PACIFIC NORTHWEST FUNDRAISING - Key Persons
Angela is an adventure-loving graphic designer, writer and award-winning marketer with a passion for supporting individuals and organizations to fulfill their visions, dreams, and potentials.
Her skill with visual and verbal communications took shape as a publishing consultant and workshop director - teaching graphic design, journalism, marketing and leadership to high school and middle school students throughout SW Washington and the Portland Metro area for 18 years.
In 2015, Angela founded Motherlode Creative Services, which provides Clark and Cowlitz County nonprofits and small businesses with marketing and graphic design support. She has volunteered with SW Washington's Giving Circle on their Guiding Circle, chaired and served on the Gardner School auction committee, in addition to serving on their development and marketing committees. As the Director of Communications & Marketing, Angela's work on the Gardner School's Klahowya Magazine was recognized with a Gold Brilliance Award for outstanding school marketing by Inspired School Marketers.
Job Titles:
- Co - Owner, True North Retirement Advisors
Ashley has been passionate about charitable work since childhood and started serving on non-profit boards at the age of 24, with the Sunshine Division. As a financial advisor specializing in working with business owners and high net worth families, Ashley helps her clients retire with financial security and see their most important goals come to life.
One of her greatest joys in working with clients is to help them give in meaningful and generous ways that are consistent with their closest held values.
Ashley married her high school sweetheart. She lives in Happy Valley, OR with her husband Troy, their three children, and one stubborn dachshund named Lucy.
Job Titles:
- Social Media & Technology Steward
Benito Tijerina is a Graduate of Central Washington University with a degree in Early Childhood Education. Benito has been podcasting and working with social and digital media for going on 5 years. Working with various companies helping develop social media strategies and marketing for success! His notable social media presence includes working with Central Washington University's Radio Station 88.1 the Burg, St.Joseph Catholic School, and of course Pacific Northwest Fundraising. Benito is happily married with 2 cats here in Vancouver, WA where he works as a 1st grade teacher as well as the social media guide for PNWF.
Brad Wager is an entrepreneur and event technology professional who works with organizations throughout our community to spread their message and maximize their impact through seamless, beautiful, and effective events. Brad has deep roots in his hometown of Vancouver, WA, and believes a cultural and performing arts are key to a vibrant place to live, work, and play. His vision of community means folks coming together in celebration, collaboration, and actively supporting the small business and artisan economy that keep our dollars local.
Brad founded his audio visual company, Wager Audio, Inc. in 2011 after nearly a decade as a solo A/V professional. He is a graduate of Leadership Clark County in 2018. Additionally, he has served as an instructor of Audio Recording in Clackamas Community College's Music Technology certificate program, guest lecturer for the Careers in Music course and Partners in Careers program, supervised audio internships, and informally mentored early-career audio engineers. Since 2014, he has volunteered to provide technical production for Hello Vancouver!, a hyper local, community-based talk show.
Brad is a double bassist with the group, River Twain. He enjoys pairing coffee and walks with his wife, two children, and canine sidekick throughout Clark County's beautiful parks and trails.
Brittany Gosselin grew up in Ketchum, ID and earned her degree in public relations and political science from Gonzaga University (Go Zags!). It was during her time at GU that she found her love of service.
Soon after college she moved to Vancouver to take her first fundraising position at the Humane Society for Southwest Washington fell in love and never looked back!
Brittany says that fundraising is a natural fit for her. As the youngest child in a family with four kids, she learned early and often how to advocate for what she needed! She spent the first 20 years of her professional life in the development offices of local nonprofit organizations advocating for kids, animals and families. Today, she is a consultant helping nonprofits strengthen their planned giving programs. She loves helping passionate donors draft a legacy gift that empowers the organization to keep the mission moving forward in their honor.
Outside of work Brittany loves skiing, biking, a good Sunday afternoon nap, and of course relaxing with her family and friends-especially in Idaho!
A born multi-tasker and task master, Courtney skillfully manages all of our projects and creative talent, which she dutifully tracks in her colorful notebooks with a complex color coded system only she and her French Bulldog, Cooper, can decipher.
A typical day for Courtney includes coffee with her cream, checking in with project managers, writing up an agreement for a new client, and reeling in a few new ones. When she's not chasing down details or making a new list, Courtney is chasing her Mini Bull Terrier Lucy around the yard (you would think the Prozac would slow her down - Lucy, not Courtney!) Courtney loves road trips, playing with her food, high maintenance pets, vintage martini shakers, and she thinks the smell of smoked meat is sexy.
Over the past 20 years, Courtney has become a trusted asset to corporate and nonprofit clients alike. Clients like the Mt. Hood Community College Foundation, NW Battle Buddies, Rose Villa Senior Living and countless others, all of whom seem to appreciate her unique, entrepreneurial point of view. And her chocolate martinis.
Job Titles:
- Founder / CEO / Lead Guide
Job Titles:
- Owner, and Principal of Resonate Consulting and Leadership Development
- Principal of Resonate Consulting
Kevin Hiebert, principal of Resonate Consulting and is passionate about collaboration, participatory leadership and seeing collective wisdom and action emerge. An experienced facilitator, trainer and business and strategy consultant, Kevin has the simple principle that guides his work of "Work Made Better".
He consults with organizations, non-profits and teams to develop high-performing, nimble and responsive organizations.
Kimberly Hansen is PNWF's Happiness Guide! Kimberly is truly dedicated to building community. A former youth pastor and advocate for at-risk kids, she brings stellar skills in relationship building and problem-solving to her role at PNWF. As our engagement steward, she interacts with all our clients, ensures clear communications, and resolves any customer service issues. When she's not out hiking or backpacking, you might find Kimberly answering questions, helping with logistics, or advising on project management…whatever it takes to ensure that PNWF clients have the best experience possible!
