Meet Our Workshop Speakers
Carol Ayars loves to share her passion of working with volunteers. She understands what volunteers want because she is a volunteer herself with her church and the Girl Scouts. She is happily married to her college sweetheart and is the mother of 3 grown children.
Sarah Bradbury is the Restorative Practice Coordinator for East St. Louis School District #189. Sarah has held numerous trainings for school staff and community partner organizations on Restorative Practices. Sarah is also the project manager for the AmeriCorps program within the school district and conducts professional development sessions and team building activities for AmeriCorps Members.
Rebecca Brewer is a life-long student, life adventure, baker/foodie, writer/blogger, and perpetual creator. Next Level Non-Profits, is her suite of services designed to help non-profits deepen the impact to the communities they serve by providing targeted workshop facilitation, coaching, and consulting. Her professional background includes almost fifteen years of work with non-profits in various capacities from volunteer to director positions. She has twenty years’ experience speaking, facilitating, training, and teaching groups of all ages, backgrounds, and professional levels. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Rollins University and a Master’s degree in Management and Leadership from Webster University.
Josh Chartier is the Director of Guest and Volunteer Services at Naper Settlement where he oversees guest services, membership, rentals, interns, retail, IT, and a 1200 person volunteer corps. Josh has over 12 years of museum experience, most notably at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. Josh's experience includes the start-up of volunteer programs, management of large-scale events, implementing and updating database software, cultivating sponsors and other partners, and putting out fires on most days. Originally from the NYC area, Josh has worked in historic homes, children's museum, and history and science museums in New York, Connecticut, North Carolina, Washington, DC, and Illinois. He holds a Master’s in Museum sSudies from Johns Hopkins University and is the board vice president of the DuPage Association of Volunteer Administrators.
Robb Cleave is the Volunteer Coordinator for the Forest Preserve District of Kane County (FPDKC) and has been volunteering and working with volunteers for over a decade. Robb has a BA in Sociology from Eastern Illinois University and a MBA in International Business and MHRM from Keller Graduate School. Robb manages approximately700 formal volunteers in over 30 positions who generated over 15,000 service hours for the FPDKC in 2017.
Linda Dean is a 30+ year veteran of the YMCA of Metro Chicago serving in a variety of management roles, including Program Director, Training Director, Operations Director and since 2001 has been serving as their Director of Volunteerism. In all of these capacities she has worked volunteers/ She is a member of the Steering Committee of Giving DuPsge and a Betty Stallings 55-Minute Training Series Trainer. In 2016, the DuPage Association for Volunteer Administration recognized her with their Spirit of Volunteerism Award.
Chris Einolf, PhD, is a social scientist who studies volunteering. He is the Director of the Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies at Northern Illinois University.
April Garrett currently heads up Volunteer and Outreach Services at the Chicago Debate Commission. Garrett has 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector mainly focusing on volunteer administration and has worked for several local social service organizations from working with seniors services to LGBTQ health services and working with homeless. Garrett is currently working on obtaining her Certification in Volunteer Administration.
Julie Gilmartin, the Director of Volunteer Services, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana/Groupon, enjoys people and considers herself fortunate to have turned that into a career that focuses on girl leadership and empowering young women. Julie interacts with Girl Scouts on occasion, but spends the majority of her time networking and recruiting adults to work with Girl Scouts. “Naturally active, my job keeps me busy in various offices, networking in the community and interacting with people of all ages”, writes Julie.
Jorge Hernandez is a recovering introvert, who speaks with people for a living. Curious by nature, he enjoys learning about others. He considers himself an aspiring connoisseur of podcasts, current likes include Hidden Brain, Invisibilia and Tiny Desk Concerts. As an evangelist of design thought, Jorge infuses Moonlight's game-based workshops with protocols for problem solving, to empower and unleash the full potential of today's Entrepreneur of Service. Jorge's academic and professional efforts have always been in service to others - the School of International Service, Team Rubicon and the United States Army. Jorge enjoys cooking, CrossFit, and non-fiction audiobooks.
