Join our special panel of nonprofit organizational leaders who have been on the journey and grown their organizations to a mature stage. They will discuss how to successfully steer your organization through the organizational life cycle—starting from the point of developing your strategic direction, recruiting and onboarding the right board members, and putting programs and processes into place with the right amount of structure, to getting to a more mature stage where you have staff, and the board has moved from being a hands-on board to one that is focused on governing.
Hear about some of the challenges, growing pains, and strategies that have worked for these leaders and their organizations and those that haven’t. You will have the opportunity to share the lessons you’ve been learning along the way.
Join us on April 18th via Zoom from 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM. Bring questions to this session and help provide some of the answers to others who are on a similar nonprofit journey.
Please select the ‘Registration’ button above to receive the Zoom link.
About Our Speakers
Michael Brasher(he/him) has a career working in the fields of gender justice, conflict and peace-making, and organizational leadership. After completing his master’s degree in transnational anti-violence strategies, he transitioned to a Domestic Violence organization in Arizona, where he helped to build an innovative prevention program aimed at organizing men to end Gender-Based Violence.
Michael then became the CEO of Boys to Men Tucson, where for four years, he transformed the scope and stakes of their mission, scaling novel solutions to the problems associated with intergenerational masculinity.
Now as a Leadership Coach and Consultant, Michael continues to provide leadership with the HIM Initiative, while supporting individuals and organizations who are looking to increase their impact and effectiveness in their fields. He is currently completing a Ph.D. in Political Geography at the University of Arizona that focuses on masculinity, social change, and violence prevention.
Daniela Diamente believes in the capacity of all people, especially youth, to be healthy, engaged, and good people. She has a Master’s in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Arizona with a focus on youth development and education. She helped to build up the education program at BICAS (a bicycle recycling center) and launch Cyclovia Tucson for its first two inaugural events, initiating her experience with grassroots non-profit work. She co-founded the non-profit El Grupo (with a mission to empower youth through bicycles) with her husband Ignacio – who re-introduced her to the bicycle and the worlds that it opens. Together, they grew it from a handful of kids on their back porch to a well-established mid-size non-profit with over a dozen staff. She stepped down after 15 years as the Executive Director in 2019 and completed a yearlong bicycle trip with her family. Back in Tucson, she took over as Interim and is now full ED of Beyond Foundation – a non-profit in its 10th year, helping it along its growth journey. She likes to inspire movement, confidence, and leadership in others. She loves to ride bikes and move in every way she can, especially with her 13-year-old son.
Valerie D. Pullara has over 47 years of experience assisting non-profit start-ups, reorganizations, and growth management. Her expertise includes contract negotiations, grant writing, and budget management, with extensive experience in managing multiple programs and businesses utilizing a variety of funding sources such as grants, fee for service, government contracts, and commercial contracts.
Valerie previously served at City Management, the American Red Cross as Chapter Executive Director, and has spent 8 years in senior management Beacon Group, to name a few. Throughout her professional career, she has supported an important cause – providing opportunities for people with disabilities throughout Tucson and Phoenix. Valerie currently serves as the Executive Director for Sol Dog Lodge and Training Center, a non-profit that is support organization for the community to keep dogs with the families who love them. Sol Dog does this through training, boarding grooming, dog respite care, and service/ESA dog training.
Carolina Silva is the Executive Director of ScholarshipsA-Z. Her work is situated at the intersection of education, immigration, and equity. She received her Ph.D. in Education at Washington State University. Prior to joining ScholarshipsA-Z, Carolina was a Congressional Fellow with the Education and Labor Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. Carolina is dedicated to building the power of immigrant youth in the non-profit sector. In her spare time, Carolina enjoys reading, cooking, and exploring the Tucson landscape.