 Instructor Bios All Center seminars and Customized On-Site trainings are facilitated by experts in their fields. Each of the facilitators listed below has a minimum of 15 years of experience working and/or training in the nonprofit sector. Instructors are listed in alphabetical order, by last name.
Regina Birdsell (top)
Regina Birdsell has been a marketing and communications executive within the corporate, nonprofit and public sectors for over 20 years. After graduating from USC, she began her career at Eyewitness News in Los Angeles, served as press secretary for California’s Attorney General, worked to build the Public Affairs office at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, ran the New Los Angeles Marketing Partnership in collaboration with Mayor Riordan and corporate leaders throughout region and was later appointed by the Governor to be a consumer advocate. In 2006 she became the president of the Southern California Center for Nonprofit Management. The organization provides management and leadership education and coaching for thousands of nonprofit executives and volunteers every year.
Cynthia Chaillie (top)
Cynthia Chaillie leads workshops for Cause Communications, specializing in hands-on training sessions. As a popular instructor and speaker, Cynthia Chaillie also shares her passion for communications with marketing and fund-raising students at UCLA Extension, and through speaking engagements with such corporations and trade associations as Bank of America, the American Marketing Association, Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Leading the fundraising communications program at the University of California, Los Angeles, Ms. Chaillie contributed to the record-setting achievement of $3.05 billion in private giving at the campaign’s close – the most ambitious philanthropic effort undertaken by a public university. Prior to joining UCLA, Ms. Chaillie led marketing and branding initiatives for Mattel, Inc., Sage Publications, Inc. and Merritt Publishing, spearheading the launch of two national divisions and a successful corporate acquisition. Damian Goldvarg, Ph.D. (top)
Damian Goldvarg, Ph.D., is an Organizational Development Consultant, originally from Argentina, with fifteen years of experience in developing, implementing and evaluating skill building programs. He has expertise on issues of cultural competence, leadership training, strategic planning and in developing minority executives. He has experience working in non-profit, business and government sectors. Dr. Goldvarg received his Masters in Counseling from California State University Northridge and his Master and Doctorate in Organizational Psychology from Alliant University. He has been Certified as a Professional Coach by the International Coaching Federation.
Maura J. Harrington, PhD, MBA (top)
Maura J. Harrington is the Director of Consulting and COO at the Center for Nonprofit Management. Maura is the former Senior Associate at Lodestar Management/Research, Inc., a firm specializing in applied social research, program planning, program evaluation and management services. She has worked successfully with managers and employees to improve operational and program effectiveness, customer satisfaction and staff performance. She conducts workshops on participatory and self-evaluation methods to small nonprofit organizations. She received her doctorate from Claremont Graduate School in Applied Research in the Department of Psychology and her MBA from the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management. She is an active member of the American Evaluation Association and a Eureka Foundation Fellow. Kristy Jones (top)
TBA Dana Lee (top)
Ms. Dana Lee is a graduate of the University of Southern California and holds a Master's Degree in Education. Ms. Lee is an Instructional Designer and has developed curricula and training programs for Fortune 500 corporations, educational institutions and several non-profit organizations. She is also an instructor in both the community college and private sector with over 15 years of experience working with adult learners. She is well versed in adult learning theory and teaching strategies. Ms. Lee is fully bilingual and continues to write and teach workshops in financial literacy, job search and computer skills in both English and Spanish.
Howard Levine (top)
Howard J. Levine is a Certified Public Accountant whose firm concentrates in small business and nonprofit accounting, as well as nonprofit, individual, and corporate income taxes. With over twenty years of experience both as a college teacher and in private practice, plus experience with national accounting firms, Howard has created a diverse national client base and a wealth of experience. In addition to his private practice, Howard teaches at L.A. Valley College and speaks to numerous nonprofit groups throughout the year. Howard received his degree in accounting from San Diego State University, and he is a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Accounting. Janet Levine (top)
Janet Levine works with nonprofit and educational organizations, helping them to exceed their goals. In her more than 20 years in the field of philanthropy, Janet has been intimately involved with all aspects of fund development and nonprofit management. She has built programs from scratch and brought existing programs to the next level. As Vice President for Advancement at California State University, Dominguez Hills, she built a sustainable, ongoing fundraising program while repurposing communications and implementing a government relations program. In places as diverse as USC, the Reason Foundation, the American Film Institute and two community colleges, she increased levels of fundraising and deepened prospect pools. At the University of Oregon, she played a key role in the Oregon Campaign which, at the time, was the largest campaign ever attempted in the state. Janet's full bio is available in her seminar description.
