Jackie Arko, Harvard University Jackie is the Interim Director of Prospect Research at Harvard University Alumni Affairs and Development. In this role, she leads strategic goal setting for the AA&D Research team, implementing data-driven strategies to enhance prospect research and ensuring continued support for the University Development Office, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and Harvard’s Schools. Jackie began her development career at an arts education nonprofit, supporting a roster of more than 100 teaching artists across Massachusetts and neighboring states. She joined Harvard in 2012 as a Development Coordinator with the FAS Campaign Initiatives team during the Harvard Campaign and later moved into an Assistant Director position on the Development Operations team. In 2015, Jackie officially transitioned her career to prospect research, and has been dedicated to the field ever since. Jackie holds a BA in Theater from Boston College, where she is currently an adjunct faculty member, teaching two courses in the Theater Department. She is also on the staff of the Independent Film Festival Boston and co-produces the New England chapter of Mortified, a stage show featuring adults sharing true—and embarrassing—writings from their youth. Additionally, Jackie volunteers with Northeast Arc, supporting individuals with developmental disabilities, as well as Gal’s Best Pal, a foster-based canine rescue. Suzy Campos, Amherst College Suzy is Senior Manager of Principal Gift Strategy at Amherst College. She joined the Amherst team in 2011 as Director of Prospect Research and Prospect Management, and served as Director of Advancement Services (twice!) before taking on her current role. Prior to Amherst, Suzy held prospect development positions at Harvard University and Children’s Memorial Hospital (now Lurie Children's Hospital) in Chicago. Earlier in her career, she was a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco, a public and corporate librarian, and an Information Specialist at McKinsey & Company. She earned a BA from UMass-Amherst and a Library Studies degree from the University of Michigan. She has been a proud participant in the Twin Cities to Chicago AIDS Ride, Monte's March for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, and the Hot Chocolate Run for Safe Passage. Suzy has been a speaker for organizations including Apra, NEDRA, AFP, and the Planned Giving Group of Central Mass. She served on the NEDRA board as a director and as president. She is a Friends of the Forbes Library board member, and enjoys cold water plunging, stand up paddleboarding, skiing and attempting to fit in a regular meditation practice.
Brian is the Donor Engagement Manager at MDI Hospital, where his work in development began in late 2019. His role is wide-ranging, including gift processing, database management, prospect identification and research, data analytics and reporting, and portfolio management. Prior to joining MDI Hospital, he worked in public education for nearly a decade as a teacher, coach, and data analyst, and before that as an animal caretaker at a wildlife preserve. Brian received a BS in Biology from the University of Maine and was a member of NEDRA’s inaugural 3-5 Learning Network cohort. Nicole Fonsh, The Michael J Fox Foundation Nicole is the Director of Prospect Research and Development at The Michael J. Fox Foundation, where she leads strategic initiatives to advance the Foundation’s mission in donor identification, research, and relationship management to support its development goals. She has held leadership roles at Harvard Law School and The New School, and previously worked at Goldman Sachs and Bain Capital. Nicole holds degrees from Northeastern University and Simmons University. Christine Freiburger, UMass Amherst Foundation Christine Freiburger is the Associate Director of Prospect Management as the UMass Amherst Foundation. There she leads a team of prospect management analysts in supporting the efforts of over 40 fundraisers. Prior to her time at UMAF she worked in various development roles at institutions such as MIT, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital Trust, the Wadsworth Atheneum, Cape Abilities and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. She holds a BA from UMass Dartmouth and a certificate in nonprofit management from Northeastern University. She is also a proud alumna of the inaugural 3-5 Learning Network program. Ruthie Giles, University of New Hampshire & Staupell Analytics Group Ruthie is a renowned thought leader in the field of prospect management. She is a Partner for Prospect Development with Staupell Analytics Group. Previously she has worked at University of New Hampshire, Westfield State University, Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College, Harold Grinspoon Foundation, The Loomis Chaffee School, and the Williston Northampton School. Ruthie is a former NEDRA board member and was a member of the AASP Best Practices - Prospect Development committee. Ruthie holds a BA from Smith College, and MBA from University of Massachusetts at Amherst – Isenberg School of Management, and a MS in Nonprofit Management and Philanthropy from Bay Path University. Jenn Grasso, Bates College Jenn has been a proud member of the NEDRA research community for over twelve years, serving as a Board Member from 2017-2020. She is