Cynthia Jones is the Manager of Charitable Contributions at W.W. Grainger, Inc. Cynthia “CJ” Jones has 20-plus years of experience in the field of corporate citizenship, including her current role at Grainger where she manages the company’s Charitable Contributions program and key philanthropic partnerships. Since joining Grainger in 2013, CJ launched the company’s first volunteer guidelines and toolkit, as well as Business Resource Group Community Fund. She also manages the company’s executive board placement program, vendor relationship for the charitable giving platform and company volunteer program. Prior to Grainger, CJ spent 28 years with Kraft Foods and Mondelez International where she managed and led the planning for the companies’ award-winning global week and month of service, respectively. The program received the Points of Lights Civic 50 and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Corporate Citizenship awards. She also launched and re-launched the companies’ first global volunteer management system and volunteer toolkit and volunteer award.
Alicia Koch is the Global Program Manager Social Responsibility for Groupon Alicia is an emerging leader in corporate social responsibility and global volunteer management, event planning and production, leadership training and development and non-profit advancement who utilizes creativity, leadership, and teamwork to execute impactful programs. She is an effective communicator and resourceful innovator, with the ability to create a passionate atmosphere and stimulating environment for individuals and groups for those giving and those benefiting.
Lydia Krupinski is the Director of Community Programs at Chicago’s oldest and most comprehensive animal shelter, The Anti-Cruelty Society. Leading the organization's volunteer, education, and outreach efforts, Lydia is increasing her team's capacity by engaging the community in new and innovative ways. With over 13 years of experience managing volunteer teams for Chicago non-profits, Lydia thrives in finding creative solutions to the industries trickiest problems. Whether it's creating a cheeky online training video, designing fun infographics, organizing one-time volunteer events, or leading workshops for volunteer management professionals, Lydia is passionate about sharing her insights with the hope of inspiring others to look at their volunteer programming with a fresh perspective.
Tara Laffey is a Community Programs Specialist at The Anti-Cruelty Society where she works to engage the community through public volunteer programs. Whether scheduling a Girl Scout troop for an event, coordinating corporate volunteer experiences, training bottle baby fosters, or supporting virtual volunteers, Tara is activating the Society’s mission beyond the walls of the shelter. Tara is a passionate animal advocate and has been helping pets for over a decade. While she’s not juggling newborn kittens, Tara enjoys watching movies, sampling new restaurant fare, and walking her pack of misfit Chihuahuas.
Chris Linnell recently retired from the Brookfield Zoo after working with volunteers for eleven at the Zoo’s Discovery Center. Prior to that, she served as the Volunteer Services Supervisor for twenty years with the DuPage County Forest Preserve District. In 2016 the DuPage Association for Volunteer Administration recognized her with their Spirit of Volunteerism Award and In 2017 she erved on the National Element Team of the National Summit on Volunteer Engagement. She is a member of the Steering Committee of Giving DuPage and a Betty Stallings 55-Minute Training Series Trainer.
Michaela McGill is the Director of Workforce and Corporate Partnerships at One Million Degrees (OMD) where she leads the design and implementation of their career advancement strategy, working to build and develop partnerships with companies and organizations to create employment opportunities for OMD Scholars and Alumni. Michaela also oversees OMD’s volunteer and alumni programs, working with volunteers, corporate partners, program partners and scholar alumni. Prior to OMD, she worked with Internews, an international development organization in Washington, D.C. Michaela has a Bachelor of Arts in Public Communications from American University, and is currently a part-time MBA student at University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Anne O’Dell has been in volunteer management for over 19 years and is currently the Executive Director of H.O.M.E DuPage, Inc. She understands the importance of Volunteer Managers being recognized by Upper Management and how that position can be a thankless job at times. Anne has a Bachelor of Science from University Wisconsin Madison in Business Administration, and has recently received a certification in Non-Profit Leadership, Philanthropy and CFRE from Northwestern University.
Samantha Rivera Miller has been the Volunteer Services Specialist at the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County for the past 5 years. In December of 2016, she earned her SHRM-CP (Society for Human Resources Management Certified Professional) certificate to help further her skills in working with volunteers.
