Rebecca Punselie joined the EMD Consulting Team in 2024, bringing nearly 15 years of experience in nonprofit data and reporting, development, and operations. Rebecca is passionate about helping organizations level up their fundraising and operations through streamlining their database use, gathering and synthesizing data, collaborating on fundraising efforts, and training executives and staff to confidently use their systems. Her superpower is putting people at ease and shifting their perspective on their data and processes – from intimidated and lost to empowered and creative.

Prior to joining EMD, Rebecca spent over a decade in the higher education space at University of Missouri-St. Louis, Webster University, and Washington University in St. Louis where she was the Manager of Data and Reporting for University Advancement. She is currently the Administrative Coordinator for the Berges Family Foundation in addition to her work with EMD, and was recently the Fundraising Director for The Fit and Food Connection alongside her nonprofit consulting work.

Rebecca earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Sciences from Webster University and a Master of Education in Adult and Higher Education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She has volunteer experience with over a dozen local non-profit organizations.

Away from the office, Rebecca spends her time laughing and creating with her children, trying new restaurants on the scene with her husband, and travelling as a family. She also enjoys baking, spending time with friends, live music, and working on her family’s expanding foodscape garden.

Vicki Boutwell joined EMD as a Senior Consultant in 2023, bringing almost 30 years of experience with nonprofits and corporations in strategic communications, project management, partnerships, institutional fundraising, and philanthropy communications.

Vicki helps organizations clarify their messaging, embed and operationalize that language, and consistently communicate across all channels. She conducts communications audits to understand what is (and isn’t) working, then creates materials—from plans and talking points to brochures, web copy, grant proposals, and annual reports—that are clear, concise, and compelling.

In addition to serving as a writer/editor, Vicki has led cross-functional teams, served as liaison with a variety of partners, and produced events. Most recently, she was Vice President of Communications for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, leading the new department and overseeing institutional communications, including media relations, Playbill, and video storytelling. She helped the SLSO launch Music Director Stéphane Denève, navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, and announce plans for the $100 million+ expansion and renovation of Powell Hall.

While Vicki has enjoyed all organizations she’s worked with throughout her career, her favorite job by far was as a Hotdogger, driving the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile for 18 months across the country.

Amy Drummond, Partner, joined in 2020 with three decades of expertise in fundraising, capital campaigns, strategic communications, and nonprofit management in higher education, healthcare, and the arts. She has led and built philanthropy programs at both large and small institutions, raising millions for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Washington University, SLU Cancer Center, the Saint Louis Art Museum, and Saint Louis Effort for AIDS.

Amy helps organizations refine their storytelling, search for expert talent, identify and plan fundraising strategies, and establish best practice capital campaigns. She is committed to truth telling, strategic risks, big mission impact, and pushing back on the nonprofit sector’s obsession with low overhead as a metric of success. If given a jillion dollars, Amy would set up endowments at environmental and equity-focused organizations to nurture their work far into the future. 

She and her husband live in the city where they drink coffee and wine with friends, juggle work and volunteerism, and encourage their five kids to be kind, active, and informed world citizens.

Anne Kessen Lowell assists nonprofit and public sector agencies with projects that include planning, organizational capacity development, needs assessments, grant writing, facility acquisition or renovation, and general project management.

Anne has spent her career working with cities and nonprofit organizations to revitalize and strengthen urban neighborhoods across the country. Prior to joining EMD in 2015, she served as SouthSide Early Childhood Center’s Executive Director. Under Anne’s leadership SouthSide gained recognition as one of the finest early childhood programs in the St. Louis region and moved to a new, state-of-the-art center. Anne oversaw the site search, feasibility analysis, capital campaign, construction and New Markets Tax Credit financing.

Donna Bruner joined EMD as a senior consultant in 2015, following a career of more than 30 years in St. Louis-based nonprofit fundraising, principally in the arts/culture and health sectors.  Over those years, her work has run the gamut, from membership, annual, major, planned and capital giving, to prospecting, grant seeking and grant administration, to communications, events, and stewardship.  But her eyes REALLY light up when she nears the world of data and analytics, the bedrock of all of the above.  While she has long claimed she intends to retire, in the nick of time she always discovers one more database in distress that could use her help.

