Meet Our 2018 Programming Committee

Hearing from our members has always been a priority for the Alliance for Better Nonprofits team. During the beginning stages of ABN, staff members individually met with over 55 local nonprofits to determine their needs. Based on the responses, as well as national research, the ABN training calendar was created to address these needs. The topics most nonprofits wanted assistance with were board development, leadership, human resources, marketing, and fundraising.

After two successful years at ABN, our nonprofit community continues to exceed our expectations in the midst of policy and cultural change. Because the climate is ever evolving, it is important to ensure that ABN’s programming remains relevant, innovative, and applicable towards nonprofits in East Tennessee. After recently stepping into the training and programming role, I am excited to announce that 15 nonprofit representatives have agreed to come together monthly to form our new programming committee. These individuals are staff members from local nonprofits ranging in size, category, and population served. This programming committee will be pivotal in assessing the needs of the current nonprofit sector and designing programming to address these needs. The committee will begin by planning free, monthly events, as well as breakout sessions for both our spring and fall conferences. Beginning this summer, the committee will assist in designing the 2019 training calendar.

We are so grateful for the time and effort these individuals are investing to ensure that our programs fulfill the needs of our members and our community.

Interested in serving on the committee next year? Watch for our open call for applications in the fall of 2018.

Meet the 2018 ABN Programming Committee:

• Rachel Nicely, Carson-Newman University
• Britney Sink, CASA of East Tennessee
• Charmin Foth, Compassion Coalition
• Shawn Stutz, FOCUS Ministries
• Madison Bankston, Friends of Literacy
• Mark Benson, Great Schools Partnership
• Dametraus Jaggers, Johnson University Urban Alliance
• Juan Smith, Project GRAD
• Lisa Skinner, Sertoma Center
• Mercedes Ringgold, United Cancer Support Foundation
• Anderson Olds, University of Tennessee
• Alyson Gallaher, Volunteer East Tennessee
• Melanie Vincent, Volunteer East Tennessee
• Jim Dickson, YMCA of East Tennessee
• Kim Lowe, Zoo Knoxville