currently the Director of Advancement Research & Prospect Management at Bates College. As the title implies, Jenn splits her focus between prospect research and prospect management, working closely with Bates' VP of Advancement and the frontline fundraising team. Prior to joining Bates, Jenn was Senior Prospect Development Analyst at Trust for Public Land, and she found her passion working in the field of research as an Assistant Director of Development Research at Bowdoin College. Chelsea Hathaway, Harvard University Chelsea is an experienced advancement professional specializing in research and prospect management, currently serving as Associate Director, Prospect Management at Harvard University. In this role, Chelsea leads strategic donor engagement efforts, optimizing prospect pipelines, analyzing portfolios, and implementing data-driven solutions to enhance fundraising success. Her expertise spans portfolio optimization, wealth analysis, and strategic collaboration with frontline fundraisers to achieve key fundraising goals. Chelsea started at Harvard University on the Research & Prospect Management team as a Staff Assistant Specialist in 2019 before being promoted to Research & PM Analyst in 2021. Prior to Harvard, she worked as an Advancement Data Specialist at the College of the Holy Cross. With over six years in advancement operations, Chelsea has a proven track record of streamlining processes, developing prospect management systems, and delivering impactful training programs to improve team efficiency. Passionate about using data to drive meaningful change, Chelsea enjoys working collaboratively to develop innovative strategies that support organizational priorities and advance donor engagement. Dana Hubbard, Hamilton College Dana will assume the role of Director of Donor Discovery at Hamilton College on July 1, 2025, bringing strong experience in prospect research and donor engagement. She currently serves as a Prospect Research Specialist at Hamilton College, where she focuses on identifying and qualifying UNHW individuals to support the College’s fundraising goals. Dana holds a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of New Mexico and recently completed the New England Development Research Association’s 3-5 Learning Network program to deepen her development expertise. At Hamilton, she has led efforts to explore integrating AI into advancement operations to improve efficiency and streamline fundraising workflows. Known for her analytical mindset and innovative approach, Dana is committed to helping Hamilton connect with donors who align with its mission and values. Nhu Huynh, University of Chicago, Booth School of Business Nhu (she/her/hers) is currently the Director of Prospect Development and Campaign Management at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. In this role, she oversees prospect research, prospect management, and assists with capital campaign strategy. She previously worked at Loyola University of Chicago as the Director, Prospect Management & Research. Prior to that, she spent seven years at Harvard where she started as a prospect research analyst and eventually pivoted to overseeing more prospect management responsibilities under the title of Associate Director, Prospect Management. One of her greatest accomplishments includes helping implement a prospect management program in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. She was a member of APRA International's Nomination Committee (2022). Nhu has a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and a master’s degree from Harvard University. She resides in Chicago, Illinois. Nathan Johnson, Stanford University Nathan Johnson serves as an Insight Analyst in the Prospect Development department at Stanford University. In his role, he leverages data science techniques to craft and execute innovative strategies for prospecting, prospect identification, and enhancing prospect diversity. Prior to joining Stanford, Nathan was the Business Analytics Lead for the IT division at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and resides in Denver, Colorado. Renana Kehoe, Bellforge Arts Center Renana is currently leading the Development department for the Bellforge Arts Center. Previously, she was head of the Gift Management and Prospect Development & Research departments at the Harvard Business School. She also served on the HBS External Relations' Racial Equity Working Group as a Co-Lead of the Volunteers subgroup, focusing on diversifying the school's boards, committees, and volunteers. Prior to HBS, Renana led department operations for Institutional Advancement at the Harvard Art Museums, with a focus on membership, audience development, fundraising strategy, prospect management & research, financial administration, and data analysis. Before Harvard, Renana was Director of Development Operations and Prospect Research at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. In recent years, she has chaired the Brookline Commission for the Arts, led tours at the Institute of Contemporary Art, and taught Art History and Arts Management courses at Lesley University and Suffolk University. She has served as Board President of the New England Development Research Association (NEDRA) and as a Board Member of Mother Brook Arts & Community Center, where she led the search to find/hire the new Executive Director.
