Why did you get involved with serving nonprofit organizations?

After majoring in Theatre Arts at the University of Arizona, I knew I wanted to put my degree to use in the nonprofit arts organizations I grew up attending. I was able to benefit, firsthand, from the outreach programs that these organizations had designed to give access to the arts to kids like me growing up in rural and low-income areas with limited access to cultural activities. As an intern at Arizona Theatre Company, I got to sample all of the different operations inside a regional theatre and learned that I wanted to spend my career working on the “business side” of theatre rather than onstage.

Why did you join Benefactor Group?

I am fortunate to have spent the last 9 years working in the tech industry honing my technical skills and becoming a passionate advocate for technical adoption and advancement. I knew I wanted to find a way to use my experience in the tech space to help nonprofits create meaningful digital transformation at their organizations. During my time at Blackbaud, I sat across the table from many consultants and their clients, but I always admired the acute care and skill that Benefactor Group demonstrated during our evaluations. When I decided to make the move into consulting, Benefactor Group was the first place I looked.

We are living in rapidly changing times, which extends to the philanthropic landscape. What gives hope for the future of philanthropy over the next five years?

Every generation has believed that the generation following them doesn’t understand the concepts of generosity and hard work. And yet, giving persists and the world continues to be filled with incredible innovations and progress fueled by the hard work of young innovators. The language and mechanisms around philanthropy will change, as they always have, but it is our job to make sure that we meet the next generation where they are and provide meaningful engagement opportunities that inspire them to define philanthropy and service in a way that speaks to their unique perspectives and experiences rather than shoving them into our rigid definitions.

What influences how you give, volunteer, or advocate?

I choose to support causes that spark fire in me personally and that I think will spark radical thinking in my community. My two favorite organizations I’m currently supporting are The Mini-Time Machine Museum of Miniatures (if you’re ever in Tucson, you MUST go!) and BOSS (Building Out Safer Spaces), a Tucson organization that provides spaces for women, queer, trans, and femme of center folx to learn, create, network, and explore careers in the building trades. They also host building days to support the creation and renovation of housing for LGBTQ+ folx in Tucson.

If you could make a $1 million gift to any organization, where would you direct your contributions and why?

I would support whichever arts organization in Tucson wants to step up and build a state of the art performing arts venue so that our amazing Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Arizona Opera, and other music organizations have a space that amplifies (literally!) their incredible talent.

What are you currently reading, or what do you recommend?

Lucky for me, there’s always a new Stephen King book for me to dive into. I just finished his book of short stories You Like it Darker and am still working through The Trial of Lizzie Borden which is a historical nonfiction chronicling the ins and outs of the infamous trial and questions it raised around the issues of gender and class during America’s Gilded Age. I’m always open to recommendations for spooky historical nonfiction, please send!