Ron Milam (top)
Ron Milam has twelve years of successful experience in the nonprofit sector and provides the following consulting services for community-based nonprofit organizations: facilitation, presentations, coaching and project management. Ron founded the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and served as its first Executive Director. He later raised over $2 million for Enterprise Community Partners and the Future Leaders Institute Charter School in New York City. Ron has served as a board member for Sustainable South Bronx and the Thunderhead Alliance. He holds a B.S. in Planning, Public Policy and Management from the University of Oregon. Jaime Miranda (top)
Jaime Miranda is the Director of Development Research at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. He oversees delivery of research services directly related to fundraising programs and projects at the Keck School of Medicine. He joined USC as research analyst within University Advancement in 2002. Prior to prospect research, he was a major gifts fundraiser at a national educational reform nonprofit in Los Angeles, where he also managed the annual stewardship campaign. In addition, he has done market research and served as a development consultant for various organizations. Jaime is a former elementary school teacher. He received a degree in Spanish from Oklahoma State University.
Allan Pressel (top)
Allan Pressel is founder and CEO of CharityFinders (www.CharityFinders.com), which helps nonprofits use the Internet to further their mission. CharityFinders' main product is NonprofitSite123 - technology that enables any nonprofit to build their own world-class website in just hours - at a low cost, with no training required. CharityFinders also offers Internet strategy consulting services and custom web development to nonprofits. Allan has been designated as one of the world's leading ePhilanthropy experts by the ePhilanthropy Foundation.
Previously, Allan was a co-founder of i-Cube, which had a highly successful IPO in June, 1998, and was later acquired by Razorfish. i-Cube was profitable every quarter for 7 years. i-Cube helped large corporations develop an IT/Internet strategy and implement it through software/web development and consulting services -- much like CharityFinders does for nonprofits. Carlos Ramirez (top)
Carlos Ramirez is the Education Manager at the Center for Nonprofit Management. He oversees the education program logistics which include weekly seminars, customized trainings and larger sector gatherings. During his time at the Center he has also managed the Nonprofit Resource Library, taught a seminar on grantseeking databases and managed local and international volunteers.
He received his BA from Williams College where he studied comparative literature. While in school he interned in the Office of Congressman Xavier Becerra and the Getty Foundation. William M. Ramseyer, J.D. (top)
William Ramseyer is an attorney who specializes in nonprofit organizations. He represents a wide variety of nonprofit organizations in various aspects of their operations. He taught nonprofit law at UCLA for many years, and has conducted numerous seminars and consulting projects for the Center. William advised the California Continuing Education of the Bar on bylaws for California nonprofit corporations and is one of the originators of the concept of legal audits. Bruce Rosen (top)
Bruce Rosen is the former Program Manager of the Arts Loan Fund at the Center for Nonprofit Management. He has worked with the Center extensively over the past decade including directing the Venture Fund Initiative and the Southern California Social Enterprise Initiative.
The Social Enterprise Initiative provides coordinated services and technical assistance to nonprofit social purpose businesses throughout the region. Bruce also provides business development and management assistance consulting services to nonprofit organizations engaged in earned-income and small business activities.
Bruce has over twenty-five years experience in the financial services industry. He has worked in corporate finance, investment banking, retail sales and institutional money management during his career; including as Vice President of Drexel, Burnham, Lambert Inc., Vice President of Kayne, Anderson Investment Management, and since 1990, as President of Redwood Financial, a registered investment advisory firm.
Bruce also serves on the Board of Directors of several local nonprofit organizations including as Board President of the Westside Food Bank, Board President of Friends of the Vets' Garden at the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Medical Center and as Treasurer of the Pacific Palisades CROP Hunger Walk.
Frank G. Scarpaci (top)
Frank G. Scarpaci is president and founder of The Vianova Group, LLC, which provides leading-edge business optimization and project management services to small and midsize businesses and nonprofit organizations. His experience and expertise includes project and event management, operations management, employee development, board development, and strategic business planning. Some of the organizations he has worked and consulted with include: Pasadena Unified School District, San Diego Performing Arts League, Flintridge Foundation, San Diego Youth & Community Services, Fenway Community Health Center, Boston Conservatory, The LGBT Community Center, San Diego Human Dignity Foundation, and Alliance Healthcare Foundation.
