Mentorship Matters

Carla Willis joined Washburn & McGoldrick in 2019, following a 25-year campus-based fundraising and consulting in higher education advancement and thought leadership. Carla has worked in just about every area of frontline advancement, including major and principal gifts, planned gifts, corporate and foundations, campaign planning and execution, and began her career in annual giving at the Univ...

Edgar Gonzalez is an experienced and proven leader, team-builder, and collaborator with almost 20 years of experience in higher education advancement and program development. He currently serves as Vice President of University Advancement at Seattle University. Prior to joining Seattle University, Edgar held leadership roles at Oregon Health and Science University, the University of Washington, an...

Lishelle Blakemore ‘89 (she/her/hers) is the Associate Vice Chancellor (AVC) of Development in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for the University Development and Alumni Relations (UDAR) department at the University of California, Berkeley. Lishelle has served as the AVC of Development since 2017. Prior to this role, Lishelle established and led the Annual Programs department in UDAR. Before join...

Brent Swinton brings more than 20 years of fundraising experience in higher education and the non-profit sector to his position as Vice President of Advancement at Bowie State College. Swinton has a variety of first-hand experience in major gift fundraising, development operations and strategic communications, gathered from a career that has been dedicated to helping mission-based organizations ac...

Bathsheba Philpott, CFRE, serves as the Vice President of Philanthropy for National Medical Fellowships, Inc. (NMF). In this role, Philpott will lead all fundraising and partnership efforts for the organization whose mission confronts, addresses and solves for pervasive inequity in health care. With more than 20 years of experience in development and philanthropy, Philpott has made an impact with...

Matthew M. Winston, Jr. joined Binghamton University in May as executive director for alumni engagement and serves as the University’s chief alumni engagement officer, providing leadership to the alumni office team. Winston is founder and principal of The Winston Advisory Pack consulting firm, focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion strategies for institutional advancement organizations. He pr...

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​Shane Carlin's professional career has been in fundraising and Student Affairs where he was the Director of Development for Student Life and Scholarships at Northwestern University, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Advancement at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Shane has also worked as the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at the National Association of S...

Heidi Lee leads the major donor advising team in building lasting relationships with donors who support MVP and grassroots organizations across the country. As a development professional she knows that lifting the voices of women and women of color in the philanthropy world will make an enormous impact in our society. Her experience includes over twenty years in the philanthropic environment, work...

Jennifer Mora is the Senior Director, Major Gifts, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Community Initiatives at the University of San Francisco.