John Brothers, Senior Fellow

Direct Line: 917-522-8305  Email: JBrothers@supportcenteronline.org

Contact John for information about our Executive Transition Management Services.

John Brothers is a Senior Fellow in executive leadership with the Support Center for Nonprofit Management, for which he also is the Editor of the Journal for Nonprofit Management. John Brothers is a recognized leader in the nonprofit arena with nearly twenty years of sector experience and is a national expert in the field of executive transition management, nonprofit effectiveness and sustainability and assisting organizations in organizational crisis and turnarounds. Mr. Brothers gravitated toward non-profit work as a result of his experiences growing up in poverty and homelessness as a child in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Mr. Brothers is working toward a Doctorate in Law and Policy from Northeastern University in Boston, has an MPA in Nonprofit and Public Management from New York University and an MBA in Public Policy from American Public University from which he started at Columbia University. He has taken additional studies at Georgetown and Harvard University. He is an adjunct professor in Nonprofit Finance at NYU’s Wagner School for Public Service and has taught Community Studies at George Mason University. Mr. Brothers is a Visiting Fellow at the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Harvard University and has served in fellowships with the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs and the Children’s Defense Fund. Mr. Brothers is currently working in a joint project with ARNOVA and the Rockefeller Foundation in researching capacity building, program measurement and arts organizations. Mr. Brothers is also a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).

He also consults with nonprofit and government agencies and has been contracted by over a hundred organizations throughout the United States and abroad, having trained thousands in all areas of capacity building and organizational development. Mr. Brothers is participating in book projects with both SAGE and Wiley publishers about nonprofit leadership and change management and is a featured blogger with the Stanford Social Innovation Review.

Mr. Brothers serves on the board of the One Acre Fund, the Center for Collaborative Change, the advisory council for Independent Sector’s Initiative for Nonprofit Effectiveness, the Board of Trustees for the Montclair Cooperative School and is active in his church, the Union Congregational Church in Montclair, NJ. Mr. Brothers is married to Arlene Brothers and has two young children, Maxwell and Nina and live in Bloomfield, NJ.

Don Crocker, Executive Director/CEO         

Ext: 306  Email: DC@supportcenteronline.org

Contact Don if you are a grantmaker, client, or media representative to learn more about the Support Center's programs and services or sector-wide nonprofit leadership issues.

Don brings more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors to his work and is nationally recognized as a high-energy trainer and consultant in the areas of grants and funding development, developing effective boards, and nonprofit leadership. He has raised millions of dollars for nonprofit organizations and has held numerous positions in organizations in the tri-state area, including roles as Board Member, Director of Research & Development, President, and CEO. Don has been an associate consultant to BoardSource, and is a trained facilitator of the BoardSource self-assessment process. Don has served on the selection committee for the New York Times Nonprofit Excellence Awards. He holds a BA in Psychology and an MS in Leadership and Strategic Management and is an adjunct professor of graduate studies at Manhattanville College and at NYU's Heyman Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising.

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

Steve Damiano, Director of Professional Development

Direct Line: 917-522-8302  Email: SDamiano@supportcenteronline.org

Contact Steve about Customized Training, to become a volunteer facilitator or grantmaker panelists.

For the last five years Steve has coordinated skill building workshops and events for nonprofit professionals in New York and Los Angeles. In addition, he has more than 10 years of experience training and consulting in volunteer management and special events and more than seven years of experience as the managing editor of various business publications covering marketing, advertising and radio/television.

Andrea Dispenza, Training Coordinator / Marketing Manager

Direct Line: 917-522-8321  Email: andrea@supportcenteronline.org

Contact Andrea for more detailed information related to workshop and Meet the Grantmakers registrations, certificate programs and marketing.

Andrea served as an AmeriCorps*VISTA with the NYC Coalition Against Hunger (NYCCAH) as the Special Events Coordinator where she enhanced NYCCAH’s service capacity and gained extensive experience in fundraising, event planning, and community organizing.

Andrea is a graduate of West Virginia University with a B.A. in Communications Studies and a minor in Professional Writing and Editing. She is a mentor at St. Jude Super Saturday’s Mentoring Program, an avid soccer player and participated in Woodhull Institute Young Women’s Ethical Leadership Retreat.

