2017-2018

Newsletter Contents

Introduction & Words from our Leaders 2

Cheers to 25 Years! A brief look at AH / NLA History 3

NLA Student Associations: NLSA & AFP-UH 4 - 5

Fall Retreat 2017 6

Fall Workshops 7

Internship Experiences 8

Alliance Management Institute (AMI) - Kansas City 9

Community Outreach & Community Highlight 10

Fund Development Workshop Series (Spring ) 11

Philanthropic Project 2018 12

The Flo McGee Career Development Institute (CDI) 13

UH Alumni & CNPs 14 - 15

Together as ONE

02

What is NLA? The Nonprofit Leadership Alliance (NLA) is a Nonprofit Management Certificate & Credential Program.

The David M. Underwood Chapter of NLA at the University of Houston has been producing Certified Nonprofit

Professionals (CNPs) since 1993 based on a national competencies set by the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance,

Inc. Our Mission is to strengthen the social network with a talented, prepared workforce. We’re preparing the

skilled professionals who’ll be tomorrow’s leaders in America’s nonprofit organizations.

WORDS FROM PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Dear NLA Community

Welcome to this special anniversary edition to celebrate 25 years of growing nonprofit leaders at the University of Houston. This long history would not be possible without the support of so many people, especially our fierce champions on the Leadership Circle, like Jennifer Battle and April Day who serve as adjunct faculty in the classroom and our newest members, Matthew Barnes and Darcie Champagne Wells.

We are also grateful to the CNP alumni who support our student campaign, program efforts, and social media presence (read on for more) and for our home base, the Graduate College of Social Work. Please enjoy the great collection of memories collected and shared by our Student Association Historian, her committee, and Editor extraordinaire and fearless Program Manager, Amber Rangel, CNP. We hope that you will continue to support our efforts to change the professional goals and lives of UH students for years to come.

WORDS FROM THE STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT OF NLSA & AFP-UH

The Nonprofit Leadership Alliance at the University of Houston is a program where like-minded individuals, all powered by passion, come together as one. This program allows individuals to learn together, challenge each other, and build their skills needed to succeed in the nonprofit sector. As the 2017-2018 President of the Student Association, I am grateful for the expansion of our program and humbled by the growth of our student body. I hope as you continue through the newsletter you see the impact NLA has on our students and the Houston community . Presley K. Liesman 

Melanie Barr Fitzpatrick, MSW 

1993 to 1998

1993: The Center for Youth Service Professionals was initiated as an undergraduate program for the Graduate School of Social Work to operate in conjunction with the American Humanics National Certificate Program

1995: The inaugural David M. Underwood Lecture in partnership with the Kellogg Foundation kicks off

1998: “American Humanics Day” brought five (5) new and/or developing campuses tour and learn how the UH chapter operates under Margaret O’Donnell, schools included: UT-San Antonio, University of North Texas, Jarvis College, Xavier University, Texas Weslayan University and UH-Victoria.

1999 to 2003

1999: AH partners with Clyde Drexler for “Keep the Spirit Alive with AH and Clyde”, a raffle ticket fundraiser led by the AHSA Fundraising Student Leader

2001: The Gary Nichols Scholarship celebrated it’s 5th year of awarding AH students with scholarships to help finance their education in Leadership and Service.

2002: The W.K. Kellog Foundation awarded the UH AH chapter $100,000 with the stipulation of matching the funds. The dynamic Community Volunteer, Flo McGee responded to the challenge by creating a team of individuals such as: David M. Underwood, Emily Crosswell, Carla Cooper, Paul Murphy, Roslyn Hill and Susan Light Lawhon, Wayne Norden and Ruth Milburn. This group created the first formal AH board, called the American Humanics Leadership Circle.

2003: AH continued the tradition of Youth in Philanthropy (YIP), by celebrating the 5th anniversary of pairing students with NSFRE / AFP professionals.

2004 to 2008

2007: The Hope Center for Youth and Family Services selected AH to receive $350,000 to create an endowment for student Scholarships.

2008: After 15 years, the beloved Margaret O’Donnell retired from her position as the AH Program Director. Although it was hard to say goodbye, she helped build a legacy that continues to stand the test of time.

