Keynote Speakers
Phil Li leads the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation in its effort to create a more equitable and vibrant New York City by investing in her people. Previously, he was COO at The Century Foundation, a public policy think tank founded by Edward Filene (of ‘basement’ fame), and at the Brooklyn Community Foundation, which he helped convert from a corporate foundation. He served as Executive Director of Coro New York Leadership Center after being a participant in one of its programs. Phil is co-chair of the Leadership Funders Group and on the steering committee of the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project. He also serves on the boards of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, United Philanthropy Forum, and two family foundations, and is a past board chair of Philanthropy New York, the regional association of grantmakers in the metro area.
Brenda Solorzano is the Chief Executive Officer of the Headwaters Health Foundation.Brenda has spent her career working for good in the philanthropic world on issues related to health policy, the health care safety net and community health issues affecting vulnerable populations. She is a strategy, evaluation, program and grant making guru with an eye toward local collaboration and a keen sense that change happens when communities come together to engage in good work. She is invested in the work of the Headwaters Foundation because she believes every child deserves a healthy start to life. She left her beloved San Francisco to move to Montana to re-invent philanthropic practices at Headwaters and live in Big Sky Country with its slower pace of life and stunning beauty. Brenda holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political science, a juris doctorate, is a member of the California state bar association and is a Terrance Keenan Emerging Leader in Philanthropy Fellow.
Speakers and Facilitators:
Jeffrey S. Allen is a United Methodist pastor currently appointed to the West Virginia Council of Churches as the Executive Director. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies from West Virginia University and a Master of Divinity degree from Emory University. He previously served as Project Director for the West Virginia Healthy Kids and Families Coalition between 2008 and 2012, as the Community and Families Development Director at Community Development Outreach Ministries (CDOM) for thirteen years, and also served the Keystone and Northfork United Methodist Churches in McDowell County, West Virginia, and the College Hill United Methodist Church in Waco, Kentucky.
Erika L. Anthony, a native New Yorker, joined OTF as our executive director in December 2019. She has extensive experience in fund development and in pushing for state and local policy change on behalf of multiple organizations, all focused on racial equity and inclusion, civic engagement, and transforming the criminal punishment system.
Before coming to OTF, Erika served as the Vice President of Government Relations and Strategy for Cleveland Neighborhood Progress. She has also been the Director of Business Development at Oriana House Inc., Project Coordinator for a pilot reentry program at the Centers for Families and Children, and held various roles in the legal sector.
Erika also co-founded both Cleveland VOTES and Hack Cleveland. She sits on a number of Boards in the greater Cleveland, including Ideastream’s Community Advisory Board, Cuyahoga County Public Defender Commission, NOACA’s Community Advisory Council, and CEO Works Advisory Board. Erika has served as an Adjunct Professor for a policy class at Case Western Reserve University, Mandel School of Applied Sciences. She has also participated in a number of leadership programs including: 2014 Cleveland Bridge Builders, 2014 Fellowship with New Leaders Council and the 2017-18 Leadership Now Ohio program (funded by OTF and led by Rockwood Leadership Institute).
Erika holds a B.S. in Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University and a Masters of Public Administration from the Maxine G. Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. Erika and her husband Brian reside in Cleveland; enjoy travelling, biking and spending time with family and friends.
Sandra L. Steiner Ball, the daughter of Edward J. and the late Marjorie W. Steiner, was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and raised in Milford, Delaware. She is a graduate of Dickinson College, (B.A. in Religion, 1984), Duke Divinity School (M.Div., 1987), and Wesley Theological Seminary (D.Min., 2003).
Sandra was ordained Deacon and Elder by Bishop Joseph H. Yeakel in the Peninsula-Delaware Conference. She has served as an associate pastor, lead pastor, District Superintendent, and Director of Connectional Ministries (DCM). During her last year as a DCM, she also served as interim pastor of Bayside Chapel, a new church start. Sandra was in this position when elected to the episcopacy by the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference in 2012 and was assigned to the West Virginia Area.
Bishop Steiner Ball was a first elected delegate to the 2008 and 2012 General Conferences of The United Methodist Church and to the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conferences (NEJ). Prior to election, Sandra served the general church in a variety of areas, including the Interjurisdictional Episcopacy Committee, the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, the United Methodist Endorsing Agency, and the Jurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy.
For the 2016 – 2020 quadrennium, Bishop Steiner Ball was re-assigned as the episcopal leader of the West Virginia area and has responsibilities with the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry serving on the agency’s Executive/personnel and Policies Committee, Global Education and Ministry Committee, Audit and Review Subcommittee, and is the chairperson of the Division on Ministry. Additionally, Bishop Steiner Ball is one of three moderators on the Commission on the Way Forward, and chairs the annual U. S. DS/DCM training. In the NEJ, Bishop Steiner Ball continues until September 2017 as President of the College of Bishops and chairs the NEJ Vision Table. She is Vice Chairperson of the West Virginia Council of Churches and Co-chairs a task force of the Council working to address substance abuse and addiction in the West Virginia area.
