Staff and Mentor Profiles
Guiding the work of the Institute is a team composed of Director Eric Phelps and nine mentors with vast and varied consulting experience in the world of nonprofit organizations.
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Natasha Dresner, Mentor
Natasha has 17 years of experience working in the Jewish nonprofit world and holds a BA in Management and an MBA in Finance.
Natasha emigrated to the United States in 2001 from Kiev, Ukraine, where she was deeply involved in Jewish life. As a young adult, she was a co-founder of the first Reform synagogue established in Kiev since the Russian Revolution, Congregation Ha Tikvah, where she served in numerous lay and professional leadership roles.
For many summers, she also worked in various capacities at a Jewish summer camp in Belarus that brought children together from the entire Former Soviet Union. In 1996, she left her formal synagogue roles to work for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee in Kiev, where, by the time she moved to America, she had worked her way up to become head of the Finance department.
In New York City, Natasha ventured into the for-profit and consulting world for a time before moving to the Berkshires to take the Executive Director position with Congregation Knesset Israel in Pittsfield, MA, where she still lives with her husband, Avi.
Natasha joined the Grinspoon Institute in 2005, not long after the program’s inception, and has helped shape it into what it has become today.
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Royster Hedgepeth, Mentor
Principal Consultant with CWC/Hedgepeth Group, an organizational development firm serving universities and other social service organizations, Hedgepeth specializes in creating vibrant, performance-based boards of directors and increasing organizational fund-raising capacity. He has 26 years’ experience in educational fundraising for universities, and has helped to reposition organizations in the competitive marketplace. Hedgepeth received his BA from Wake Forest University, his MEd from the University of Florida, and his PhD in Educational Administration from Cornell University. A recipient of numerous education and service awards, Hedgepeth is an editor and author of professional books and a highly sought after presenter on topics related to organizational development and fundraising.
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Laurie Herrick, Mentor
Laurie brings over twenty years experience in the non-profit sector to her work as a Grinspoon Mentor. She has served in many roles in arts, health, education, domestic and international hunger and poverty organizations, has raised millions of dollars for these non-profits and now focuses her work on coaching others to have success.
She is currently the owner of RAINMAKER Consulting, an organizational development and fundraising consulting firm serving non-profits nationally. RAINMAKER provides coaching on donor identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship, strategic planning, board governance and strategic group facilitation. Laurie's work often focuses on intentional positive cultural change through leadership development. www.rainmkr.com
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Daniel Kirsch, Mentor
Dan has devoted his career to improving the leadership, fundraising, and operating capacity of mission-driven organizations. As manager, consultant, and volunteer Dan has worked with nonprofit organizations in education, social services, and the arts where his work has included: planning and managing major capital campaigns; building and mentoring professional and volunteer fundraising teams; managing portfolios of major donors; training and coaching nonprofit executives, staffs, and board members; and restructuring fundraising and alumni relations operations.
Dan has served in executive development roles for the University of Massachusetts, New England Conservatory of Music, Pine Manor College, and Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School. Dan is the co-founder of KirschLeuchs, a full-service fundraising consulting firm serving the needs of regional and national clients. He has also developed services to help nonprofits meet their executive hiring needs and to coach private sector professionals transitioning to new careers with nonprofits.
Dan received his Bachelors degree in Government from Dartmouth College and studied American Sign Language at Northeastern University. Dan’s wife, Suzanne, who works in enrollment management for the Hartsbrook School in Hadley, MA, is a proud former counselor at a Jewish overnight camp. Dan and Suzy and their two young sons – and future campers – Benjamin and Elijah live in Florence, MA.
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Adrianne Levine, Grants Associate
Prior to joining the Grinspoon Institute in June 2007, Adrianne was the manager of Donor/Prospect Research at the College of Our Lady of the Elms. Currently, Adrianne manages all aspects of the Matching Grants programs offered by the Grinspoon Institute for Jewish Philanthropy. She also assists with the Legacy Pilot Program and the planning and organizing of the Grinspoon Institute annual conference. Adrianne received her B.A. in Liberal Arts from Elms College and a Masters Degree in Communications and Information Management from BayPath College. Other positions held at Elms College include Project Manager, Planned Giving Manager and Systems Administrator. Adrianne has been affiliated with Women in Philanthropy, Planned Giving Group of New England, New England Development Research Association and the United Way campaign.
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Kevin Martone, Technology Program Manager
Kevin is the Technology Program Manager at the Grinspoon Institute. He has a background in systems development and analysis, with a focus on project management. After receiving a B.S. from Cornell University in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering, Kevin pursued a career in Management Consulting at Deloitte Consulting in New York City. Working mainly in the Financial Services industry, Kevin worked with teams on all stages of the systems development lifecycle. While being promoted from Systems Analyst to Manager, Kevin gained a wealth of experience managing projects and teams of all sizes.
At the Grinspoon Institute, Kevin helps camps understand how they can utilize web2.0 tools for fundraising and outreach. He has become an active member of the online nonprofit technology community, including contributing to the www.wearemedia.org effort. He has also been diligently providing new services for the camps, including a monthly eNewsletter, blog, and an Initial Technology Assessment.
Kevin resides in Belchertown, MA with his wife Drey and two young sons, Patrick and Brendan.