2009 to 2013

2009: The annual Recognition Event highlighted graduating students and served as a community thank you for one of our closest advocates and donors, Mrs. Flo McGee.

2011: The program’s name transitioned to match the national name change to Nonprofit Leadership Alliance (NLA) from American Humanics (AH). Alumni of the program begin to claim their Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP) credential.

2014 to 2018

2014: The NLA endowment campaign achieved its $2 million goal, insuring the permanence of this program at the University of Houston and key support for annual operations. Special Thank You to the Fondren Foundation as the first and last donor of this campaign.

2015: AFP Collegiate Chapter at UH was revived with NLA students, under the guidance of Amber Rangel, CNP, Program Manager and secured their first award in 10 years: Chapter Ten Star Award

2016: AMI 2016 was hosted in Houston, Texas for the second time bringing 400-500 NLA students from across the nation seeking to be “Certified to Change the World.” Over 40 Houston-area nonprofit experts and agencies were highlighted during the workshops and case study site visits during the first week in January.

Cheers to 25 years!. A brief look at AH / NLA History .

03

05

Association of Fundraising Professionals U Houston (Collegiate) Chapter SPONSORED BY Greater Houston (Professional) Chapter

AFP is an international professional association of individuals

and organizations that generate philanthropic support for a

wide variety of charitable institutions. Founded in 1960, AFP

advances philanthropy through its 30,000 members in 233

chapters throughout the world.

Our collegiate chapter, AFP-UH, allows students to complete a

philanthropic project and host educational sessions about

ethical fundraising practices and specific information about

fundraising tools.

Cultivating Future Fundraisers Initiative

Beginning Fall 2017, AFP‐GHC and NLA & AFP‐UH

will piloted a program to connect professionals

and collegiate members of AFP. This ini a ve

directly foster the development of fundraising

exper se and promote high ethical standards for

fundraising professionals for college students

seeking to enter nonprofit sector careers.

AFP Greater Houston

President, Dawn Koenig

with AFP‐UH President

2017—2018

P P

Yolanda Alexander Webb, Houston Food

Bank

Melissa Daigneault, Arms Wide Adop on

Services

Cherrelle Duncan, Komen Race for the

Cure, Houston

Tineke Franck, Alley Theatre

Carrie Grzelak, Houston Food Bank

Tiffani Kimball, The Salva on Army

Diane O'Brien, Rice University

Marisa Ramon, Houston Food Bank

Kirsten Schachter, Dini Spheris

Emily Schreiber, Rice University

Nick S nson, Rice University

Adam Supgul, Houston Food Bank

Alexis Thompson, The Salva on Army

Andrea Ward, Houston Grand Opera

06

A special thanks to:

Fall Retreat

“Fall retreat at the Downtown Tellepsen YMCA was amazing! We had the opportunity of being toured around their renovated facility. Our alumni Randriya Houston taught us how she incorporates social work into the CNP experience and we were able to complete an individualized SWAT analysis. The Fall Retreat was a great way to kick off the year and prepare us with the skills we needed to make the 2017-2018 year successful. “

- Stephanie Najera , Psychology Major

Downtown Tellepsen YMCA

06

A special thanks to:

Fall Retreat

“Fall retreat at the Downtown Tellepsen YMCA was amazing! We had the opportunity of being toured around their renovated facility. Our alumni Randriya Houston taught us how she incorporates social work into the CNP experience and we were able to complete an individualized SWAT analysis. The Fall Retreat was a great way to kick off the year and prepare us with the skills we needed to make the 2017-2018 year successful. “

- Stephanie Najera , Psychology Major

Downtown Tellepsen YMCA 

Fall Workshops

TOPICS Workshop 1:

Making the Ask

Workshop 2:

Strategic Planning

Workshop 3:

Volunteer Engagement

Workshop 4:

Disaster Recovery

Special Thanks to our Agency Partners:

“The Fall Workshops were truly a smorgasbord of speakers and valuable information. By attending the 4 workshops, I was able to learn about some very important topics in the nonprofit sector. There was something to learn in each workshop and I know I will be able to use my notes for years to come.

