SBI - Key Persons
Adam loves developing events to give organizations an innovative and engaging platform to connect with their members. He enjoys being a part of a hardworking team and looks forward to continuing the successful growth of SBI and its clients. Coming from a background in nonprofit and event management, he is excited about continuing his professional growth in a premier association management company. In his spare time, he can be found exploring the outdoors or trying out a new recipe or restaurant.
Alope leads the day-to-day operations of SBI, working closely with SBI's executive leadership team as well as managing the finance team. With more than two decades of experience at SBI, Alope has extensive knowledge regarding SBI and its clients. She has served in numerous roles as the company has grown and designed many of the office procedures, client financial systems, and service standards that provide the strong operational infrastructure SBI's client partners rely on. She also oversees client transitions and has proudly worked to achieve and maintain accreditation status for SBI from the AMC Institute. She likes that each day at SBI is different, and champions a culture that allows staff to have a lot of fun while doing great work.
Ceri finds being the home base for associations rewarding, and loves learning about what various association volunteers are doing in their communities and how they are changing the world. Ceri's responsibilities include database and event management, providing customer service to association members face-to-face, at events and over the phone, and prepping and staffing many monthly educational programs and meetings.
Job Titles:
- PRESIDENT, the AMERICAN BOARD of ORAL MEDICINE
SBI took the management reins for our organization well into our annual conference planning cycle when our predecessor provider terminated relations unexpectedly. The SBI team hit the ground running and demonstrated superior flexibility and support to make the conference a success… and they have only built upon that success since.
Job Titles:
- BOARD MEMBER, PACIFIC COAST REPRODUCTIVE SOCIETY
The SBI team has supported our organization for many years. As running the back-office of a non-profit is a skillset we don't really have a lot of in our organization, we really could not survive without their support. I would happily recommend their services!
Chris Freed brings 12 years of non-profit association management experience and an additional 12 years experience in a variety of line and management positions in the software industry. Freed's previous experience includes director of finance and technology for the American College of Phlebology and Managing Director of the ACP Foundation. Freed was also a principal in an AMC where he served as chief financial officer and chief information officer. Freed is highly experienced in association management operations and governance matters. Freed is currently serving as the executive director of the American Board of Venous & Lymphatic Medicine. Freed has a B.A. in Geography and Psychology from the University of Illinois and joined L&M in 2011. Freed earned the Certified Association Executive credential in 2012. Chris has memberships with ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership and the California Society of Association Executives
Job Titles:
- EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL OMBUDSMAN ASSOCIATION
Delightful group with whom to work. Has gone to great lengths to understand, assimilate and coordinate the process of our Society.
Job Titles:
- Marketing & Communications Manager
Connor is excited to be part of a company that is so forward-thinking, innovative, and collaborative. She loves working with and learning from the large variety of SBI's association clients. Drawing on her diverse background in retail, event organization, and graphic design Connor focuses on customizing customer service. She enjoys making a difference for her clients by listening, building strong organizational systems, and creating user-friendly content. In her spare time, Connor enjoys crafting, cooking, traveling around the world, and exploring the wilderness.
David So brings 16 years of storage industry experience encompassing SCSI, Serial Attached SCSI, Fibre Channel, and storage networking, with six years driving product and outbound marketing programs for these technologies. Such marketing programs included product launches, tradeshow and event planning, co-marketing initiatives, market analysis, and revenue forecasting. David has held positions as Sr. Systems Engineer and Sr. Product Marketing Manager at LSI Corporation, during which time he was involved with the SCSI Trade Association. David also spent a year as an AmeriCorps National Service Member working for Habitat for Humanity in rebuilding the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. David holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University and holds a membership with the American Society of Association Executives.
Diana, who joined SBI in 2007 as a bookkeeper, worked for several years as office branch manager for an international technical equipment company in Lithuania. While there, she maintained customer relations, ensuring the growth of sales and efficient customer service. Diana also participated in financial planning, budgeting and helping customers to obtain financing for their projects.