Janet Schulman (top)
Janet Schulman is an independent consultant in the nonprofit sector with more than 25 years of experience as the Executive Director of Big Sisters of Los Angeles and Special Olympics Southern California. She holds an M.S.W degree from Boston University and an M.B.A from UCLA. Janet has provided leadership in the areas of board development and training, organizational development, volunteer management, resource development and strategic planning to a wide variety of community-based organizations. She also has served as an Interim Executive Director to Agencies in transition. Kent E. Seton, Esq (top)
Kent E. Seton, Esq., an entrepreneur at heart, started his law career simultaneously with the launch of a separate online venture that quickly grew into one of the largest nation-wide providers preparing the paperwork for creating 501(c)(3) organizations. At its height, this online company was forming over 250 501(c)(3) organizations per month. At the same time, Mr. Seton also steadily grew his law practice in the Beverly Hills and outlying areas and has become one of the foremost attorneys representing charities on tax, corporate governance and legal matters concerning fundraising. Not only does he regularly speak on legal topics, but, in the last several years he has also sprearheaded a free monthly event featuring the most advanced thinkers in the nonprofit sector for the benefit of sharing resources, information and networking for non-profit leaders in the Los Angeles Area. Several months ago, Mr. Seton launched a separate venture in Century City, California, which is a first of its kind investment bank for Mergers & Acquisitions (M & A) transactions in the nonprofit sector. It includes both a for-profit arm and a non-profit arm; the nonprofit arm is intended to help dissolving charities and to engage in studies concerning the viability of M & A activity in the nonprofit sector. His partner in this venture is Bob McKim, who among other things, is an accomplished entrepreneur and is the Chairman of the Board of Meals On Wheels-West. Mr. Seton intends to launch an office in Silicon Valley for his law firm in the near future. He is also currently in the process of writing his own book on nonprofit trends and the law. Peggy Sheridan (top)
Margaret Sheridan has been a marketing professional for over 15 years. She started her career as the manager of a food program for the elderly in a Salvation Army in New Jersey. She subsequently worked as a marketing manager for several major corporations. Ms. Sheridan has a BS in Community Service Education from Cornell University, a MS degree in Health Policy & Management from the Harvard School of Public Health, and an MBA from Stanford University. Belinda Madrid Teitel (top)
Belinda Madrid Teitel brings skills from the nonprofit, business and governmental sector. She offers expertise in board development, fundraising and grantsmanship, training and organizational development, marketing and strategic planning.Ms. Teitel is a capacity building consultant and trainer on a range of topics, including raising funds for foundations and corporations. Most recently, she was Vice President at Draper Consulting Group, a nationally recognized firm that serves both grantmaker and nonprofit institutions. Prior to joining Draper Consulting Group in 1998, Ms. Teitel served as Southern California Director for Earth Share of California, a nonprofit federation of 90 premier local, state and national environmental organizations. During her seven year tenure, Ms. Teitel established Earth Share's presence in the Southern California region by recruiting, training and mobilizing volunteer board members, cultivating relationships with socially-conscious employers and initiating and participating in hundreds of employee charitable giving campaigns. During her career, Ms. Teitel formed extensive alliances in the nonprofit, business and governmental sectors throughout Southern California. Roz Teller (top)
Roz Teller is a general partner in the management consulting firm of Teller Associates, which has been assisting organizations to develop their human resources since 1980. They specialize in helping managers, supervisors, and employees to develop the management and human relations skills needed to succeed in rapidly changing environments. A former New Yorker, Roz received her B.A. from Brooklyn College and her Masters from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Roz has designed and conducted over a thousand workshops across the country and is listed in Who’s Who in the West, Who’s Who in American Women, and the International Who’s Who of Professional and Business Women. She is a member of the boards of directors of Barlow Respiratory Hospital and the Mary Magdalene Project. Kimberly Marie Tso (top)
Kimberly Tso works as an independent grant writing consultant to nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles, and she is frequently asked to write government grants. Her career began by making government grants with the Commission on National and Community Service, the precursor to AmeriCorps. There she provided technical assistance to government grant seekers and ran review committees for the grant programs. Later, she experienced what it was like to seek grants and developed great empathy for all those who have to write government proposals. Her most recent government application was a proposal to the State of California on behalf of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health to access $40 million available through the Mental Health Services Act. Morrie Warshawski (top)
Morrie Warshawski, noted writer and media consultant, is the former Executive Director of Bay Area Video Coalition and The Media Project, Inc. His clients over the last 30 years include the American Film Institute, National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, MacArthur Foundation, WGBH-TV, President’s Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and many others. Warshawski has served on numerous grant panels, has written over 500 proposals, and is the author of THE FUNDRAISING HOUSEPARTY: HOW TO PARTY WITH A PURPOSE AND RAISE MONEY FOR YOUR CAUSE – 2nd Edition and SHAKING THE MONEY TREE: THE ART OF GETTING GRANTS AND DONATIONS FOR FILM AND VIDEO PROJECTS - 3rd Edition. |
