Our Consulting Team
Senior Advisor, The Giving Practice
Dawn focuses on a wide range of strategic advisory work including business model development, sustainability planning and strategic human capital development. She brings over 20 years of expertise across the policy, corporate and philanthropic sectors.
Senior Advisor, The Giving Practice
Stephanie Ellis-Smith works with individuals, families, foundations and corporations to enhance their giving in light of their goals and best practices in the field. For nearly 20 years, Stephanie has devoted her private and professional life to the advancement of high-impact organizations. Whether consulting on non-profit strategic plans, stakeholder engagement, funding panel or corporate social responsibility programs, Stephanie is known for her generative thinking that sparks the new ideas that lead to actionable results.
Senior Advisor, The Giving Practice
For 17 years, Lisa has served nationally and internationally as a coach, a facilitator, and an educational, organizational and development consultant for both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. In 2014, she was named a Social Impact Fellow by RSF Social Finance. Most recently, she led the successful efforts in Idaho to pass Benefit Corporation Legislation.
Managing Director, The Giving Practice
Audrey has been the managing director of The Giving Practice team since 2011. She has worked with dozens of foundations, helping them develop strategies, improve their governance and lead productive collaborations. She is passionate about people, places and communities.
Senior Analyst, The Giving Practice
An east coaster at heart, Marissa is proud to bring her commitment to social justice and equity to Philanthropy Northwest where she supports the Giving Practice in their efforts to build greater capacity in the philanthropic sector.
Senior Partner, The Giving Practice
Jan has been at The Giving Practice for seven years and her consulting focus is on refreshing strategic plans and creation of onboarding and professional development programs. She is the founder of Philanthropy’s Reflective Practices which is a project to share lessons learned from philanthropy practitioners about skills to navigate classic dilemmas that emerge at work.
Senior Advisor, The Giving Practice
Anne brings 20+ years of experience in foundation, nonprofit and corporate organizational management, development and governance, strategic communications and philanthropic advising. She loves connecting people, ideas and resources. As a senior advisor, Anne focuses on a range of strategic advisory work, which includes conducting organizational assessments to develop and refresh internal systems, structures and human resources, as well as running comprehensive programmatic and executive searches, developing grantmaking programs and systems and convening grantees.
Managing Partner, The Giving Practice
Sindhu brings over 16 years of experience leading facilitation, strategy, planning and assessment projects for public and philanthropic leaders and organizations. Sindhu also co-leads strategy and business planning for The Giving Practice. She has launched special initiatives including the first class of Momentum Fellows and peer cohorts of CEOs and trustees advancing diversity, equity and inclusion.
Senior Partner, The Giving Practice
Ted Lord has been integral to the growth of The Giving Practice since its founding. His multi-year work with Cascadia Foodshed Financing Project, national child welfare CEOs, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Building Community Philanthropy, the Road Map funders group and Philanthropist Forum centers around supporting collaboratives, especially in their adventures to discover how to contribute all their various forms of capital.
Business Partner, The Giving Practice
Sally Martin brings 20 years of experience in philanthropy working with nonprofits, corporate giving programs and foundations. She was the Deputy Director of Grants Management at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and had a private practice as a consultant and coach.
Senior Partner, The Giving Practice
Mark helps clients make an impact through strategic planning, collaborative inquiry, group facilitation, influence strategy, research and development, and tool and visual design. His past clients have included a wide range of foundations and philanthropy-serving organizations around the country. Mark’s passion is to help leaders in the social sector develop and spread good ideas and champion the causes they care about.
Senior Advisor, The Giving Practice and Impact Investing Catalyst Fellow
Rosalie Sheehy Cates helps foundations with impact investing. She combines respect for the fiduciary role with a curious and generative approach to investing. Rosalie can help boards with impact investing exploration; formal decision-making; and crafting policies and procedures. She also trains and mentors foundation staff and investment committees by working through real transactions hands-on. Her ready-to-use templates for policies, procedures and deal analysis have proven useful at many foundations.
Partner, The Giving Practice
Leslie is passionate about helping funders be more efficient and effective in how they approach philanthropy. She also enjoys working with funders interested in strengthening funder-grantee relationships and fostering peer learning among funders and grantees.
Senior Advisor, The Giving Practice
Since stepping down in May 2018 from his 16-year role as president and CEO of Meyer Memorial Trust, Doug has served as an advisor to private and independent sector boards and leadership teams, as well as high net worth individuals pursuing social change. Prior to joining Meyer, Doug held executive leadership roles at the National Office of Friends of the Children, NIKE, Inc (including overseeing NIKE Public Affairs and the NIKE Foundation) and as an attorney in private practice. Doug earned his law degree from Lewis and Clark Law School and a bachelor's degree from Stanford University.
Senior Advisor, The Giving Practice
Pat Vinh-Thomas brings nearly 20 years of experience in participatory evaluation, research and policy analysis in community-building and public health systems change initiatives, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations.
Administrative Assistant/Project Coordinator, The Giving Practice
Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Lesa made her way to Seattle after getting a job at Microsoft and spent most of her career in the technology industry. Since joining the philanthropic sector, she has found a new love for working with passionate people dedicated to making a difference.