Jason Robinson is a business professional who enjoys helping non-profits, sports organizations, and small businesses realize their vision through strategic planning, financial analysis, and target marketing. Jason believes that changing the world for good begins with helping others. In that spirit, he has worked and volunteered at a variety of organizations sharing that mission including the Orlando Magic, American Red Cross, Hope for Stanley, and Bellevue Baptist Church. He received his MBA and Master of Sports Business Management degree at the University of Central Florida and his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Florida A&M University.
Kate Solis Silva brings a decade of both corporate and nonprofit experience to her Career and Personal Development Coaching. Focused on providing holistic professional strategies for mission-driven professionals and those seeking to transition into more meaningful work, she empowers her clients to know themselves to know their best careers. Kate is an iPEC Certified Professional Coach and Energy Leadership Master Practitioner, a member of the International Coach Federation and the National Career Development Association, a Transitions Committee Member with the Chicago HR Mastermind, and an active Volunteer Coach with the Career Transition Center of Chicago. A strong advocate for Mentorship, she has co-chaired the Professional Women’s Club of Chicago’s Mentorship Committee for the past two years. In addition to being a life-long volunteer, Kate’s professional nonprofit background includes internships at the Cascade AIDS Project and the Michigan Region Red Cross. She is a LISC AmeriCorps Alumni, serving in Southwest Detroit with Urban Neighborhood Initiatives from 2011-2012. In Chicago, Kate worked with Chicago Lights for five years, most recently serving as the organization’s Associate Director of Development. She has served as an Advisory Board Member for the Chicago Charity Challenge and a volunteer with Upwardly Global. Kate is a Chicago Women in Philanthropy member and in2017 received the Judith O’Connor Memorial Scholarship to attend the BoardSource Leadership Forum..
Alison Tibbits is the National Director of Volunteer Programs at the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), where she oversees the nationwide volunteer program and strategy. At MDA, she is responsible for creating a culture of high impact volunteerism and developing a volunteer infrastructure to engage and empower volunteers in a manner that brings value and adds meaning to the individual volunteer. With nearly 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, she has dedicated her career to building innovative volunteer programs, launching and championing multi-million dollar fundraising platforms, and building dynamic teams of leaders.
Carol Ayars loves to share her passion of working with volunteers. She understands what volunteers want because she is a volunteer herself with her church and the Girl Scouts. She is happily married to her college sweetheart and is the mother of 3 grown children.
Sarah Bradbury is the Restorative Practice Coordinator for East St. Louis School District #189. Sarah has held numerous trainings for school staff and community partner organizations on Restorative Practices. Sarah is also the project manager for the AmeriCorps program within the school district and conducts professional development sessions and team building activities for AmeriCorps Members.
Rebecca Brewer is a life-long student, life adventure, baker/foodie, writer/blogger, and perpetual creator. Next Level Non-Profits, is her suite of services designed to help non-profits deepen the impact to the communities they serve by providing targeted workshop facilitation, coaching, and consulting. Her professional background includes almost fifteen years of work with non-profits in various capacities from volunteer to director positions. She has twenty years’ experience speaking, facilitating, training, and teaching groups of all ages, backgrounds, and professional levels. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Rollins University and a Master’s degree in Management and Leadership from Webster University.
Josh Chartier is the Director of Guest and Volunteer Services at Naper Settlement where he oversees guest services, membership, rentals, interns, retail, IT, and a 1200 person volunteer corps. Josh has over 12 years of museum experience, most notably at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. Josh's experience includes the start-up of volunteer programs, management of large-scale events, implementing and updating database software, cultivating sponsors and other partners, and putting out fires on most days. Originally from the NYC area, Josh has worked in historic homes, children's museum, and history and science museums in New York, Connecticut, North Carolina, Washington, DC, and Illinois. He holds a Master’s in Museum sSudies from Johns Hopkins University and is the board vice president of the DuPage Association of Volunteer Administrators.
Robb Cleave is the Volunteer Coordinator for the Forest Preserve District of Kane County (FPDKC) and has been volunteering and working with volunteers for over a decade. Robb has a BA in Sociology from Eastern Illinois University and a MBA in International Business and MHRM from Keller Graduate School. Robb manages approximately700 formal volunteers in over 30 positions who generated over 15,000 service hours for the FPDKC in 2017.
