Zimmerman Lehman: Who We Are

Ann W. Lehman, Principal, Zimmerman Lehman, Board Governance Specialist and coach, has worked in the public interest arena for more than 30 years. She is the author of Board Members Rule: How to Be a Strategic Advocate for your Nonprofit and Boards That Love Fundraising. Ann received her B.A. from Rutgers University and JD form Northwestern School of Law in Portland, OR. Immediately after law school, Ann supervised a storefront public interest law center in Portland geared to senior citizens. She was the Executive Director of the progressive legal organization in New York City and the California Law Center on Long Term Care in San Francisco. Ann is the editor of ZimNotes, a nonprofit e-newsletter now in its 15th year of publication. Ann has taught workshops in such areas as board responsibilities and recruitment, board member advocacy, strategic planning, leadership, major donors, human rights, and gender analysis and budgeting. Ann also works for the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women directing policy on the human rights of women and girls. Ann launched the gender equality principles initiative (GEP), a workplace assessment for businesses and organizations with help from corporate and nonprofit partners such as Google, Levi Strauss & Co., Gap, Deloitte, Symantec, Catalyst and Center for Talent Leadership

TEAM MEMBERS

Judith Kunofsky, Grantwriting Specialist, has worked with nonprof Judy Kunofsky photo p its since 1974. As a senior staff member at the Sierra Club, Greenbelt Alliance and Yosemite Restoration Trust. Judy gained substantial experience writing grant proposals to foundations, corporations and government agencies. A consultant since 1998, Ms. Kunofsky works with arts, education, environmental, health, and social service clients to prepare well-written, compelling letters of inquiry and proposals that reflect the client's language, tone and emphasis. Judy has a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California at Los Angeles and has received leadership awards from six organizations.

Leyna Bernstein, Executive Recruiter, is a consultant specializing in the leadership needs of small and medium-sized nonprofits. She helps organizations assess their leadership needs, conducts searches for C-level executives, and provides in-depth board coaching and consulting. Leyna often works with organizations undergoing significant change, as in the transition of a founder, making a major shift in fundraising, or helping a board make a critical leap in its focus and performance. Leyna takes a holistic approach to her work, bringing an understanding of the whole organization, its culture and values, to each project. She offers her clients depth of expertise in nonprofit governance and management, combined with 25 years of recruiting experience. Prior to launching her own firm, Leyna served in leadership roles for three Bay Area nonprofit support centers, and spent a decade as a human resources executive in the business sector.

Wendy Constantine, Program Evaluator and Survey Researcher, has expertise in survey research as well as in a variety of other evaluation methodologies. She conducts studies in the public interest employing surveys, focus groups, and Wendy Constantine photo interviews. Her creative, multi-method studies yield practical information our clients use to improve services to families and communities. In addition to program evaluation, Wendy conducts needs assessments, research to support strategic planning and management consulting. Specialties include study design, questionnaire development, qualitative studies including focus group facilitation, data analyses, and report writing. Wendy enjoys teaming with other consultants and research organizations.

Susan Fox, CFRE has worked as an independent fundraising consultant to nonprofit organizations since 1980 and has held the designation of Certified Fund Raising Susan Fox photo Executive since 1995. She specializes in providing training for clients in major gifts, as well as annual fund, capital and planned giving campaigns. She also provides services in grant writing, appeal letter writing and general fundraising strategies. Susan frequently leads workshops on fundraising throughout the United States and Mexico. She has been an instructor at UC Berkeley Extension, the University of San Francisco and the University of Montana. She is a regular instructor at the Foundation Center and a trainer at CompassPoint Nonprofit Services. She is co-author of Grant Proposal Makeover: Transform Your Request from No to Yes, published in 2006 by Jossey-Bass.

Melissa A. Irish, MBA Philanthropic Counsel To Nonprofits, is a seasoned fundraising professional with 16 years experience raising private sector funds for Bay Area nonprofits. After a decade in senior fund development staff roles in health and human services, workforce development, and environmental organizations, she completed her Masters in Business Administration and established a consulting practice focusing on service to nonprofits. Melissa specializes in creating individual giving programs that yield results. She particularly excels in helping organizations build the capacity to raise major gifts through annual, endowment, capital and planned giving campaigns. Melissa earned her BS and MBA at San Francisco State University graduating with honors. Melissa is an experienced trainer having led workshops for The Foundation Center in San Francisco, The CBO Center in Oakland, and the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership in Marin. Workshop topics have included; "Moving Donors Up the Ladder -- a Guide to Moves Management," "Inspire, Motivate and Support Your Fundraising Volunteers," and "Dynamite Development Planning

John M. Knox, Public Relations and Marketing Communications Specialist, is a seasoned professional who has more than 20 years of experience with nonprofits and for-profit organizations. John worked at St. Mary's Hospital Medical Center in San Francisco for seven years, where he served as Director of Public Relations. F John Knox photo ollowing St. Mary's, he was an account supervisor in the San Francisco office of Burson-Marsteller. His background includes newspaper reporting and book publishing. He has earned numerous awards from the Public Relations Society of America, the International Association of Business Communicators and the Catholic Health Association. He also has served as an expert witness on the subject of healthcare marketing. John received his Bachelor's degree in communications from the University of California, Davis, and he has also completed several post graduate programs and continuing education courses.

Morrie Warshawski, Strategic Planning and Arts Funding Specialist, has worked in the nonprofit arts sector for over thirty years as an administrator, consultant, facilitator, teacher and writer. His practice has included work with State and Regional Government Agencies (South Carolina, Missouri, Michigan, California), Morrie Warshawski photo Foundations (Bush, MacArthur, Pew Charitable Trust), The President's Commission on the Arts and the Humanities, and numerous nonprofit organizations in many disciplines (Operation Shoestring, California Coalition for Youth, Michigan Alzheimer's Organization, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, St. Louis Black Repertory Company, and others). Warshawski has extensive experience in strategic planning. He designed and edited a website devoted to strategic planning essays for the National Endowment for the Arts, called Lessons Learned. Warshawski recently completed writing A Planning Toolkit For State Arts Agencies published by the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA). He is the author of many articles, and of two books, Shaking The Money Tree: How To Get Grants And Donations For Film And Video- 2nd Edition (Wiese Books, LA), and The Fundraising Houseparty.

Joanne Backman, Finance Management Specialist, has 30 years of experience in financial management and budget, fundraising, executive leadership, human resources, operations and business consulting. Joanne earned her MBA in Arts Management from UCLA, and has worked in art and science museums, social services, conservation organizations, foundations, and schools throughout the Bay Area and southern California. At Jewish Family and Children's Services of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties/, where she served as CFO for 16 years, Joanne guided leadership in all fiscal and administrative areas as the agency's budget grew from $2 to $20 million, the endowment grew from $4 $30 million, the staff grew from 60 to over 400, and the facilities grew in number to 15 sites. Serving on the financial management side of fundraising and development, Joanne created detailed investment policy guidelines and led the decision process to choose appropriate investment managers for a number of different organizations. She developed budgeting and financial analysis models for various purposes including annual, longer term and capital budgets, profitability analysis, organizational sustainability, major grant applications, and much more.

Philip J. Murphy, Planned Giving Specialist, has served the nonprofit community for over 26 years. After serving as Director of Development at Sunny Hills Children's Services in San Anselmo, CA, Phil became an independent planned giving consultant. His clients have included the Archdiocese of San Francisco, the Mount Zion Institute on Aging and Canine Companions for Independence. Phil received his MBA from Pepperdine University in 1981. He is a past President of the Northern California Planned Giving Council.