Jamie (she/her) serves as the associate director of prospect and development research at Harvard Business School, where she focuses on prospect research and data-driven fundraising. Prior to HBS, Jamie worked at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health as a senior prospect management and research analyst. There, she partnered strategically with gift officers and staff to oversee pipeline development, ensure CRM database integrity, and lead quarterly portfolio reviews. As the data visualization and analytics team lead, Jamie developed a fundraiser dashboard and launched an affinity scoring system, significantly boosting fundraising efficiency and converting prospects to donors. Jamie serves on the board of directors and is the board treasurer of NEDRA. Before joining Harvard, she built her skills in a small shop development office of a human services nonprofit and served as a legislative aide at the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Jamie holds a BS from Seton Hall University and an MS from Eastern Nazarene College. Emily Loffredo, Concord Hospital Trust Emily is a collaborative development professional with over 20 years of nonprofit experience in both frontline fundraising and advancement operations. She has worked for small, local nonprofits as well as large, national organizations including the National Audubon Society and the Smithsonian Institution. Throughout her career, she has held varied responsibilities, including research and prospect management, annual giving, foundation and corporate relations, gift processing, event planning, membership management, and volunteer coordination. Her varied experience gives her a strong understanding of how all aspects of a development office work together effectively and how she can best support colleagues and donors. Emily is currently Foundation, Corporation, and Research Manager at Concord Hospital Trust, the fundraising arm for Concord Hospital Health System in central New Hampshire. She serves as Prospect Researcher and Moves Manager for the development team, having designed the program from the ground up, and also manages grants activities for the Trust, including research, cultivation, proposal writing, submission and stewardship.
Shauna is a managing director of Research and Prospect Management at Harvard University. In her role, she supports a number of core initiatives including international and due diligence. Shauna has worked at Harvard since 2007. Krista Pierce, Tufts University Krista Pierce is the Senior Associate Director of Due Diligence Research at Tufts University, where she joined the prospect development team in 2015. Since assuming her current role in 2021, Krista has helped to create the University’s first in-house due diligence program, which included developing a new policy and procedure, research reports, and risk analysis scoring. In addition to managing the due diligence program’s day-to-day operations, Krista has also acted as a subject expert to many peer institutions and colleagues and has given comprehensive workshops on due diligence at APRA Prospect Development and NEDRAcon, among others. Krista has also co-authored papers on best due diligence practices with online research platform, Xapien, including serving as a collaborator on the company’s recently published “Due Diligence Playbook for Nonprofits.” Stephanie Snow, Harvard University Stephanie is an assistant director, Due Diligence and Research at Harvard University. She has worked at Harvard since 2008 and in her current role, supports the University's international efforts and due diligence. Stephanie is Vice President of the NEDRA board and co-chairs the Advocacy and Professional Development, and Sponsorship committees. Kristen Watson, Tufts University Kristen joined Tufts in March 2013. She is responsible for the overall operation of the Prospect Development team, comprised of prospect research, prospect management, due diligence and analytics. She also oversees the UA Operations team, including budget management, human resources, space planning/facilities management and professional development. Kristen joined the prospect research field in 2003 at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and continued her career at Northeastern University before joining Boston College in 2008. Kristen graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern University, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism with a concentration in public relations. In 2007 she earned a master’s degree in leadership with a concentration in nonprofit management also from Northeastern University. Robby West, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Robby is the Director of Analytics at Dana-Farber. In this role, he drives the application of data analytics to fundraising programs across the Division of Philanthropy. In addition to development, evaluation and delivery of predictive models, he is responsible for identification and acquisition of external data sets and the advancement of the Division’s prospect management goals. He began his career in prospect development as a research analyst at Wesleyan University and subsequently spent 5 years leading the prospect research team at the University of New Hampshire. Beyond his work at Dana-Farber, Robby serves on the board of his daughters’ pre-K school and is an enthusiastic trail runner. 3-5 Committee Members Nancy Lee (Co-Chair & Program Guide) Christine Freiburger (3-5 Network Alumna) Ruthie Giles Robin Hess (3-5 Network Alumna) Dana Hubbard (3-5 Network Alumna) Elana Pierkowski George Tabet (Co-Chair & Program Guide) Abbey Van Dorn Sarah Wallace (Co-Chair & Program Guide) Nancy Lee George Tabet, Massachusetts Institute of Technology George is a corporate research analyst at MIT where he specializes in corporate prospect development and due diligence work. Prior to that, George worked at The Ohio State University as a prospect management consultant. George began his career in prospect development at Mount St Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Prior to his prospect development career, George did a year of national service through the AmeriCorps NCCC program. He has a BA in political science and is pursuing a master’s in public administration from the University of Cincinnati.
Sarah Wallace
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