Sylvia Acosta | Mason Alexander-Hawk | Bill Bartolini
Duchess D. Humphrey | Carme Williams | Terri Broussard Williams
Sylvia Acosta, Ph.D.
Building the Culture and Systems for Fundraising Success
Sylvia Y. Acosta, Ph.D. currently serves as the CEO of one of the largest YWCAs in the nation. At the YWCA El Paso Del Norte she oversees a budget of over 37 million dollars with over 400 employees. Through her leadership she has increased revenues from both the public and private sectors. She has strengthened the social entrepreneurship programing focused on services that empower women, children and families.
Dr. Acosta has over three decades of professional experience serving in executive university leadership positions at universities in California, Texas and New Mexico. She has led numerous fundraising campaigns including a 1-billion-dollar campaign at the University of California, Irvine. Her experience in nonprofits includes serving as one of the first and youngest President/CEO of a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in the United States, serving as COO of a national early childhood education program and leading various nonprofits focused on improving the lives of women, families and children. Dr. Acosta has vast experience in legislative and policy development at the local, state and national level.
Given her work at universities and nonprofit organizations, her expertise includes topics focused on fundraising campaigns, LatinX communities, US/Mexico Border issues, early childhood education, out of school time, teen leadership, domestic violence, women’s empowerment, racial justice, social justice, social entrepreneurship, business development, and 0-16 educational pipelines.
Dr. Acosta holds a Ph.D. from New Mexico State University where she studied higher education administration and leadership. Dr. Acosta holds a Masters of Arts degree from St. Mary’s University in political science with emphasis on national security. Her Bachelor of Arts degree is in political science from the University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Acosta is an active member of various civic and professional organizations and currently serves on various boards. She is the proud daughter of migrant workers and considers herself an example of the American Dream. Dr. Acosta is a first generation college graduate. She is married to Joe Graham, Ph.D. and has two children.
Mason Alexander-Hawk
Social and Racial Justice: Leading Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within Public Service Organizations
Mason Alexander-Hawk is a first year PhD student in the Urban and Regional Science program. In May of 2020, she received a Master of Public Service and Administration degree from the Bush School of Government and Public Service. Her area of interest is nonprofit management with a focus in urban development and sustainability, particularly how to build capacity within marginalized communities through equitable planning practices. Before coming to the Bush School, she worked for two years at a local nonprofit in Portland, OR, that used mentorship to build relationships with youth facing barriers. During summer 2019, Mason served as a Hatfield Fellow at Metro, Portland’s Regional Government Agency. Her project for the summer was to work with a team of content strategists, editors, and community engagement experts to create a style guide for inclusive content. The objective of this project was to help ensure that the words on Metro’s family of websites, social media channels, materials, ads, and signs are welcoming to all people—particularly communities of color and other historically marginalized groups. Her current research focus is on nonprofits’ role in long-term disaster recovery and how they can better serve marginalized communities, who are disproportionately impacted by disasters. After completing the PhD program, she hopes to work as a consultant for both government agencies and nonprofits to promote more equitable disaster recovery policies and programs.
Bill Bartolini, Ph.D., ACFRE
Leadership Roles in Fundraising | Making the Ask
Bill Bartolini, Ph.D., ACFRE, is a well-known mentor, coach, educator, and counselor to those who raise philanthropic support. He is an Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive – or ACFRE – AFP’s certification signifying an advanced level of leadership and management expertise. AFP has also certified him as a Master Fundraising Teacher. For several years, he was an adjunct professor at Columbia University, teaching “Major Gifts” as part of their Masters Degree in Fundraising and Non-Profit Management.
Bill was president of the AFP Chapter in Cleveland and served on the AFP Global Board for 6 years, two of them as Vice Chair for Professional Advancement. He has also served on the AFP Foundation and continues to volunteer for them.
Bill recently retired as Senior Philanthropic Advisor, Principal Giving, at Ohio State University (OSU), after 39 years in the profession and 5 years at OSU.
Over those 39 years, Bill worked at The George Washington University, Northeastern University in Boston, Kent State University, the University of Illinois, Ball State University and a smattering of social service agencies.