Bishop Steiner Ball and her husband, The Rev. Barry D. Steiner Ball, have two daughters: Sarah Elizabeth and Sandra Rebekah.
Logan Bialik is a research analyst with the Benedum Foundation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Modern Languages from Kenyon College, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to her work with Benedum, Logan spent two years in AmeriCorps serving the local immigrant and refugee population as an adult English as a Second Language instructor and a medical case worker. In her current role at the Foundation, she combines her passion for research and fascination with humanity to support its pursuit of positive social change.
Beth Casey is the Chief Executive Officer at Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council and is based in Charleston. Beth grew up in Girl Scouts and has earned her Silver Award and Gold Award. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Relations from the University of North Carolina and a certificate in nonprofit management from Duke University. While she has been with Black Diamond for 12 years, she has worked for Girl Scouts for 28 years. Beth started in Girl Scouts as a program specialist supervising resident camp programs.
Beth is married to Michael Casey and they have two children, Matthew and Hannah. Everyone in the family is involved in Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts and Hannah is a 4th generation Girl Scout.
With over 30 years of experience, Kelly Castleberry takes a holistic approach in consulting to high net worth families. He understands that more than a strictly investment-centric approach is required to help meet the multi-generational needs to wealthy families. He brings advance competencies to the table that address wealth transference, gifting and philanthropic services, family governance and dynamics, and trust services.
Kelly has always had a deep commitment to his community and has served on innumerable charitable boards. He is currently affiliated with the Childhood Language Center, the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences, the Buckskin Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the YMCA of the Kanawha Valley. In 2019, he was awarded Morgan Stanley’s President’s Club Community Leadership award in recognition of his charitable initiatives.
Katie Cobbs is a Manager in the Brown Edwards Charleston office with over 20 years of experience providing accounting, tax, and consulting services to a variety of not-for-profit organizations and closely-held businesses.
Katie has extensive experience installing and implementing QuickBooks software and providing the client training necessary to address financial reporting objectives while offering ongoing support with bookkeeping, payroll, and tax return preparation.
Katie holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Charleston and is a Certified QuickBooks Proadvisor. She is registered to practice in West Virginia and Ohio and is in compliance with all applicable CPE requirements.
Valerie Ellis, Partner at Brown Edwards, has 30 years of experience in public accounting, and has directed hundreds of non-profit audits for a variety of organizations. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the West Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants, as well as a member of Women in Economic and Leadership Development and the Charleston Rotary Club. In 2012, she was named a “Woman to Watch” by the AICPA for her leadership in accounting.
Tyler Gall works in IT assurance for the various clients we serve. Tyler has performed various IT audits and assessments related to IT controls across various industries. Tyler has over 7 years of experience as an auditor. Before joining Brown Edwards in April of 2019, Tyler primarily focused on financial and performance audits of large government entities. Tyler led audits for an Inspector General office to assist in the preventing and detecting of fraud, waste, and abuse. Also, Tyler has assisted on various consulting engagements focusing on the development of indirect cost rates and data reliability.
James Gore joined the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation in February 2009. Prior to coming to the Foundation, James served as a program director with One Economy Corporation, a Washington, DC based multi-national nonprofit that focused on efforts to bring broadband access, online content, and technology resources to low-income families. James also spent eight years with the Winston-Salem Foundation as a program officer and donor services officer. James has been active with numerous philanthropic efforts throughout his career. He currently serves as co-chair of Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees and is on the board of North Carolina Network of Grantmakers. James now lives in Charlotte with his wife, Tamara Dial, and two young children, Dial Jean and Ellington “Duke”. James received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Yale University.
Michael D. Klick, Senior Vice President, WesBanco Trust
and Investment Services, is responsible for investment
analysis for the energy sector, as well as portfolio management for individual and institutional clients. He joined WesBanco Trust and Investment Services in 2002 and has more than seventeen years of experience in investment research, portfolio management and trust
administration. A graduate of High Distinction from The Pennsylvania State University, Mr. Klick is also an honors graduate of Cannon Financial Institute’s Trust School at Boston University. He received the Certified Trust and Financial Advisor designation in 2005, and in 2007 achieved the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
Jocelyn McDaniel is a director of programs at Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. GEO is a diverse community of more than 450 grantmakers working to reshape the way philanthropy operates. The community is committed to advancing smarter grantmaking practices that enable nonprofits to grow stronger and achieve better results. As part of GEO’s program team, Jocelyn shepherds GEO’s peer learning and community building work. Before joining GEO, Jocelyn worked at The Democracy Fund as the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Fellow. Prior to this, Jocelyn held many roles in the education equity space as a teacher, teacher coach, researcher, fundraiser and DEI consultant. Jocelyn earned her Master of Education Degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Communications from the University of Arkansas. She is currently pursuing a Doctoral Degree through George Washington’s Executive Leadership Doctoral Program in Human and Organizational Learning where her research interests include women of color leadership in the social sector, intersectionality, critical race theory, and organizational development and change. In her spare time, she embodies her commitment to equity and inclusion by sitting on the boards of New Leaders Council DC, Harvard Black Alumni Society DC, Prism DC and the Creative School.
