream technology. Steve also brings to engagements a  rich, continuing volunteer  involvement in grass roots education reform and other social justice issues. Steve has been an active member of the nonprofit technology community, writing and speaking regularly.  Along with these things, what most helps Steve stay sane and balanced are his family and years of taichi.

Allen Gunn
Executive Director, Aspiration

Allen Gunn —Gunner —has over twenty years of software development and capacity building expertise. He has shepherded large software projects through all stages of development—from inception, design, development and testing to deployment, support and marketing in environments ranging from start-up to large corporation to nonprofit. Drawing on engineering, senior management and volunteer experiences, Gunner is a skilled communicator, trainer and facilitator in both the nonprofit and corporate sectors who is passionate about helping nonprofits and NGOs make better use of software technology. He has been closely involved with the US and international technology activist communities; the Silicon Valley engineering, venture, and funding world; environmental activists and organizations, and academic communities. He is a firm believer in melding hard work with serious fun.

Thomas Taylor
Director of Information Technology, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance

Thomas is currently the Director of Information Technology at the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, and has been working in nonprofits since 1989, when he monitored international peace bulletin board systems during the first Gulf War while working for the International Peace Bureau. He has since parlayed his interest in technology into a full-time job. He has worked for several associations of nonprofits: peace groups, religious congregations, and now cultural organizations, and has a keen interest in tools and methods for building communities of practice within these types of networks.

Advisors

Jen Frazier: Board Member Emeritus
President, Firefly Partners

Jen Frazier is the President of Firefly Partners, a small consulting company that focuses on bringing innovative online solutions to small and mid-sized nonprofit organizations. Jen has been in the online strategy and marketing arena for over nine years. Formerly the Online Marketing Director for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Jen has managed and directed hundreds of online campaigns and is a nationally recognized expert in best practices in online engagement. Through her years of working with many of Planned Parenthood’s local offices, Jen has become extremely well versed in the overall needs and realities of smaller nonprofit organizations.

Tamara Page: Board Member Emeritus
Organizational Developmental Consultant, Habitat for Humanity International - US Field Operations

Tamara began her work with Habitat for Humanity 16 years ago with a small affiliate in southeast Alabama. As their Executive Director, Tamara led the affiliate’s 125% growth in funding and families served. In 2005 she moved to Habitat for Humanity International where she presently serves as an Organizational Development Consultant (ODC) working primarily with affiliates taking part in a HUD funding program called Capacity Building. Tamara’s experience spans several organizations, as president of RSVP, Membership and Growth Specialist for Camp Fire Boys and Girls, Program Director for Boys and Girls Club, and a District Board Member with Zonta International. She has facilitated many non-profit workshops, primarily in the areas of fund raising, volunteer services, client management, board development and public relations. Over the last several years, Tamara has focused her talents in the areas of disaster recovery, diversified fund raising, committee structure, strategic planning, and volunteer services.

Michael Stein: President of the Board Emeritus
Vice President, DonorDigital

Michael Stein is a technology strategist who specializes in Internet use by nonprofit membership organizations, and the author of three books and numerous articles about the online medium. Michael works as a consultant to nonprofits, foundations, labor unions, technology providers and socially responsible businesses, providing support with Internet strategy, online marketing, email newsletter development, website content management and vendor selection. Past clients have included Planned Parenthood Federation of America, United Nations Food Programme, SEIU, TechSoup.org, The David and Lucille Packard Foundation, Network for Good, Groundspring.org, Carnegie Corporation of New York, California Labor Federation, GetActive Software, Donordigital, Campaign for Mental Health and Children Now. His opinion and analysis have been featured in numerous media, including the New York Times, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, San Jose Mercury News, National Public Radio, Quicken Money Reports, Philanthropy Journal, Wired News, TechSoup.org, The Industry Standard, Office.com and The Nonprofit Quarterly. He can be found online at www.michaelstein.net.

Carol Buckheit
Nonprofit MediaWorks

Carol Buckheit is the founder of Nonprofit MediaWorks, where she helps Connecticut nonprofits create social change using cutting-edge social media, technology, and earned media tools. Carol's blog at NonprofitMediaWorks.com also shares fresh ideas and best practices for small-to-medium nonprofit organizations seeking creative --yet cost-effective--ways to deliver the right message to the right audience. She brings a wealth of experience to her consulting work, having cut her teeth in the nonprofit sector as a community organizer, fundraiser, communications director, and executive director. She says, "I love collaborating with community organizations and foundations. Their staff and volunteers continually inspire and awe me with their dedication and determination to make social change."

Ami Dar
Executive Director, Idealist.org

Ami Dar launched Idealist.org in 1995 after working for several years in the software industry. In 2000 the Stern Family Fund awarded Ami its annual $100,000 Public Interest Pioneer grant (renewed in 2001) to help support his work with Idealist. Starting in 2002, the Nonprofit Times has included Ami in its annual list of the 50 most influential people in the nonprofit sector, and in the fall of 2004 Ashoka invited him to join its global fellowship of social entrepreneurs. Ami serves on the board of Aspiration and on the editorial board of the Nonprofit Quarterly.

John Kenyon
Nonprofit Technology Strategist

John Kenyon is a nonprofit technology educator and strategist who’s worked with nonprofits for over 20 years providing advice, teaching seminars and writing articles. His training and consulting services help organizations improve their strategic use of technology and their online presence. He has reviewed and help author articles for Idealware.org. John authored the chapter “Effective Online Communications” in the book Managing Technology to Meet your Mission (Jossey-Bass/Wiley, 2009). He is a member of the Executive Consultants Select Group at the Alliance for Children & Families and an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco. John has been a featured speaker across the US, England, Australia and online. Updates and more information: www.johnkenyon.org

Mary Ann Scheirer
Program Evaluation Consultant

Mary Ann Scheirer, Ph.D., is an independent consultant with her own firm, Scheirer Consulting. She retired in 2003 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, where she was a Senior Program Officer for Research and Evaluation. Previously, she was an independent consultant for the evaluation of health promotion, substance abuse, education and human services programs. She worked extensively on the development of performance measures, and taught a graduate course on this topic at George Washington University. She served on the Board of Directors of the American Evaluation Association, on the Board of Directors of the Consumer Health Foundation, and was President and Treasurer of Washington Evaluators. Dr. Scheirer holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Cornell University.

Anne Reisinger Whatley
Vice President, Cause Communications

Anne R. Whatley directs the education, research and evaluation programs at Cause Communications. Her experience includes managing public education campaigns, specializing in interactive and online efforts. Her projects have been profiled in several books, including PR on the Net and the textbook Strategic Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations and has also garnered praises including winning PR Week New Media Site of the Year, Silver SABRE Best Use of the Web - Healthcare, and Public Relations Society of America Big Apple Award for Best Web site. Her focus more recently has been on how to create better ways to evaluate marketing, communications and advocacy.