When not waist deep in global changes, Donna volunteers for conservation causes and travels and hikes with her husband, grown daughters, and dogs.  Her main goal in life is to create the most diverse, abundant, pollinator-friendly garden possible in a postage-stamp sized yard.

Cindy Owens joined EMD as a Senior Consultant in 2022. Cindy’s practice areas include board development, mergers and change management, coaching, interim executive leadership roles, and talent and performance management.

As the youngest CEO for the American Lung Association of New York, her board invested in her professional development, so she understands the value and impact of organizational development and the critical role it plays in talent management. While with the American Lung Association, Cindy served on the team to develop a strategy to merge 72 ALAs into 10 within a five-year period.

She later joined the American Red Cross, St. Louis Chapter as CEO. Over a 12-year period, Cindy helped to navigate the nonprofit through three restructurings and regional expansions, first merging seven area chapters into the Red Cross of Eastern Missouri and Southern IL, then realigning Eastern and Western Missouri and Arkansas into the new Missouri and Arkansas Region. In 2017, she was recognized with the American Red Cross President’s National Award for Excellence. And as the result of the success of her team in 2012, she was invited to sit on a White House panel focused on best practices in Building Resilient Communities.

She now serves as the first CEO for The Rooted Sisters™, a women’s ministry she co-founded six years ago after seeking a place where women business leaders of faith could come together to educate, equip, and empower one another to live out their faith in the workplace. 

Cynthia Goudy joined EMD in 2022. She was most recently the Director of Philanthropy at the Missouri Athletic Club, where she created and managed the inaugural fundraising program for both the West and Downtown clubhouses. Prior to the MAC, Cynthia was in educational fundraising. Her favorite part of fundraising is meeting donors and helping them meet their philanthropic goals.

Personally, Cynthia enjoys spending time with her husband and four children.

Gary Dollar, Partner, joined EMD in 2014 after more than 30 years of practical, successful hands-on management as a senior leader of United Way of Greater St. Louis, including 12 years as President and CEO. Gary helped build the organization into the 5th largest (by revenue) United Way in the nation. During Gary’s leadership, the organization raised more than $1 billion and grew its annual revenue to more than $70 million.

Gary enjoys helping nonprofits build new levels of success by establishing a stable foundation in the midst of today’s rapidly changing environment. He works with nonprofits looking to build organizational and fundraising success, nonprofit leaders in developing and communicating strategy and/or facing difficult situations/decisions, and has an affinity for and experience in working with faith-based organizations. Gary also works with corporations wanting to increase the impact of their philanthropy.

Gary is an adjunct professor at the Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy Lake Institute. He has received numerous awards including the Association of Fundraising Professionals Lifetime Achievement Award.

Josephine Goode joined EMD in 2020 after serving as System Chief Risk Officer for SSM Health Care and, prior to that, President and CEO of InnoVIsions International, a healthcare risk management consulting firm specializing in managing the strategic, clinical, business and operational risks associated with healthcare delivery. She is a registered nurse in the state of Maryland and the founder of the Maryland Society for Healthcare Risk Management, serving two terms as President.

Josephine consults on healthcare integration, the intersection of strategy and risk, and will provide executive coaching, organizational assessment, and team building. She is certified in talent optimization.

Kari McAvoy joined EMD as a partner in 2010. For 14 years previously, Kari was with the United Way of Greater St. Louis. As the Vice President of Community Investment, she managed the allocations department that annually awarded $55+ million in funding to local health and human services organizations.

Kari is passionate about organizational development: how nonprofits evolve, why some agencies seize opportunity and learn from adversity while others miss what’s right in front of them and falter when faced with a challenge. Projects include executive search, working with new leaders to help them get off to a strong start, intervening when the relationship between a board and CEO is strained, and helping boards optimize their structure and operating practices. Strategy is also a strength: critical decision making (how should an agency respond to this threat or that opportunity, why does the org exist, how can it respond to a changing environment), merger consideration, and revenue structure analysis.

Kari is a quick thinker, a bit blunt and irreverent, and will laugh at herself (and you). She is a noodler, a thought partner, and an idea generator. If she could wave a magic wand, Kari would locate a Class 4/5 whitewater rafting river close to St. Louis. Hobbies include traveling and eating. She’s passionate about social justice, crazy proud of her grown daughters, and generally tolerant of her husband’s rescue dogs.

