Jean Block, Principal - National/Southwest
Jean began her experience with the nonprofit sector in 1955 when she was 13 years old. She organized a backyard carnival which raised nearly $500 and she was hooked. She has served as leadership staff for several nonprofits, including the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of New Mexico, a local hospital and the United Way of Central New Mexico. And, in the years since organizing that carnival fundraiser, Jean has been a volunteer leader with numerous local, regional and national nonprofits, including health and human service organizations, membership organizations, performing arts organizations, and advocacy groups.

In 1995, Jean formed her own consulting company to enable her to share her expertise in nonprofit management, fundraising, planning and Board development with a broad range of local and national nonprofits. She now travels extensively in the US, teaching workshops and consulting with nonprofit of all sizes and scope.

Jean has written two well-received books on nonprofits: Fast Fundraising Facts for Fame & Fortune, now in its third printing, and The ABCs of Building Better Boards, in its second printing.

In 2003, an opportunity to learn about social enterprise led Jean in a new direction. For three years, she taught the PathFinder program for the National Center for Social Entrepreneurs, helping 25 nonprofits on the road to self-sufficiency.

In 2006, Jean and Randy Gleason formed Social Enterprise Ventures, LLC to build on their extensive knowledge base of nonprofit management and social enterprise training.  Randy is now an affiliate and consultant for nonprofit matters with the company.

Contact: Jean Block
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Phone: 505-899-1520
Email: jean@socialenterpriseventures.com
Web: www.jblockinc.com

Amy Cole Buehler, Senior Consultant - Missouri/Southern Illinois

Amy has been working in St. Louis’ Nonprofit community for nearly 20 years and has extensive experience in fundraising, grantsmanship, strategic planning, development department audits, board development, and special project management including capital, annual and major giving campaigns. She has served as the Executive Director for both the Animal Protective Association of Missouri and Therapeutic Horsemanship. In 2008 Buehler founded Development on Demand! a consulting firm dedicated to working alongside non-profit organizations in the St. Louis Metropolitan area to further their strategic goals through capacity building, planning, training, board development, fundraising and coaching. In the spring of 2008, Amy was added to the faculty at Washington University in St. Louis as an instructor in the Nonprofit Management Master’s Program where she helps to design curriculum and teaches several courses throughout the year.

Amy is a graduate of the University of Missouri – Columbia and holds both BA and MA degrees in Political Science. She has served as President of the St. Louis Regional Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), President of the Community Service Public Relations Council (CSPRC), board member of the Metropolitan Association for Philanthropy (now Gateway to Giving) and the Nonprofit Services Center.

Amy lives in West St. Louis County with her husband Bryan and two sons, Cole and Sam.

Contact: Amy Buehler
Location: St Louis, Missouri
Phone: 314-520-2029
Email: amy@socialenterpriseventures.com

Laura Musbach Drake, Senior Consultant - Missouri/Southern Illinois

Laura Drake has been serving non-profit organizations throughout the Saint Louis community since 1994. Her full-time development positions have included opportunities at diverse organizations including a small social service agency, large cultural institution and a mid-sized social service agency.

She began doing freelance development jobs and consulting in April 2000. For the last five years, Splendor Event Services has focused primarily on non-profit and benefit special event services including galas, dinners, auctions, golf tournaments, educational breakfasts, cultivation events, friend raisers and reception fund raisers. Laura’s focus on special events allows development officers and agency staff to focus on the day-to-day fund raising goals of the organization while she coordinates and plans with volunteer committees, venues and support staff.

Laura holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, has been a member of the St. Louis Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) since 1995 and was a Board member of the chapter from 2000-2003 and again from 2006-2008. She has also been a member of the St. Louis Community Service Public Relations Council, has been through The Grantsmanship Center Workshop, Metropolitan Association for Philanthropy Workshops, AFP local and national conferences and United Way training.

Contact: Laura Drake
Location: St Louis, Missouri
Phone: 314-647-2637
Email: laura@socialenterpriseventures.com

Cindy Kane, Senior Consultant - Florida

Cindy is the owner of GW Group, LLC, a Florida based consulting group with a focus on “Solutions for Long Term Success”. Cindy has more than 20 years experience in business and consulting with for-profit and non-profit organizations with technical expertise that includes grant writing, sustainability planning and social enterprise training. As a skilled facilitator, Cindy has the proven expertise to lead organizations in the development of business plans, social enterprise earned income ventures and sustainability plans. Ms. Kane provides workshops to non-profit organizations focusing on sustainability planning, operational planning, grant writing and social enterprise.

Cindy is a graduate from the University of South Florida in Tampa with a degree in Education and a graduate of the University of Tampa with a degree in Computer Science.