Dina Tassell brings over 15 years experience in administration, with more than 5 years of experience supervising administrative personnel for Arthur Anderson, in the areas of report processing, budget preparation, workflow management, with extensive experience in records and file management. Tassell's role includes member records management (both physical files and database systems), application processing, membership renewals, and termination processing.
Job Titles:
- Association Executive
- MPA, CMP, CAE
Felicia is a career association management professional with over 17 years of experience in the industry. A North Carolina native, Felicia received a BA from North Carolina State University in Technical Communication. After a brief career in corporate America as an internet project manager, Felicia was introduced to the non-profits arena when she joined a North Carolina association management company as a web developer in 2013. Developing a passion for service and mission, Felicia emerged as a senior level account manager at the firm. During her career, she served as Executive Director of various medical professional and certification associations. Upon moving to Georgia, Felicia continued her career in non-profit management. In Georgia, she positioned herself as an Executive Operations Manager of a Georgia-based association management firm, as well as the Director of Education for the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians. Determined to remain at the top of her field, Felicia acquired a Masters in Public Administration from South University in Savannah, GA and certification in non-profit management from Duke University.
Job Titles:
- NEWSLETTER EDITOR, ADRP
- NEWSLETTER EDITOR, ASSOCIATION of DONOR RELATIONS PROFESSIONALS
We have loved our collaboration with SBI with their insights and strengths in marketing, financial planning and event management that have complemented our Academy committee structure and allowed us to grow in our vision and celebrate our accomplishments as we enter our 75th year and plan for growth in the next quarter-century.
SBI has a "Team" approach and mentality in dealing with IOA. They go the extra mile in working with the various committees and leadership on tasks, projects, and strategy. It has proven for me to be a very comfortable relationship and one that adds value in ways that IOA has long needed.
Job Titles:
- Brooks, VEMM / Member Services Coordinator & Team Manager
Hanna brings dependability, flexibility, and positive energy to SBI. She is a must-have when updating and documenting new and existing processes. Her attention to detail and helpful attitude help implement new tech, train new employees, and support clients across the company. When Hanna's not in the office, she enjoys solving murder mysteries with her partner, cross-stitching, and playing tabletop roleplaying games with friends.
Job Titles:
- PRESIDENT, WASHINGTON STATE PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION
We love working with SBI! Preparing for and running our annual conference is made simple and straight forward due to their expertise.
SBI's technical expertise, professionalism, responsiveness, organizational strength and depth, attention to detail and support has contributed to the quality trainings offered to our members.
Job Titles:
- Member Services Coordinator
Kelsi comes to SBI with a background in Association Management. She has supported many clients focusing on areas of member services and coordinating meetings & conference. Kelsi's top strengths are her attention to details while owning projects, building client relationships, and creating efficiencies throughout processes. In her off time, she can be found spending time with her family, watching sports, and exploring new places to eat.
As a bookkeeper, and one with a keen interest in all things finance, Ken very much enjoys that his work involves accounts payable for associations, member service compliance and records, and running financial reports. He enjoys learning new things, and his favorite escapes include reading and being outdoors.
Job Titles:
- HR Generalist / Project Coordinator
Kristen came to SBI in 2017 from the software industry. She was looking for a role where she felt like she was really helping to better people's lives, not just a company's bottom line. Her professional background is in Human Resources, with a focus on systems and database management. Her strengths are top-notch customer service, accuracy in data maintenance and reporting, and streamlining processes and procedures. Kristen currently works remotely from Biloxi, MS, where she's renovating a house after spending a year traveling the United States in an RV. She's always looking for a new adventure!