Ben McDearmon is Staff Counsel at the Council on Foundations in Washington, DC. In this role, he responds to members’ requests for legal analysis and information on a wide range of subjects. He also serves as a legal reviewer for the National Standards for Community Foundations accreditation program and as a contributing editor to Mastering Foundation Law: The Council on Foundations Compendium of Legal Resources. Ben is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia and holds a J.D. from Washington & Lee University. He received a B.A. in English from the University of Richmond.
Jeffrey Purdy is the Scout Executive of the Buckskin Council, Boy Scouts of America, headquartered in Charleston, West Virginia. Jeff has worked for 5 different Boy Scout Councils in five different states during his 30 year tenure as a professional Scouter.
Jeff arrived in West Virginia in April 2008 and leads a staff of 15 employees and serves as the Executive Director for a volunteer organization with 6,000 youth members and 2,400 adult members. The Buckskin Council covers 40 counties, with 28 located in West Virginia, three in Virginia, four in Kentucky and 5 in Ohio.
Jeffrey was on the original Project Arrow Committee that persuaded National BSA to build the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia. Jeffrey was also one of the original members of the Chief Scout Executive‘s Advisory Board when it was created by Chief Scout Executive Bob Mazzuca.
Jeff has a Bachelor of Science degree from Illinois State University. He has participated in many service clubs during his adult life including Jaycees, Kiwanis and Rotary. Most recently he is a member of the Charleston Rotary Club. Jeff has also served as a Little League coach and President of the Elk District Little League Board, and volunteers for his sons’ troop 195 at First United Methodist Church in South Charleston. He is active in his church and serves as President of the United Methodist Men for Christ Church.
Jeff is married to Jane and they have 2 sons, age 21 and 17.
Errol Randle
As PEAK’s Programs and Knowledge Director, Melissa Sines leads the organization’s work to identify equitable and effective philanthropic practices and advocate for their adoption by grantmakers. Melissa works with our members and sector leaders to support a diverse and inclusive emergent learning network with racial equity at the center. She is busy building a knowledge base of the current and changing state of philanthropic practice, and creating a vision for the strategies and partnerships that will create, iterate, and elevate this knowledge. Melissa started at PEAK Grantmaking in 2018, in the role of Effective Practices Program Manager. Previously, she served as Education and Accreditation Director at Maryland Nonprofits and the Standards for Excellence Institute, where she oversaw nonprofit accreditation and the association’s learning community.
Kim Barber Tieman is the Health and Human Services Program Director for the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. Kim has a master’s degree in Social Work. Kim has more than 30 years of experience in nonprofit development and management. She was Executive Director of Volunteer WV and administered AmeriCorps in the State. She serves on the boards of the West Virginia Oral Health Coalition, The Appalachian Funders Network Health Working Group, West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, The West Virginia Governor’s Substance Use Disorder Policy Task Force, and Workforce West Virginia. Kim is co-chair of the West Virginia Early Childhood Council’s Health Committee. She is the Past-President of the National Association of Social Workers – West Virginia Chapter.
Danielle Vetter is a senior program officer at Ascendium. She is responsible for leading strategic grantmaking in support of Ascendium’s Rural Education and Workforce Training focus area, which seeks to expand education and workforce training opportunities for rural learners. She joined the organization in 2019.
Previously, she worked for global manufacturing company Cummins, strengthening the global workforce by helping leadership manage talent. Based in Columbus, Indiana, she designed and implemented the company’s diversity and inclusion strategy. Her work focused on data analysis, external engagement, and employee resource group leadership. In her previous role with Cummins, Danielle managed charitable spending through the Cummins Foundation Community Development Grant program. Danielle began her career in Washington, D.C. at KaBOOM!, the national nonprofit dedicated to saving play. She managed a network of mayors and taught them how to make community policies, programs and infrastructure stronger for healthier citizens. Outside of Ascendium, Danielle serves on the board of directors for the IUPUI Library and in the Emerging Leaders group of the United Way of Central Indiana.
Raised in Schaumburg, Illinois, Danielle earned Master of Public Affairs and Bachelor of Science degrees in Policy Analysis and Nonprofit Management from Indiana University Bloomington. Danielle is also a certified Six Sigma Green Belt and Human-Centered Design Practitioner.
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