Cindy’s community service includes serving in leadership capacities on the Boards of the United Way of Hillsborough County, United Cerebral Palsy, Hillsborough County Civil Service Board, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, USF Alumni Association Finance Committee, Executive Women’s Golf Association, Commission on the Status of Women and the League of Women Voters.

Contact: Cindy Kane
Location: Tampa, Florida
Phone: 813-295-9595
Email: cindy@socialenterpriseventures.com

Nonprofit Service Center of the Amarillo Area Foundation, Senior Consultants, Texas Panhandle

The Nonprofit Service Center of the Amarillo Area Foundation is pleased to provide Social Enterprise training to nonprofits in the Texas panhandle through the “Expedition” program. The NSC will launch its third training class in 2010. Participating organizations have utilized the program to review and refine their overall purpose while finding and testing new sources of unrestricted revenue. Participant feedback has been overwhelmingly positive with significant enhancements occurring in each organization.

The “Expedition” training is a valuable addition to the NSC roster of training and consulting services.

Contact: Katharyn Wiegand
Location: Amarillo, Texas
Phone: 806-376-4521
Email: katharyn@aaf-hf.org
Web: www.aaf-hf.org

Randall R. Gleason, Affiliate

Randy is currently operating Randy Gleason Consulting, LLC. He provides Executive Coaching, Facilitation, Strategic/scenario Planning and Social Enterprise Training for organizations throughout the USA. Previously, he was Executive Director of Development for University of New Mexico Hospitals, serving as Chief Fundraiser, focusing on all Children’s Services at UNM Children’s Hospital, UNM Children’s Psychiatric Center, UNM Center for Development and Disability and the Pediatric Department of the UNM School of Medicine.
Randy spent a decade in the healthcare field in Texas managing community mental health and mental retardation centers. He also spent twenty-plus years in the financial services industry in both Texas and New Mexico. From 1989 until 2001, he served in several senior management positions with what is now known as Wells Fargo Bank/New Mexico where he led the growth and development of the bank based Trust, Investment and Brokerage division to the largest in New Mexico.

Community Involvement includes past service as a member and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the UNM Hospitals; a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the New Mexico Business Journal; a member of the Board of Directors of New Heart Rehabilitation, Inc. He is currently a member of the Economic Forum.

A Rotarian since 1974, Randy has served as a member of his club Board of Directors, as well as club President. He has served District 5520 as Assistant District Governor, as 2000-2001 District Governor and the Council on Legislation Delegate for 2007.

Randy has a BA Degree from New Mexico State University and an MA Degree from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. He is a graduate of the College of Financial Planners (CFP-inactive) and the American Bankers Association’s National Graduate Trust School at Northwestern University in Chicago.

Contact: Randy Gleason
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Phone: 505-977-1947
Email: randygleasonconsulting@gmail.com
Web: www.randygleasonconsulting.com

Melinda Guillemette, Affiliate

Since 1991, Melinda been helping professionals find, create, and sustain business relationships through effective communication. The approach she uses teaches people to communicate intentionally, authentically and clearly. Her specialties are:

• Motivating and educating business people in the art of communication
• Aligning recruitment, hiring, training, and marketing programs for maximum effectiveness
• Improving professionals’ communication skills to help them reach business development and operational goals

Speaking, facilitation and training are her passions. Part comedian, part teacher and part group therapist, her style is relaxed, witty and informative. She has addressed the YWCA’s Institute for Leadership and Diversity, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Marketing Forum, the Conference for the Association of Accounting Marketing on several occasions, The International Accounting Group, CPASNET, CPA America, and many other organizations. In 2004, she was inducted into the Association of Accounting Marketing Hall of Fame.

Contact: Melinda Guillemette
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Phone: 505.263.9460
Email: mguillemette@comcast.net
Web: www.melinmotivates.com

John Ross, Affiliate

John Ross has served 30+ years in the non-profit, for-profit and government sectors working for children, the elderly and the community. In the non-profit world he has seen the industry from many angles; he has worked for United Way, served in agency leadership positions, chaired and/or participated in numerous community collaborations and has provided consulting to non-profit agencies. Because of his experiences, Ross understands the range of dynamics that challenge today’s non-profit sector. John Ross quote: There is no doubt that the non-profit community is at a cross-roads. Funding streams are changing. Program approaches that once worked no longer work. Partnerships that once were ignored now must be explored. And results that once were glossed over now must be clear. I firmly believe that our community, more than ever, needs a robust, highly effective non-profit industry.

Contact John Ross:
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Phone: 505-506-2827
Email: john@johnrosscompany.com
Web: www.johnrosscompany.com