Job Titles:
- Principal of EAdvancement Consulting
Lisa is a seasoned professional with 24 years of executive experience in the role of Chief Financial Officer (8 years) and Chief Executive Officer (16 years) at Clark College Foundation in Vancouver, WA. She is excited to share her experience with the higher education and nonprofit community by joining eAdvancement in January 2023. Through her tenure, the Clark College Foundation amassed tremendous success and is recognized as one of the strongest community college foundations in the country. This success was made possible through philanthropic support and community partnerships.
Outside of her experience in nonprofit management and higher education fundraising, Lisa capitalizes on her previous work experience in auditing, commercial banking, and hospitality management. Through a holistic lens, Lisa can build unique community relationships that are beneficial and visionary. Lisa currently lends her skills through her ongoing association with CASE, Vancouver Rotary, Rotary International, and the Estate Planning Council of Southwest Washington.
Lisa prides herself in strategically positioning organizations like the foundation to capitalize on community support and creative partnerships. Her years of experience make her an outstanding executive in strategic positioning and foundation operations. She looks forward to sharing this experience with others to enhance communities to their potential.
Job Titles:
- Effective Web Solutions, Executive VP
Stacey Graham is the chief strategist for What's Next? Strategies, currently working with the American Osteopathic Association on their five-year strategic plan and United Way of Jackson County developing brand and fundraising strategies around the recent and devastating wildfires.
Graham then served as President of the Humane Society for Southwest Washington (HSSW) for nearly eight years, retiring in October 2020. She joined the HSSW team charged with creating a sustainable and effective business model; raising the level of awareness and visibility of the Humane Society in the local community and animal welfare industry; and dramatically increasing the save rate of the animals in care. She accomplished all three goals. The organization is financially stable, HSSW and its ReTails Thrift Store have been named best nonprofit for the past two years, and three years, respectively. The save rate for animals increased dramatically - for dogs to 96.7% and for cats to 92%. And the average length of stay for dogs is now 10 days and cats 15 days. Graham also established and helped to build a planned giving program which today has more than $34 million in signed pledges. She successfully led a $6 million capital campaign that exceeded it goals by 100%. And Graham worked closely with the local legislative delegation to change Washington state law so that humane societies could provide veterinary services to the animals of low-income people, who have limited access to care. The bill was signed into law in 2019. Graham's community service includes serving four years on the Stayton City Council as Council President, and on the boards of the Clark County YWCA, Nonprofit Network of Southwest Washington, Metropolitan Family Service, Northwest Pilot Project, Portland Radio Project and H-RoC, and on the Empower Women+ Girls Steering Committee. She has been a board member of The Historic Trust for 12 years and served as chair for three years. She also serves on the board of the Lighthouse Foundation which raises funding and supports financial and education efforts for low-income individuals and families.
Job Titles:
- Director of Workforce Development Initiatives at Washington State Employment Security Department
When Tim Probst was a college student, he had the opportunity to study abroad, which changed his life. A visit to the Auschwitz concentration camp showed him the brutality of government systems gone wrong, and the utter lack of poverty in modern-day Austria showed him that poverty can be eradicated if a nation simply chooses to do it. Since that turning point, Tim's professional life has been about building poverty reduction systems in America.
He studied government and economics at the University of Innsbruck and the University of Notre Dame and entered a fellowship in the Illinois Governor's office. Tim became the Governor's advisor for welfare reform and workforce development, then moved to Washington state to be the CEO of the state's workforce association. Tim ran for the legislature and became Vice-chair of Appropriations for Education, where he authored the Opportunity Scholarships Act. This is now the nation's largest public-private college scholarship for low and middle income families.
Tim is now the Grants Director for Washington's Employment Security Department, where he co-chairs Governor Jay Inslee's Poverty Reduction Work Group. Tim leads collaborative teams that are implementing a new poverty reduction system called Economic Security for All; a new youth pathway into apprenticeship called Career Connect Washington; several COVID-19 economic recovery grants; and the federal workforce development grants for the state
Job Titles:
- American Family Insurance, Agency Owner
Tina Vlachos is a native of the Vancouver area. She holds a double-degree from WSU-Pullman, where she studied Business Admin and Psychology.
She has 15 years' experience as an Insurance agent, and has been with American Family Insurance for eleven of those. Her business goal is to run an efficient, growing, and successful agency alongside her exceptional staff and satisfied clients. The agency specializes in Auto, Home, Renters, Life, and Commercial Insurance, with providing competitive rates. Also to note, the agency is licensed in WA, OR, ID, and AZ so we can service our clients throughout those operating states.
The greatest success stories come from her dedication to the community. She is involved in array of associations, networking, and charitable causes. To name a few, current and previous engagements include member of the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club of Three Creeks, NWABA Board Ambassador, 100 Women Who Care member, EPICC founder and past President, and former BNI member. Her greatest pleasures stem from more charitable causes such as non-profit volunteer work, attending dinner/breakfast fundraiser galas, or participating in non-profit golf tournaments. She helps lend a hand and opens her wallet for several non-profits such as PIC, Sharehouse, NWABA, Flashlove, Cascadia Tech Institute, A Caring Closet, and Clark County Foodbank, CDM Services, Hope International, Evergreen School District Foundation. She has served the roll as past Service Project Committee chair for her Rotary Club and will be doing so again for 2021.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her toddler, Manoli. She enjoys family time, sports, wine, making home cooked meals, traveling, and truly loves her career each and every day, this many years later.