Linda Dean is a 30+ year veteran of the YMCA of Metro Chicago serving in a variety of management roles, including Program Director, Training Director, Operations Director and since 2001 has been serving as their Director of Volunteerism. In all of these capacities she has worked volunteers/ She is a member of the Steering Committee of Giving DuPsge and a Betty Stallings 55-Minute Training Series Trainer. In 2016, the DuPage Association for Volunteer Administration recognized her with their Spirit of Volunteerism Award.
Chris Einolf, PhD, is a social scientist who studies volunteering. He is the Director of the Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies at Northern Illinois University.
April Garrett currently heads up Volunteer and Outreach Services at the Chicago Debate Commission. Garrett has 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector mainly focusing on volunteer administration and has worked for several local social service organizations from working with seniors services to LGBTQ health services and working with homeless. Garrett is currently working on obtaining her Certification in Volunteer Administration.
Julie Gilmartin, the Director of Volunteer Services, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana/Groupon, enjoys people and considers herself fortunate to have turned that into a career that focuses on girl leadership and empowering young women. Julie interacts with Girl Scouts on occasion, but spends the majority of her time networking and recruiting adults to work with Girl Scouts. “Naturally active, my job keeps me busy in various offices, networking in the community and interacting with people of all ages”, writes Julie.
Jorge Hernandez is a recovering introvert, who speaks with people for a living. Curious by nature, he enjoys learning about others. He considers himself an aspiring connoisseur of podcasts, current likes include Hidden Brain, Invisibilia and Tiny Desk Concerts. As an evangelist of design thought, Jorge infuses Moonlight's game-based workshops with protocols for problem solving, to empower and unleash the full potential of today's Entrepreneur of Service. Jorge's academic and professional efforts have always been in service to others - the School of International Service, Team Rubicon and the United States Army. Jorge enjoys cooking, CrossFit, and non-fiction audiobooks.
Cynthia Jones is the Manager of Charitable Contributions at W.W. Grainger, Inc. Cynthia “CJ” Jones has 20-plus years of experience in the field of corporate citizenship, including her current role at Grainger where she manages the company’s Charitable Contributions program and key philanthropic partnerships. Since joining Grainger in 2013, CJ launched the company’s first volunteer guidelines and toolkit, as well as Business Resource Group Community Fund. She also manages the company’s executive board placement program, vendor relationship for the charitable giving platform and company volunteer program. Prior to Grainger, CJ spent 28 years with Kraft Foods and Mondelez International where she managed and led the planning for the companies’ award-winning global week and month of service, respectively. The program received the Points of Lights Civic 50 and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Corporate Citizenship awards. She also launched and re-launched the companies’ first global volunteer management system and volunteer toolkit and volunteer award.
Alicia Koch is the Global Program Manager Social Responsibility for Groupon Alicia is an emerging leader in corporate social responsibility and global volunteer management, event planning and production, leadership training and development and non-profit advancement who utilizes creativity, leadership, and teamwork to execute impactful programs. She is an effective communicator and resourceful innovator, with the ability to create a passionate atmosphere and stimulating environment for individuals and groups for those giving and those benefiting.
Lydia Krupinski is the Director of Community Programs at Chicago’s oldest and most comprehensive animal shelter, The Anti-Cruelty Society. Leading the organization's volunteer, education, and outreach efforts, Lydia is increasing her team's capacity by engaging the community in new and innovative ways. With over 13 years of experience managing volunteer teams for Chicago non-profits, Lydia thrives in finding creative solutions to the industries trickiest problems. Whether it's creating a cheeky online training video, designing fun infographics, organizing one-time volunteer events, or leading workshops for volunteer management professionals, Lydia is passionate about sharing her insights with the hope of inspiring others to look at their volunteer programming with a fresh perspective.
Tara Laffey is a Community Programs Specialist at The Anti-Cruelty Society where she works to engage the community through public volunteer programs. Whether scheduling a Girl Scout troop for an event, coordinating corporate volunteer experiences, training bottle baby fosters, or supporting virtual volunteers, Tara is activating the Society’s mission beyond the walls of the shelter. Tara is a passionate animal advocate and has been helping pets for over a decade. While she’s not juggling newborn kittens, Tara enjoys watching movies, sampling new restaurant fare, and walking her pack of misfit Chihuahuas.