The final workshop was a panel led by some of Houston’s most valuable people during Hurricane Harvey. I felt incredibly lucky to hear them speak about their experiences during disaster relief. Special does not begin to cover the amount of expertise experienced during the Fall Workshop Series.” ~ Sydney Smith, Community Outreach Officer

07

Internship Experiences

Yesenia Maldonado Human Development & Family Studies

Internship site: BakerRipley—Spring 2018

My position at BakerRipley was as a Volunteer Coordinator intern. I worked with Lauren Duplessis, the Manager of Volunteer engagement to help sustain programs without a dedicated Volunteer Coordinator. Through my internship I was able to learn about best practices in volunteer management, program development, fundraising, and leadership development. Moving forward in my career I would like to find opportunities in positions that focus on community outreach and engagement and if possible continue working with BakerRipley.

Internship site: March of Dimes—Spring 2018

As a Development Intern for March of Dimes , I have the perfect opportunity to not only apply my knowledge, but to adapt that knowledge through the work that I do. My time at the March of Dimes has exposed me to the broad scope of nonprofit work; from database entry and board meeting structure to everything in between, my internship experience has truly transformed my professional development. I am looking forward to not only completing my internship, but exploring future opportunities within the March of Dimes and beyond.

Amethyst Rogers Corporate /Organizational Communications

Internship site: United Way—Summer 2017

I had the opportunity to intern at the United Way of Greater Houston as a Nonprofit Connection intern. Nonprofit Connection is a program at the United Way that holds professional development training and seminars for nonprofit professionals. Through my internship, I was able to attend many workshops which included finance, legal, communications, grant writing and HR. At United Way, I was working under Rebecca Jasso and Ronnie Hagerty, who were so helpful and taught me about the nonprofit sector. Thank you, NLA, for providing me with such a life changing opportunity.

Cristina Coy Psychology

08 09

This year the Alliance Management Institute

(AMI) was held in Kansas City, Missouri. It was a

much different experience than I expected,

but overall a good one. I was exposed to NLA

programs from across the country and the

differenced were very surprising. I was able to

use the knowledge gained through the spring

workshops to bring a possible new program to

a Veteran’s organization in Missouri. We

worked through the problems the nonprofit

wanted to address and together found the

best solution. It was an exciting experience

visiting and learning about the nonprofit sector

in a different state, and how every NLA

program runs differently. The best part of the

trip was listening to the different projects

students created during the final dinner. All of

them were interesting, and added a different

perspective to many different issues.

-Karen Mejia, Treasurer

Alliance Management Institute

AMI Learning Outcomes: 33 local nonprofits received 2,500+ hours of service from students who served as consultants, creating action plans for each organization | 56 national and regional speakers | 19 quick-fire sessions | 14 workshops 5 keynote sessions featured | 5 simulations

National NLA will commemorate its 70th anniversary with a series of events in 2018, including AMI. The focus of the anniversary celebrations will be a tribute to the Alliance’s founders,

including former Kansas City Mayor H. Roe Bartle.

10

Community Outreach

Students coordinate

and attend site visits

where they learn about

an agency, tour

facilities and

participate in a

volunteer service

activity.

The 2017-18 efforts focused on strengthening our relationship with our Philanthropic Project

Beneficiary: Urban Harvest. Special Thank You to both Tellepsen Family Downtown YMCA and

Gracewood for hosting our students this past year. #TogetherAsONE

NLA was invited by the UH President’s Office to our local Martin Luther King Parade.

Community Highlight

11

Fund Development Workshops

Special Thank You to Coordinators:

Mary Claire Walther & Rebecca Lamb

WORKSHOP INSTRUCTORS

The Fund Development Workshops are designed to offer NLA

students a well rounded understanding of the moving pieces of

fundraising. Students learn from associates at Dini Spheris about

a variety of subjects in fund development including: how to

create a Case for Support, Donor Prospecting, Making The Ask,

Fundraising Ethics and Stewardship. Students apply these skills

to present a case study derived from local nonprofit agencies.

The culmination of the experience is for students to be

presented with “situations” based on their research and

present their findings at the end of the series.