Job Titles:
- PRESIDENT, the AMERICAN ACADEMY of ORAL MEDICINE
Very responsive to queries. Help with organizational issues. Knowledgeable team.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Business Development
- Vice President of Business Development 2021 - 08 - 18T14
Lindsay oversees SBI's business development and client growth initiatives and serves as Managing Director of the International Ombudsman Association. With more than a decade of experience with SBI, she has worn many hats and been a key contributor to the development of SBI's collaborative and technology-driven approach to association management. As a Seattle native, she has been involved with local non-profits for many years and is inspired on a daily basis by SBI's awesome, hardworking team. Lindsay especially enjoys onboarding new clients and the opportunity to build relationships and learn from so many passionate volunteer leaders in a wide variety of industries. In her off time, she can be found cooking for friends and exploring the tidepools and forested mountains of the San Juan Islands with her family.
Job Titles:
- PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CHAIR, WASHINGTON RECREATION & PARK ASSOCIATION
Having SBI's assistance and expertise has been critical to our organization's growing success and in meeting the needs of members to connect and share information with one another.
Job Titles:
- CAE
- Executive Director of Several
- Vice President of Executive Services
Louise joined the SBI team in July 2008 from Association Management Center (AMC) in Chicago, where she served as Executive Director of the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses for more than six years, and the American Board of Neuroscience Nursing for eight years. For two years Louise served as Treasurer of the American Board of Nursing Specialties.
She began her association career with the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, as national coordinator of the Think First: National Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Prevention Program. She also served as Administrator of Postdoctoral Training and Certification for the American Osteopathic Association, and as Manager of Certification and Instructional Services for the Educational Foundation of the National Restaurant Association. Louise has more than 30 years of association experience. She earned her Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation in 2005, a certification held by only 5% of association professionals. Louise earned her Master's Degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Bachelor's Degree from Pomona College in Claremont, CA.
At SBI Louise serves as Executive Director for the Western Association of College and University Business Officers (WACUBO), the Washington State Society of Anesthesiologists (WSSA), the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) and the Association of Donor Relations Professionals (ADRP). She is also the Chief Operating Officer of the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF). Her expertise includes strategic planning and governance, fiscal management and budgeting, educational program development, credentialing and association best practices.
In addition to her direct client work, Louise assists all SBI staff to ensure the success and satisfaction of all of our clients. One area of particular success has been transitioning in new clients from being stand-alone (e.g., managed by a single staff person, a small staff, or entirely volunteer-managed) to an organization partnering with a management company. ADRP, for example, has experienced significant membership growth and increased reserves since coming to SBI.
With more than 25 years of association management experience, Louise serves as Executive Director of several of SBI's largest and/or national clients. She provides best-practice counsel to the staff and all of our clients. Her expertise includes strategic planning and governance, fiscal management and budgeting, educational program development, credentialing, and large event management. Louise is particularly proud of leading ADRP from an all-volunteer-managed association to one with professional staff, and seeing the resulting growth in membership, conference attendance, and reserves.
Job Titles:
- PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL OMBUDSMAN ASSOCIATION
We've collaborated on ways to bring expenses under control, streamline and improve processes, and received great advice and counsel about how to deal with a variety of strategic and operational issues.
Marcia Molina has worked for over 20 years in Association Management. Marcia's role at includes website design, maintenance, activity reports, and supporting special projects, such as product databases and online registrations. Marcia is also fluent in Spanish.
Job Titles:
- CONFERENCE COMMITTEE CO CHAIR, INTERNATIONAL OMBUDSMAN ASSOCIATION
For us, as a small organization of two staff members, SBI is able to increase our impact around our mission and effectively support us in the areas of finance, marketing & communication and event planning.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Executive Advisor
- President
Marlis is an innovator and entrepreneur whose background is primarily in the retail sector. Her first foray into business was in 1985 with Giorgina's Italian Kitchen, a startup pizzeria on Capitol Hill in Seattle. Always interested in technology, the business plan she submitted to Rainier National Bank was the first SBA small business loan submitted using computer software - Lotus 1,2,3 and Microsoft Word 1.0. Sold after 10 years, Marlis spent another decade opening and operating Emery's Garden, a six-acre garden center in Lynnwood, Washington.