Karin Hagaman joined EMD in 2021 as a Senior Consultant and became a Partner in 2022. She has been a leader in urban redevelopment efforts for more than 20 years, with practice crossing the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors. Prior roles include President and CEO of Grand Center, the nonprofit organization tasked with promoting and enhancing St. Louis’s premier arts district; director of project development with the Cortex Innovation District in St. Louis; major project manager with St. Louis Development Corporation, and consultant with Development Strategies. 

Together with an educational background that joins a traditional business perspective with social work and community economic development, her diverse experience allows Karin to approach problem-solving, planning, and organizational development from a strong interdisciplinary perspective. Her experience has also generated direct knowledge of – and respect for – the vital roles played by all parts of an organization and its broader stakeholder community.

A New Jersey native, Karin has called St. Louis home since 1995. She holds master’s degrees in business and social work from Washington University, and a bachelor’s degree in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard University.

Kathy Gardner joined EMD as a Senior Consultant in 2021, bringing extensive philanthropic and nonprofit expertise to nonprofits seeking to strengthen their organizational performance through improved board and leadership management practices, strategic analysis, program development and goal implementation.

Kathy led development at University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy; prior, she was a Senior Vice President at United Way of Greater St. Louis, leading the community investment division in distributing funds raised in the annual campaign, providing agency training, and coaching organizations to implement sound volunteer management practices.

Kathy is a community leader – results-driven, candid, with strong interpersonal skills. She serves on several nonprofit boards and was named one of the 2011 Most Influential Business Women by the St. Louis Business Journal.  She loves Diet Coke, hates ice breakers, and her grandma name is Kiki.

Lorien Carter joined EMD Consulting Group in 2015 as the co-designer and leader of EMD’s Measuring What Matters performance management institute. She helps nonprofits articulate their desired impact and strengthen quality improvement systems; facilitates strategic planning; and participates on leadership projects.

Lorien’s full-time role is Associate Professor of Practice at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. She teaches graduate level social work practice and administration courses, including a course on program development and has been awarded the “Excellence in Teaching” faculty award multiple times.

Lorien conducts community trainings on Evidence Based Practice, logic models, groupwork facilitation, professional teambuilding, and adolescent development.  Her professional experience includes direct social work practice with adolescents in public school and health care settings, and program management experience at the Teen Pregnancy Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Michael Farley joined EMD in 2018. His career spanned both St. Louis and Washington, D.C. Positions include Chief Development Officer of the American Society of International Law, Chief Development Officer for the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards, Vice President of Development at USO World Headquarters, Interim CEO and Chief Corporate Officer for Community and Financial Development at the American Diabetes Association, Vice President of the American Red Cross National Headquarters, and CEO of the St. Louis Regional Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Michael’s experience and achievement in planning, operations, fundraising, media relations, and board development have earned him multiple awards, including the American Red Cross Tiffany Award for Excellence in Leadership, and the Taproot Foundation Award of Excellence for providing consulting services to nonprofit organizations throughout the DC metro area.

Michael’s consulting focus is in building leadership teams, recruiting strong boards of directors, setting strategic direction, and measuring performance.

Molly Salky joined EMD as Senior Consultant in 2022. She is an experienced nonprofit fundraiser, marketing and communications professional. Most recently, Molly served as the Associate Vice-President, Philanthropy at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, where she was responsible for the annual institutional giving programs with the goal of maximizing philanthropic support. Molly also played a lead role in the SLSO’s next systematic and focused campaign.

Molly brings decades of expertise from corporate investor relations at companies such as Build-A-Bear Workshop and The Earthgrains Company and fundraising experience, both professional and volunteer, from organizations such as Jewish Family Services – St. Louis, Girls, Inc. of St. Louis, and as the Director of Development, Capacity Building Campaign, successfully completing a $50 million campaign at Nine PBS.

A native Californian, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Accounting from University of California – Santa Barbara and a Masters of Business Administration from University of San Diego.

Molly and her husband are members of Congregation Shaare Emeth. They have two daughters, both of whom live in Chicago.