Agency Case Studies:

12

The Association of Fundraising Professionals at U

Houston (AFP-UH) fosters the growth of

fundraising professionals and promotes the

highest ethical standards in the fundraising

profession.

As an AFP collegiate chapter, the University of

Houston (AFP-UH) is required to conduct an

annual philanthropic project, giving students the

opportunity to apply skills learned throughout

the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance (NLA) Program

and AFP-UH.

“The students in Association of Fundraising

Professionals at U Houston collectively voted for

Urban Harvest to be our Philanthropic Project

beneficiary, because we share similar values of

encouraging sustainability in Houston’s

underserved neighborhoods. We understand

the importance of community, good nutrition,

and sustainability and agree that these goals

can be achieved through the teaching and

support of organic gardening.

Partnering with them mobilized our students to

fundraise over $2500 and further contribute to

their mission by volunteering with them. At this

semester’s site visit, we got the chance to visit

their satellite education centers where

everyone was enthusiastic to learn about their

programs and help build a garden to serve our

communities. We are honored to partner with

Urban Harvest to help make Houston a healthier

city.”

~ Britnee Chuor, Philanthropic Project Leader

Philanthropic Project

13

The 20th Annual Flo McGee

Career Development Institute

CDI Guest Speakers:

Matthew Barnes,

Barnes|Strategies

Consulting

Amy Behrman, CNP, United

Way of Greater Houston

Nelson Bowman III, UNICEF

USA Fund

Kathryn Childress, CNP, El

Centro de Corazon

April Day, MBA, CNP,

Women’s Business Enterprise

Alliance (WBEA)

Ronnie Hagerty, PhD, CFRE,

United Way of Greater

Houston

Jamil Higley, Rice

University's Doerr Institute for

New Leaders

Karim Kafray, CFRE, The

University of Texas M.D.

Anderson Cancer Center

David Seely, The Edge

Group

Darcie Champagne Wells,

MBA, March of Dimes

Named for Flo McGee, a long time influencer and advocate for

NLA, this one day training institute is hosted by the Nonprofit

Leadership Alliance (NLA) program.

The Career Development Institute or CDI, provides NLA student

participants with resources that will assist them in gaining and

refining their competitive edge in the nonprofit sector.

CDI Agenda included:

Networking Luncheon, Interview Workshop, Networking Workshop

and Nonprofit Executive Panel.