Bill received his undergraduate degree from Ball State University, his masters degree from Indiana University, and his Ph.D. from Kent State University, where his dissertation was Prospective Donors’ Cognitive and Emotive Processing of Charitable Requests – or “What do People Think and Feel when You Ask them for Money.”
In 2020, Bill was named the AFP Central Ohio Fundraising Professional of the Year, an award he also received from the AFP Greater Cleveland Chapter in 2002. Several years ago, AFP Global gave Bill the prestigious Founders Medallion.
Dr. Duchess D. Humphrey
Introduction to Cultural Competency in Nonprofit Management
Dr. Duchess D. Humphrey is Program Evaluator for the Tarrant County Administrator’s Office. She holds a doctorate in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management from the University of North Texas at Denton (UNT) and a Master of Urban Affairs from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Duchess’ primary research and scholarship focuses on Public and Nonprofit Governance and Culturally Competent Leadership. She has served as an adjunct professor at UNT and as a subject matter expert at the Texas A& M Bush School of Government and Public Service.
In addition to her role as a pracademic, Duchess has actively served on a variety of nonprofit boards including Arlington Proud, For the Love of the Lake, and the Tarrant County American Association of University Women. She has also served on the United Way of Tarrant County Public Policy Committee, United Way of Tarrant County Health Council, United Way Tarrant County Grants Review Committee, and the African American Museum of Dallas Gala Planning Committee. Art and matters of social equity are her passion and avocation.
Carme Williams
Fundraising Leadership
Carme Williams is the President and CEO of WilliamsCL Consulting, LLC., and is a Senior Consultant with Washburn & McGoldrick, LLC. Carme has been a leader in the corporate and nonprofit community for almost three decades.
Carme has been in higher education advancement work at Rice University, Houston Community College Foundation, and Prairie View A&M University. Carme was at Rice University as a Regional Major Gifts Director of Development and School of Humanities Director of Development during the $1 billion Centennial Campaign. Carme managed three Advisory Boards and helped create collateral material for the School of Humanities funding priorities.
During her time at Houston Community College Foundation, Carme secured a historic gift of $7.5 million for a new Fire Fighter Academy, increased the number of scholarships awarded three-fold and restructured the foundation, increasing the endowment by 20%. Under her leadership, the board of directors developed an intentional focus on securing resources for the Chancellor’s priorities.
In 2018, Carme became the Vice President of Development for Prairie View A&M University, where she reorganized to create a university fundraising plan and stewardship plan, which all yielded annual 30% to 48% increases in philanthropic support.
Carme is also experienced in alumni relations, donor relations, principal and major gift and stewardship programs, dean development, board development, and communications.
Carme received a bachelor’s degree in business management from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC, and earned her Certified Fundraising Executive Certificate in 2009. Carme currently serves on the North Carolina State Steering Committee for Wolfpack Women in Philanthropy, chairing the Philanthropy Committee. Carme is an ALF Senior Fellow, a board member of the Greater Houston Black Chamber of Commerce, Houston Public Library Foundation, African American Development Officers, and is on the faculty at the Rice University Center for Nonprofit Leadership.
Terri Broussard Williams
Social Justice Policy + Partnerships for Social Change
Throughout her journey as an award-winning nonprofit executive, lobbyist, and public speaker, Terri Broussard Williams transformed public and community service into a professional art form, positively impacting millions of lives. Her twenty-year career as a government relations executive afforded her opportunities to create significant community-shifting outcomes, including the Louisiana Smoke-Free Air Act. She is one of Austin Business Journal’s Most Influential Women in Central Texas and a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Nonprofit Leadership Program, where she delivered an authentic, inspirational presentation as the student commencement speaker and won the Excellence in Social Impact Award. She brings an unwavering commitment to creating meaningful, ground-breaking, and systemic change, turning moments into transformative movements. She is the author of Find Your Fire, a #1 Amazon New Release, #1 Amazon Best Seller for Women in Politics, and #6 Cosmopolitan Best Non-Fiction Books of 2020.