Maria Schlafly joined EMD Consulting in 2021 with over 20 years of nonprofit experience in the performing arts, higher education, and social service sectors. She is the executive director of the William Matheus Sullivan Musical Foundation, a national organization that supports young professional opera singers.

Previously she held fundraising and administrative roles at Washington University, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and the Santa Fe Opera, with responsibilities for managing capital campaigns, major gifts, annual giving, communications, board governance, operations, and strategic planning.

As a consultant, Maria focuses on fundraising strategy, organizational planning, development communications, and board and executive support.

Maria serves on the development committee of the YWCA.

Mark Utterback, Partner, joined EMD Consulting in 2022 with 25+ years of nonprofit management and fundraising, including as President and CEO of Mental Health America of Eastern Missouri and Executive Director of Food Outreach. His skills and strengths include board development, fundraising, feasibility studies, and strategic planning.

Mark is a trusted advisor with a background in management and human resources who assists mission-driven organizations in motivating board members to contribute expertise and access to resources that promote organizational success. With skills in donor and volunteer cultivation, and capital campaign fundraising, Mark works with community members, boards of directors, co-workers, volunteers, and donors to develop positive, effective teams and successful programs. He has served on multiple boards, including the St. Louis Art Museum and the Missouri Historical Society boards of trustees. He is alum of Leadership St. Louis.

An enthusiastic traveler, Mark has visited 37 countries, yet he still has not made it to the Grand Canyon or Mount Vernon. We wonder…..how does he prioritize his destinations?

Pat Rich, ACFRE, is a founding partner of EMD along with Rick Daley and Patricia Barrett.

Pat worked for the Missouri Botanical Garden for 10 years with responsibility for membership, development, planning, and “other duties as assigned.” She then became the President/CEO of the Arts & Education Council responsible for fundraising, grant making, and other arts related activities. While there, she developed the St. Louis Arts Awards, which has become the community’s major arts recognition event.

Pat has worked in every aspect of development, and planning, and enjoys working with boards and staff to determine the best routes for the future. In her career, she was very successful at hiring great teams and this has led to conducting successful searches for executive level staff. She has shared her knowledge of the field in the book Membership Marketing in the Digital Age.

When not working, Pat spends time with her daughters, Rosie the dog, reading, cooking, and traveling. She has been to all seven continents and is now working on filling in the gaps on her worldwide travel map.

Rick Daley joined with Pat Rich and Patricia Barrett to create EMD in 2002 after a career at botanical gardens and conservation organizations. He served as a senior executive at Missouri Botanical Garden, then CEO of Denver Botanic Gardens, then CEO at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Rick founded the Directors of Large Gardens organization and has served on the board of the American Public Garden Association, the Center for Plant Conservation, and Botanical Gardens Conservation International-US. He has also been a museum accreditor of the American Alliance of Museums.

At EMD, Rick has worked with many dozens of botanical gardens and conservation groups as well as other institutions. His work has included strategic planning, financial and staff planning, governance restructuring, executive recruitment, and coaching. He often works with landscape architects on master planning projects. His clients have ranged from start-ups to many of the leading institutions in their fields. Rick loves to help clients meet challenges and seize new opportunities so they can be both environmentally and financially sustainable and serve their communities at the highest levels.

Rick is passionate about the environment and this is a central part of his “other business” of fine art nature photography. He has had work in juried shows across the U.S. and internationally and has taught creative nature photography. He lives near Asheville and the Blue Ridge Parkway with his wife and two (most of the time) beloved dogs.

Shannon Grass, Partner,  joined EMD in 2020 following 20+ years leading development efforts at Epworth Children & Family Services, Washington University in Saint Louis, Laumeier Sculpture Park, City Museum, and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. She is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), a board member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, member of the Planned Giving Council, and an alumna of Leadership St. Louis. 

Shannon specializes in resource development strategy, major and annual giving programs, feasibility studies, talent search, and fundraising coaching for development teams, senior staff, and boards. She is passionate about helping people “up their fundraising game” and enjoys developing staff and building culture. Candor, humor, positivity, and organization are hallmarks of Shannon’s style. Her unique talent is solving problems by connecting people and resources, tapping into a broad network of long-nurtured civic, nonprofit, and governmental relationships. 