In January, 2007, Marlis purchased SBI Association Management with partner Harriet Burger. She spent three years restructuring and modernizing the company - moving away from the traditional silo business model to a highly systemized platform infrastructure. Website, database management and financial fees to clients were stabilized and SBI's client associations survived the recession and are flourishing today under stable costs and current social media and infrastructure technologies.
Marlis tripled the company's client base, and the company continues to experience steady year-over-year growth. In 2014 SBI acquired a smaller competitor firm. When Marlis purchased the company in 2007, its clients were primarily local/regional nonprofits, but today SBI competes with national players in the health care, fundraising/development, sciences, education, and business sectors. In fact, SBI has added four national associations in the last few years - beating out several large national association management companies to secure large national contracts.
In recent years, Marlis has focused more of her attention on the development of new services and technologies for SBI clients - staying ahead of clients' needs assures the maintenance of long-term relationships and healthy, sustainable nonprofit organizations.
Since she purchased the business 14 years ago, Marlis has always known that one day she would pass SBI on, ready for its next journey. In 2021, after 14 years of growing the business, broadening services, and building a strong team for continued innovation in the nonprofit management industry, she found the right partner in Collegium, an innovative partnership of outstanding professional service firms focused on the nonprofit sector. After SBI's acquisition, Marlis continues to stay involved in her leadership role, advising and consulting with SBI's executive leadership team and providing high-level counsel to association members and transitioning clients.
She also looks forward to spending more time reading too many recipes, cooking too many meals, and walking Northwest trails with her dog and family.
Marlis has more than 30 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. As a Seattle restaurateur for over a decade, Marlis became involved in community organizing and board work for several nonprofit organizations, for which she was honored with the City of Seattle Small Business of the Year and the Greater Seattle Business Association Businessperson of the Year awards. Merging her passion for nonprofits and small business, Marlis acquired SBI Association Management in 2007 and has since tripled its client base, making it the largest AMC in Washington state. She has built a strong team culture with an emphasis on modernizing infrastructure and technology to help associations thrive. She consults and advises the executive team, providing high-level counsel to association members and transitioning clients. She was raised in Buffalo, N.Y. and enjoys spending time outdoors and cooking good meals for friends.
Megan is a firm believer that each day is a new adventure and your life is what you make it. With a background in nonprofit and event management, Megan loves seeing ideas, visions and a well thought out plan come together. She enjoys seeing all the small parts incorporate to create a successful experience for all event attendees. When she is not in a planning meeting, you can find her outside with her two mini dachshunds, cheering on the Indianapolis Colts, or checking out the newest craft brewery.
Job Titles:
- CAE
- San Francisco Managing Director and Association Executive
Michael Majdalany, CAE, spent 10 years at Sun Microsystems, where he was last the Director of Worldwide Marketing for the Academic & Research Computing group, having helped Sun build its education market into a $600 million business. A 20 year veteran of the computer industry, Majdalany has a broad international background that includes four years in Europe and the Middle East. Prior to Sun, Majdalany helped launch a start-up, Wedge Innovations, as director of marketing. He began his marketing career with four years at Hewlett-Packard as product manager and channel marketing manager. On the technical side, he spent four years as a software developer, focusing on enterprise management solutions. Majdalany has an MBA from Stanford as well as a M.S. in Engineering from MIT, and a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and Mathematics from SUNY Buffalo. He is fluent in French and Arabic. Michael has memberships with AMC Institute and the American Society of Association Executives.
Mike Briones has held senior staff positions (e.g., CFO, Controller, VP of Finance) in non-profit organizations with annual billings as high as $12M. Mike has broad experience in accounting policies and practices, including GAAP and FASB regulations. Mike holds a B.S. in Accounting from De La Salle University. Mike is fluent in Tagolog.