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Michael Miloff, Mentor
For 30 years, Miloff has been an entrepreneur, executive and consultant to the private, public and nonprofit sectors. He has overseen 200-plus projects in a wide range of sectors in areas such as strategic planning, marketing and governance. He has also help to found and lead several major business enterprises. Involved in Jewish education, Miloff currently serves as Co-President of the Paul Penna Downtown Jewish Day School in Toronto. He is a consultant to the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education and co-facilitator of a community of practice for heads of Jewish day schools in Boston. Michael holds a Bachelor of Psychology from McGill and Masters Degree in Environmental Studies from York University.
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Jill Paul, Mentor
Jill Paul comes to the Grinspoon Institute with a successful 25-year career in nonprofit management and fund development. In her prior position as the CEO of Girls Scouts in Western Massachusetts, she completed a successful capital campaign, with new construction and modernization of the oldest Girl Scout camp in the nation. As a former camp director, she values how vital the camp environment is in developing future leaders.
A global perspective permeates her approach to management. Before coming to New England, she established West Pacific Girl Scouts for military families in Japan, Korea and the Philippines, living in Japan and Korea for five years. She has a passion for coaching high performance teams to create optimal solutions to support organizational initiatives that value the unique contributions of individuals.
She holds a B.A. from Whittier College, an M.A. in Asian Studies from San Diego State University, and an M.B.A. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
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Eric Phelps, Director
Prior to joining the Institute in November 2007 as a full-time mentor, Eric served as the Executive Director of the New Art Center in Newton, MA. Eric has also served as Executive Director of VSA arts of Georgia, a nonprofit organization working to making the arts accessible to people with disabilities, and as Development Director of IMAGE Film & Video Center in Atlanta. Eric has been working in nonprofit administration since the age of 16, serving as a conference planner and musician with the National Episcopal Church. He earned his B.A. in Adolescent Psychology from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst and holds a Certificate in American Sign Language Interpreting from Georgia Perimeter College.
Eric lives with his wife Felicia, a cantor, and their son Elijah in Northampton, MA.
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Julia Riseman, Mentor
Julia Riseman brings 20 years non-profit leadership and mentoring experience to the Grinspoon Institute of Jewish Philanthropy. Prior to joining GIJP, she co-founded two non-profit organizations and was the development director of a private elementary school before traveling the world on sabbatical with her family. Her breadth of organizational experience includes work with youth leadership and community service-learning programs, international environmental and human health projects, peace and social justice organizations, and universities and schools. Over the years, she has guided numerous successful fundraising campaigns, ranging from volunteer-only efforts to build fundraising from the ground up, to a national $200 million dollar comprehensive campaign. She feels honored to help camps strengthen their long-term effectiveness and economic vitality through board development, strategic planning, alumni outreach, and fundraising.
Julia received her MBA at the Simmons School of Management, and a BA in Psychology from Reed College. Julia lives in Northampton, Ma with her husband and two teenage daughters, and enjoys cooking, traveling, bicycling, and volunteering in her free time.
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Joseph Ruotolo, Business Systems Analyst
Joe is the Business Systems Analyst at the Grinspoon Institute. Joe received his B.S. from Quinnipiac University in Spring 2008 in Information Systems Management. Joe is currently pursuing his Masters degree from Quinnipiac in Computer Information Systems.
Joe brings a wide range of experience to the Institute including knowledge of multiple programming languages, web design, e-commerce development, website management, as well as maintaining a long-standing blog. He is the go-to resource at GIJP for maintaining camps' Alumni Portals and managing data imports into DonorPerfect Online. Joe also researches dozens of new products and services that organizations can use to more effectively and efficiently manage fundraising, alumni outreach, and governance efforts. Finally, Joe helps organizations leverage social media effectively and implement specific Twitter and Facebook functionality.
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David Sharken, Mentor & Legacy Program Director
David is a mentor and director of the legacy program for the Grinspoon Institue for Jewish Philanthropy. He has been with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation since June 2006 after completing a 13-year tenure as the Executive Director of The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. For more than 25 years, David has been doing organizational development consulting with non-profit organizations and small businesses. He has broad experience in community organizations and has been a keynote speaker and presenter on topics of nonprofit management, fundraising, program development and social and economic justice. For five years David was director of economic and community development for veteran U.S. Congressman John Olver.
A graduate of the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Organizational Development, he holds a Master's degree from Claremont Graduate School in Public Policy Analysis. David is currently serving as the chair of the Jewish Community of Amherst synagogue's endowment and legacy campaign.
David and his wife Joanne Jaffin, an obstetric nurse, midwife, and massage therapist, reside in Amherst, MA. They have two children: son Corey, 21, living in West Hartford, CT and daughter Jamie, 17, a senior at Amherst High School.
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Herb Tobin, Mentor
Herb Tobin is principal of Herb Tobin Consulting, a Boston-based firm dedicated to helping non-profit organizations reach their potential capacity and maximize their financial resource base. He currently serves a number of start-up philanthropic organizations, as well as those undertaking significantly new projects. He also serves as senior consultant to Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, where he was the architect of a successful $200 million comprehensive campaign addressing capital, endowment and current-use funds on a local, regional and national basis. Prior to his work with Hillel, Herb was an executive with two Boston-area medical centers, and with several Jewish federations. A Reconstructionist rabbi by training, Herb also holds a doctorate in theology from Boston University.
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