Chris Linnell recently retired from the Brookfield Zoo after working with volunteers for eleven at the Zoo’s Discovery Center. Prior to that, she served as the Volunteer Services Supervisor for twenty years with the DuPage County Forest Preserve District. In 2016 the DuPage Association for Volunteer Administration recognized her with their Spirit of Volunteerism Award and In 2017 she erved on the National Element Team of the National Summit on Volunteer Engagement. She is a member of the Steering Committee of Giving DuPage and a Betty Stallings 55-Minute Training Series Trainer.
Michaela McGill is the Director of Workforce and Corporate Partnerships at One Million Degrees (OMD) where she leads the design and implementation of their career advancement strategy, working to build and develop partnerships with companies and organizations to create employment opportunities for OMD Scholars and Alumni. Michaela also oversees OMD’s volunteer and alumni programs, working with volunteers, corporate partners, program partners and scholar alumni. Prior to OMD, she worked with Internews, an international development organization in Washington, D.C. Michaela has a Bachelor of Arts in Public Communications from American University, and is currently a part-time MBA student at University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Anne O’Dell has been in volunteer management for over 19 years and is currently the Executive Director of H.O.M.E DuPage, Inc. She understands the importance of Volunteer Managers being recognized by Upper Management and how that position can be a thankless job at times. Anne has a Bachelor of Science from University Wisconsin Madison in Business Administration, and has recently received a certification in Non-Profit Leadership, Philanthropy and CFRE from Northwestern University.
Samantha Rivera Miller has been the Volunteer Services Specialist at the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County for the past 5 years. In December of 2016, she earned her SHRM-CP (Society for Human Resources Management Certified Professional) certificate to help further her skills in working with volunteers.
Jason Robinson is a business professional who enjoys helping non-profits, sports organizations, and small businesses realize their vision through strategic planning, financial analysis, and target marketing. Jason believes that changing the world for good begins with helping others. In that spirit, he has worked and volunteered at a variety of organizations sharing that mission including the Orlando Magic, American Red Cross, Hope for Stanley, and Bellevue Baptist Church. He received his MBA and Master of Sports Business Management degree at the University of Central Florida and his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Florida A&M University.
Kate Solis Silva brings a decade of both corporate and nonprofit experience to her Career and Personal Development Coaching. Focused on providing holistic professional strategies for mission-driven professionals and those seeking to transition into more meaningful work, she empowers her clients to know themselves to know their best careers. Kate is an iPEC Certified Professional Coach and Energy Leadership Master Practitioner, a member of the International Coach Federation and the National Career Development Association, a Transitions Committee Member with the Chicago HR Mastermind, and an active Volunteer Coach with the Career Transition Center of Chicago. A strong advocate for Mentorship, she has co-chaired the Professional Women’s Club of Chicago’s Mentorship Committee for the past two years. In addition to being a life-long volunteer, Kate’s professional nonprofit background includes internships at the Cascade AIDS Project and the Michigan Region Red Cross. She is a LISC AmeriCorps Alumni, serving in Southwest Detroit with Urban Neighborhood Initiatives from 2011-2012. In Chicago, Kate worked with Chicago Lights for five years, most recently serving as the organization’s Associate Director of Development. She has served as an Advisory Board Member for the Chicago Charity Challenge and a volunteer with Upwardly Global. Kate is a Chicago Women in Philanthropy member and in2017 received the Judith O’Connor Memorial Scholarship to attend the BoardSource Leadership Forum..
Alison Tibbits is the National Director of Volunteer Programs at the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), where she oversees the nationwide volunteer program and strategy. At MDA, she is responsible for creating a culture of high impact volunteerism and developing a volunteer infrastructure to engage and empower volunteers in a manner that brings value and adds meaning to the individual volunteer. With nearly 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, she has dedicated her career to building innovative volunteer programs, launching and championing multi-million dollar fundraising platforms, and building dynamic teams of leaders.