What I’ve learned along the way

Good ideas are everywhere. And the people closest to a community or an organization often understand better than anyone what’s needed.

Sometimes what helps most isn’t another person coming in with the answer. It’s someone who can listen, ask the right questions, bring people together, and offer practical tools and perspective to create a clear path from idea to action.

That belief has shaped the way I work. I want to understand what’s already working, where there are opportunities to build, help create momentum, then work alongside the people doing the work to find a practical path forward.

Why Warm River?

Warm River Consulting is named for a place close to home, a river known for its crystal-clear water and the remarkable place where it begins.

I’ve always loved the idea of something beginning simply, gaining momentum, and becoming part of something larger. It’s also a pretty good reflection of the work I’ve been fortunate to do throughout my career—helping people strengthen good ideas, build connections, and turn possibility into something real and lasting.

Warm River Consulting grew from a desire to keep doing that work: supporting good people doing good work and bringing the experience I’ve gathered over the years to the table when it can be useful.

I’ve spent more than three decades working across the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors as a nonprofit leader, fundraiser, foundation program officer, small-business owner and educator. That range of experience lets me see challenges from more than one side of the table.

• 30+ years in nonprofits and philanthropy, including nonprofit leadership, fundraising, major gifts, large scale capital campaigns, organizational planning, and private and foundation philanthropy.

• Master’s degree in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy

• Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management and a Certificate in Developing Major Gifts from Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy

• Graduate-level teaching experience at Boise State University, with coursework focused on nonprofit financial management, human resources, fundraising, donor relationships, and nonprofit leadership.

• Seven years with the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, developing new initiatives, overseeing large-scale philanthropic investments and working alongside nonprofit, education, and community leaders across Idaho.

• Decades of hands-on fundraising experience, from building donor relationships, establishing new fundraising programs, developing mid- and major-gift strategies, and leading and advising large capital campaigns.

• Semester-long National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) course, an experience that shaped my approach to leadership, teamwork, and problem solving.

Experience I bring to the table

A little more about me

My interest in nonprofits and philanthropy started long before it became my career. I was inspired by my grandmother, who had a wonderful way of helping things get off the ground. I saw early on the difference one person could make by believing in an idea and helping others rally around it. That example has stayed with me throughout my life and has shaped much of the work I’ve chosen to do.

I’m happiest when I’m outside, making something with my hands, or spending time with family and friends. I love the mountains and rivers of the West and have spent a good portion of my life outdoors. I love sewing, quilting, and tackling projects that involve learning something new. I live Idaho, where I’m fortunate to have wild places, small communities, and the Warm River close to home.