Shannon’s favorite things include Missouri mulberry jam, the color orange, exploring the woods and traveling the world, often with a husband, little boys, and dogs in tow. Her home aspires to hold as many plants as the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Climatron.   

Ted McKinney, Ph.D. offers decades of work experience from a variety of industries. His leadership is informed by his research into how organizations can foster psychologically safe work climates where individuals flourish and high-performing teams can emerge. His candid approach to values-driven leadership encourages leaders to meet employees where they are and inspires all to achieve shared goals. 

Theresa Mayberry, Ph.D. joined EMD in 2016. She consults on leadership and strategy projects, and is passionate about helping nonprofits increase the scope and scale of their programs, particularly those that provide opportunity to the least served. Her career has been focused on leading and transforming organizations, successfully building programs and developing policy concentrated on improved service delivery systems for children, families, and communities.

Dr. Mayberry’s experience includes Chief Program Director, St. Louis County Children’s Services Fund; Executive Vice President/Chief of Staff for the Wyman Center; President and CEO of Grace Hill Settlement House; Director of Leadership Education, Nonprofit Services Center, St. Louis, MO; Director of Early Care and Education for the Caroline and Sigmund Schott Foundation in Boston, MA; and Bureau Deputy Director for the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services. She is an Annie E. Casey Children and Family Fellows alumnus, where she was involved with the design and implementation of the national policy group, Corporate Voices for Working Families.

Dr. Mayberry is a tireless volunteer in civic and advocacy organizations, has received many honors, is author of published articles on organizational transformation and early childhood education.

Eulonda Nevels joined EMD as a Senior Consultant in 2022. Her full-time position is Chief Administrative Officer at YWCA Metro St. Louis. At YWCA, she manages all programs but Head Start, strategic plan execution, capacity building, facilities, performance and quality improvement planning activities, and racial justice services. 

Eulonda community activity includes Board membership (and sometimes leadership) of the Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and Booklovers, Inc. She is an active member of the City of St. Louis Continuum of Care.

Joe Yancey joined EMD in 2021 as a Senior Consultant and became a Partner in 2022. Joe is well known and respected as a leader in Missouri in the areas of mental health services and policy advocacy for individuals with mental health disorders and issues related to poverty, trauma, criminal justice, and stigma.
Previously, he was the CEO of Places for People, St. Louis’ only CCBHO (certified community behavioral health organization) and Deputy Division Director, Comprehensive Psychiatric Services, Missouri Department of Mental Health.

Yvonne Sparks began working with EMD in 2021, following 11 years as Assistant Vice President Community Development and Director of Community Reinvestment Initiatives at the
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and 20+ years as a nonprofit CEO. While at the Fed, Yvonne led policy analysis and technical assistance teams and created a new program designed to address years of disinvestment in low-income rural and urban areas by leveraging policy and regulatory mandates to fund local action. The program connected banks, foundations and other investors with community development organizations that sought loans, grants and investments for local and regional community development projects.

Yvonne holds Masters Degrees in Public Administration from St. Louis University and in Management and Leadership from the George Herbert Walker School of Business and Technology at Webster University. She earned professional certificates from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Public Service and the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis.

Betsy Malinak joined EMD as a Senior Consultant in 2022, bringing more than 20 years of experience in fundraising, capital campaigns, marketing and  communications focused on supporting PreK-12 education and performing arts organizations. Most recently, she led the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s individual giving efforts as Associate VP, Individual Philanthropy. In this role she designed and managed the annual giving program, developed major gift and capital campaign donor strategies, identified targeted opportunities to grow revenue, and enhanced board and volunteer engagement. 

Previously she served in fundraising and communication roles at St. Louis University High School and Cor Jesu Academy where she led annual giving and major gift efforts, guided
comprehensive long-range planning, and directed capital campaign planning. Through her
business EFM Consulting, she consulted with PreK-12 schools – building annual fund and major gift programs, developing strategic communication plans, and conducting capital campaigns.

Early in her career she assisted with national advertising and marketing programs for consumer divisions of Monsanto, Ralston Purina, Nestlé and other national retail brands.
She believes that through careful analysis and planning, non-profits can create meaningful
partnerships that connect donors with their passions that change lives.