Mrs. Flo McGee

top row, left

April Day, MBA, CNP

center row, bottom

14

Stacy Allen‐Grace Dwightman

Sandra Bohorquez

Catherine Boldt

Anthony Cecala

Eric Carrera

Kristoffer Day

Sara Farina

Shelly Di mar

Olufunke “Frances” Farinde Adamson

Maraiah Fryar

Babe e Hughes

Roberta Leal

Nikki Lively

Daniel “Dan” Marchione

Jennifer Lind

April C. Malone Day

Kris Michalke Peterek

Stephanie Mitchell

Elizabeth Myska Mar ndale

Kevin Newton

Anthony Rivera

Quynh‐Anh Tran McMahan

Charlo e Ulrich Schillaci

Megan Tran

Chalen Jackson‐Rice

Michael Weintraub

Jennifer Ba le

Gloria Berendzen

Yvonne Dawson

Tammy Boudreaux

Myron Day

Cur s Donelson

Raul Garcia

Robin Ferris

Nicol Froese

Sabrina Farina

Amy Hansen

LaTanya Henry‐Smith

Amy Goudy

Mica Hurley

Rebecca Koos

Kara L. Kubena Janecek

Clemencia Lara Sanchez

Thach Le

Laura Kennedy Meares

Wayne William “Bill” Land

Maria Lozano‐Vasquez

George Medley

Deepa Mehta Seetapali

Joe Anthony Perez

Derrick Perkins

Catherine Perry Johnson

Jannara Pe y Johnson

Jessica Phillips Smith

Stacy Rodgers

Beverly Sanders

Barbara Slover

Raymond St. Germain

Wendy Stewart

Teresa Vega

Cynthia Wooldridge

Grace Yang

Cynthia “Cindy” Chenault

Veronica Vela

Ricky E. Raymond

Anne Myers

Jigna Dalal

Jaime Seamands Smith

Alesia Anderson Lane

Lisa Mar nez

Michelle Neveu

Audrey Reed

Sloane Caskey Beadle

Susanna Simpson

Julia B. Wickerham

Kristy Michele Armstrong

Chris na Gloria Le Deit

Angela Panzica

Kristen Schlatre

Buck A. Dodson

Erin A. Baskin

Priscilla DeVido‐Taylor

Aya Ealy

Rachael Fox

Olinda Garcia Melendez

Meha Gargi

Crystal Johnson

Yve e Nunez

Marlon Preston

Chris na A. Lopez Botello

Paola Roldan

Ingrid Headen

Delores Fitzgerald

Linda Caballero

Cora Weaver Abbo

Amanda Heilman

Liliana Mar nez

David Gonzalez

Jay Mays

Risa Lawson

Arlene Ideris

Juan Flores, Jr.

Lauren Meyers

Pamela Kumar

Chris Radney

Tiffany Shepherd

Sonya “Stephanie” Barre

Thais “Ti” Mogue Gurich

Maiya Mogue Gurich

Catherine Barry

LaDonna Jackson

Dana Dessardo

Susan Barra

Cli on “Brent” Arnspiger

Amber Aus n

Donica Becke

Laura Eaton

Amber McCarthy

Monica Rivera

Katharine Ligon

Veronica Diaz

Claudia Villanueva

William “Wells” McGee

Desiree Corbin

Faida Stokes

Marteba Beck

Anamichelle Lopez Castellano

Katherine “Kate” Grace Thrash Eubanks

Anita Cortes Perez

Anabel Rios

Elisabeth “Lisa” Gross

Dorothy Payton

May‐Ann Yuquimpo

Aven Coulson

Tram Phan

Precious Parks

Lori Godwin Masculo

Wani Jaden

Sadiq Maredia

Nicole Peralta

Tiffany Bryant

Jashae Stepherson

Deandra Herron

Allen Grundy

Sidney Phillips

Wykisha Madison

Heather Su er ‐ Stelzer

Rasheda James

Hilary Ahlgrim‐Barton

Christy Varhaug

Nakia Roberson

Philia Stewart

Carlie Brown

Nancy Rocha Rivera

Tiffany Davis

Eduardo Garces

Tania Diaz

Kimberly Hollard

Kimberly Kutach

Flor Sifuentes

Laura Middleton

Risa Govella Vasquez

Martha Villagomez

Melissa Harbich Houser

Cathy Prieto‐Smith

Najat Elsayed

Megan Mathison

Kandis Carney

Claudia Duran

Kathryn Childress Munn

Rheanisha Cartwright

Virginia Hui

Kelilah Johnson

Tuan Tran

Ashly Ordaz

Margie Ketchand Ehlers

Guadalupe Bravo‐Perez

Tasha Wilkinson

Abul Maudoodi

Natasha Wade

Melissa Rodriguez

Madalena Nguyen

Misty Reese Cornell

Donajih Rodriguez Robles

Janice Colburn

Courtney Ferguson

Bailey Helgesen

Melissa Gu errez

Chris na Gonzalez

UH Alumni & CNPs

15

Bri nee Morgan MacIntyre

Andrea Murray

Adriana Alvarez

Janet Gonzalez

Allyson Ozmer

Marcus Kufeji

Shelley Pleasant

Colle e Beresford

Maleah Similton Amos

Nicole Standley

Govinda Gonzalez

Lauren Bryce

Yvonne Meza

Alicia Buchanan (Hicks)