Job Titles:
- PRESIDENT, PACIFIC COAST REPRODUCTIVE SOCIETY
The board meeting was fabulous. I think the diversity session was very well-received. The strategic planning session was great and gave us concrete strategic areas to work on going forward.
Working with SBI has provided increased capacity for the Board to focus on setting direction because now our leadership has the time to strategize on the future of a fast-changing profession.
Job Titles:
- VP FINANCE, PACIFIC COAST REPRODUCTIVE SOCIETY
This is my first time as president of a professional organization. I was willing to take on this role because I knew that SBI would provide some "institutional memory" and support through transitions.
Job Titles:
- Member Services Administrator
Sadie was born and raised in the Great Pacific Northwest and loves the rain, thank you very much! She has a varied background in customer service ranging from retail to college life (housing) and admissions. Sadie comes to us from the Central Washington University - Lynnwood Center campus, where she wore many hats both as a first-generation college student and as a student leader. She enjoys taking on new and varied challenges and tasks and finds satisfaction in being an essential part of the team and supporting others to succeed. Sadie is an avid subscriber of Webster's "word of the day" and when she's not knee-deep in to-dos she can be found in a big comfy chair with a book or daydreaming about her next side project. One day she plans to drive from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic… and back again.
Job Titles:
- EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION NETWORK
Stacey moved to Seattle from Australia in 1999. In Australia, she worked both as a teacher and in education management. In Seattle, Stacey continued as an educator supporting families with new babies. More recently she worked at a large Seattle non-profit. Stacey loves to help people and organizations grow and support their goals. Stacey is a seasoned cyclist and enjoys running in her free time.
Job Titles:
- VEMM / Member Services Coordinator
Stephanie Couch comes to SBI from the world of theater. Actor, director, writer, producer, front of house, behind-the-scenes, teaching artist - she has done it all! She is excited to bring her creative mind and talents to the SBI stage and continue the customer service excellence that SBI is known for as a part of the Member Services team. An avid photographer, Stephanie can usually be found behind a camera in her downtime or in her backyard gardening.
Job Titles:
- Director of Banking Services
Steven Burger brings several areas of expertise to SBI. He spent three years as a legal assistant and seven years as a financial account executive, acting as a liaison between clients and financial institutions, managing accounts with values in the millions. He likes the sense of accomplishment that comes at the end of each day and is steadfast in completing his tasks efficiently.
Job Titles:
- PRESIDENT, WESTERN ASSOCIATION of COLLEGE and UNIVERSITY BUSINESS OFFICERS
During the first year…we were able to establish a solid relationship that truly has been fruitful…We look forward to continuing our important work in partnership with the SBI team.
Job Titles:
- Director of Member Services
Tiffany has been with SBI since 2016, and has grown among the member services ranks to become our Director of Member Services, while also serving as Executive Director of National Association of Environmental Professionals and Washington Recreation and Park Association. Prior to working with SBI, Tiffany worked in a management role with Boys and Girls Clubs, supporting event planning, managing teen programming, and executing club-wide correspondence. Tiffany is studying to become a Certified Association Executive (CAE) and recently was recognized as Washington Society of Association Executives Rising Star. She has been instrumental in overhauling WRPA's membership structure and growth over the past several years, as well as supporting NAEP in their Strategic Planning and Bylaws rebuilding efforts. Tiffany is respected in our company for her energetic leadership style, organizational efficiency and high productivity, and comprehensive knowledge of SBI effective practices and systems.
Job Titles:
- PRESIDENT, LAKE WASHINGTON HUMAN RESOURCE ASSOCIATION
Job Titles:
- Membership & Project Manager
Yadira Orellana has more than ten years of experience in customer service, administration, and accounting. Her role is in the accounting department, assisting our controller with bookkeeping and other accounting functions. She is also the program manager for one of our clients, supporting a number of active member committees. Orellana has a degree in business administration with an emphasis in accounting. She is fluent in Spanish.