Harriet Joynes, Chief Operating Officer

Direct Line: 917-522-8310  Email: HJoynes@supportcenteronline.org

Contact Harriet for any financial or operational question, communications and general questions.

Harriet brings over 18 years of experience in small business management together with a sustained interest in the areas of nonprofit housing and microenterpise. She successfully started, ran, and sold a gift basket business in New York City from 1983 to 2001, which is proving a great training ground for managing the finances and administration of a nonprofit. Harriet graduated from Fordham University with a BA in Political Science in 2001

Harriet moved to New York from London in 1980. She worked in West London as a city social worker, then moving into the homeless and public housing arena. She was housing development manager for the Notting Hill Housing Trust from 1976 – 1980 buying and converting private housing to the public housing sector.

As Chief Operating Officer at the Support Center, Harriet is responsible for all internal operations including finances, administation, human resources, program operations, communications and technology. It is our goal that the Support Center practice what we teach: in our operations, accountability and governance and to be an expert resource to other nonprofits seeking knowledge and expertise.

Sandra Levine, Development Associate

Direct Line: 917-522-8309  Email: SLevine@supportcenteronline.org

Sandra brings over ten years of program development and technical assistance management experience in the nonprofit sector to her position as Director of Programs. Prior to working with the Support Center, she has served as Director of Training for the Practitioners Institute of Harlem Children's Zone, as an Human Resources Instructor at Baruch College and with Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies as Director of their Center for Professional Development. Sandra received a BA in Psychology from University of Michigan, an MS in Social Work from Columbia University and her MBA from Baruch College, CUNY.

Gilles Mesrobian, Senior Fellow

Direct Line: 917-522-8314  Email:  gmesrobian@supportcenteronline.org

Mr. Mesrobian has over 17 years as an Executive Director in the non-profit sector. Most recently, he completed Interim Executive assignments at the Reeves-Reed Arboretum, the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York and Abraham House. His consulting experience covers a broad range of organizational work in the non profit sector, including executive leadership transition, organizational restructuring, mission change, search, development, as well as addressing structural deficits. Gilles studied economics at the University of Toronto and has his Master’s of Science degree in Communication Theory from Boston University’s College of Communications.

Taishim Montoya, Operations Associate

Direct Line: 917-522-8300  Email: Tai@supportcenteronline.org

Contact Tai for general information, Room Rental questions and resource questions.

Tai graduated of Barnard College where she received her BA in Urban Studies. She has worked and volunteered for a number of nonprofit organizations, including a service learning project with an architectural firm in New Orleans to determine the sustainability of commercial sites and residencies after Hurricane Katrina. Tai's interest in the community resources of New York City makes her a great addition to the Support Center staff.

Barbara Rambo, Senior Associate

Barbara provides support and guidance to foundations, nonprofit organizations, individuals and communities on matters related to philanthropy. Previously, she served for six years as President of the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers (CNJG). Barbara has more than ten years of experience as a corporate grantmaker and community development manager in the banking industry. Actively involved in New Jersey's communities, Barbara serves on the senior advisory council for the New Jersey Foundation for Aging. She is a trustee of the Princeton Area Community Foundation and Chairs their discretionary grants committee.

Pat Richter, Interim Director of Consulting

Direct Line: 917-522-6744  Email: Pat@supportcenteronline.org

Contact Pat about Consulting and Turnaround Services, Coaching, and Executive Search and Transition Management Services.

Pat has over 20 years of experience with nonprofits and foundations both large and small. Fields of expertise include health, developmental disabilities, and domestic and substance abuse. As a consultant working with a national firm, and freelancing for the last seven years, she has helped her clients in the areas of proposal writing, strategic planning, and research. She has a Master's in Public Administration from Pace University and has completed advanced coursework in alcoholism studies from Rutgers University.

Calvin Thomas, New Jersey Training Coordinator

Email: CBTJr1@aol.com

Contact Calvin to become a volunteer facilitator in New Jersey.

Calvin is a native and resident of Trenton and is a certified Master Teacher Trainer with the Princeton Center for Leadership Training. Calvin is a former adjunct faculty member with the State of New Jersey Department of Personnel's Human Resource Development Institute. He has developed a Community Partners for Youth model and works with a community stakeholders group of more than 100 non-profit social service agencies in Trenton and the neighboring communities. He has trained hundreds of parents across the state to organize, lead, and facilitate parent support group meetings in their neighborhoods.