Roxana Hebert

Sherry Bernard

Adriana Sanchez Bowie

Megan Sharp Griffin

Heidi Alaswad Wuertz

Whitney Arp

Yunchiu Chang

LaShic Pa erson

Amy Sco

Veronica Curiel Rodriguez

Winifred Angel “Wendy” Rea Riley

Chrystal Thornton

Ines Alvarez‐Calderon

Kay Walser

Deidre Thomas

Maria Trujillo‐Nigh ngale

Crystal Zamora

LaNessa Roberson

Sasha Dunham

Danita Boyd

Bianca Gu errez

Ariana Campos

Kathleen “Ka e” Bass

Jeff Fischer

Susan Flanakin

Wykesha Harrison Hayes

Vanessa Leroux

Sandra Mar n

Stacie Turner

Rachael Susaneck

Sara Arabi Arrazola

Patricia Orji

Rebeca Garcia

Rocio Salas

Marvin Itzep

Cheryl Perry

Tabinda Ghani

Mara Guebara

Lakisha Hayes

David Thomas

Karla Sehnert

Jessica Nweke

Krystle Hosmer

Randryia Houston

Erica Fletcher

Rachel Robne

Lindsay Nichele Moody Griffin

Kira Ruben

Lisa Maloney

JoAnn Ajose

Esther Lee

Azucena Mares Orozco

Miryam Nessim

Amanda Garner

Chris na Mar nez

Amanda Luu

Lindsey Herferth

Angelica Perez

Erica Sims

Ilene Sue Thomas

Brooke Sinclair

Anil Karim

Bri ney Seykora

Olubimpe Aibinuomo

Brandy Viane Aleksey Mayzenberg

Christen Egge Barron

Sefanit Goshu

Jeannie Diep

Keiundra Jackson

Amy Jones

Ramona Walton

Michael Patrick

Chinh Duong

Esther Smiley Brown

Karla Longoria Hernandez

Eunice Wada

Erica Orellana

Benita Champs

Javier Hernandez

Yudith Soto

Amber Rose Rangel

Emmanuel Oni

Minh Tuyen Nguyen

Amelia Grinstead Behrman

Stephanie Garcia

Lauren Ferguson Lisembee

Melissa Voigt

Terence Narcisse

Camilla Dixon Su on

Ni Zhang

Laura Urdaneta

Tara Roper

Sonila Artani

Seante Johnson

Whitney Manuel

Danielle Francis

Nichelle Walker

Monica Rodriguez

Ma hew Gaines

Sarah Moonesan Leifeste

Nancy Rodriguez

Ariela Ventura

Keri Chadwick

Nnenna Ochuru

Emily Tucker Burden

Lisa Kinney

Elizabeth Mireles

Kayla Lail

Chris e Benne

Cris na Zambrano

Erica Faris

Shabelee Bowie

Timeka Walker

Jessica Cervantes

Valerie Mowell

Chris na Harrover

Andrea Pardo

Joel Kurien

Mikesha Jacobs

Tasmina Dhanani

Le’ah Yarber

Dancy Lukeman

Bri any Young

Elizabeth Wheeler

Jessica Orozco

Ashley Davis

Nisa Ali

Nimra Haroon

Noemi Gonzalez

Carolina Aguilar

Kate Daniel

Ashley Ann Dorse

Debra J. Hill

Fa ma Bafagih

Aaliyah Cooper

Chelsee Balanciere

Ashley Boone

Diana Pineda

Amy Chi enden

Leola Donaldson

Kendra Atkins

Crystal Villegas

Jessica Dominguez

Erin O'Neill Clayton

Tara VanDerpoel

Kyle Allen Knight

Emily Johnson

Mary Ifebuzor

Alex Mackzum

Lorena Avillaneda

Brandi Boak

Christopher Yarneau

Kennedy Pillow

Serjio Sanchez Brereda Jr.

Micah Na vidad

Kourtnei Gartman

Cris na Coy

2017-18 Candidates Jasper Balom Karen M. Beltran Emily Clark Berenice P. Espinoza

Ana Garcia

Yocselid Garcia

Bri any Leavi Yesenia Maldonado

Karen E. Mejia

Amethyst Rogers

Charity Sells

David M. Soto

Taylor Tardy

Nancy Tran Celene Vasquez

uh.edu/socialwork/nonprofitleaders

@UH_NonprofitLDR

NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP ALLIANCE

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON

3511 CULLEN BLVD —RM 110 HA

HOUSTON, TX 77204-4013

EDITORS: (LEAD) Stephanie Najera, NLSA Historian

Divya Chilukuri, Committee Member

Emily Clark, Committee Member

Yesenia Maldonado, NLSA Secretary & Committee

Member

Karen Mejia, NLSA Treasurer & Committee Member

Amber R. Rangel, NLA Program Manager

Edited by: