The Center for Nonprofit Advancement employs the talents and expertise of professionals who specialize in serving nonprofits. They are committed to helping you strengthen your efforts and expand your impact to more effectively enhance the lives of those you serve.

 

Team Leadership

Glen O’Gilvie, CAE, Chief Executive Officer

Glen has served as the Center's CEO since 2008, providing leadership in education, networking, advocacy and funding to support nonprofits throughout our region. A leader with more than...
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Taylor Strange, Chief Operating Officer

Taylor joined the Center team in 2010 as a Program Assistant, quickly advancing to Manager of Special Programs, and later to Director of Programs and Operations. Among her many accomplishments…
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Ericka Best, Chief Compliance Officer
Ericka joined the Center team in 2014 as the Executive Assistant to the CEO, working across departments and supporting organization-wide initiatives, in addition to...
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202-577-7808

 

Team Members

Adanech Devenouges, Program Associate

Motivated by the rewarding pursuit of contributing to the nonprofit sector, Adanech joined the Center’s team in August 2022. She is excited to interact with our entire community as she coordinates the  ...
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202-657-0247

 

Tyieshia James, Executive Associate

Tyieshia joined the team in February 2022. She collaborated with our Chief Executive Officer in a project in early 2021 that sparked her interest in the non-profit sector. Her duties include providing support directly to the Center’s CEO…
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202-742-5685

 

Eleanor Shippey, Communications Associate

Eleanor, “Ellie”, joined the team in August 2022 as the Center’s Communications Associate. Passionate about creating stronger...
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202-457-0548

 

Sean Sweeney, Director of Education and Special Programs

Joining the Center in August 2014 as an Education Associate, Sean advanced to Education and Programs Manager and is now the Director…
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202-457-0547

 

Carla Trussell, Project Manager

Carla took on the role of social media maestro for the Center in early 2018 and is a truly invaluable member of our team. A self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur Carla recognized a need for skilled...
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202-457-0545

 

Ibrahim Zia, Accountant

Since joining our team as the Accountant for the Center for Nonprofit Advancement in February 2023, Ibrahim has been an outstanding asset to our organization. In their role, they manage the financial...
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202-457-0544

VitalHealth Team

Elisha Hardy, VitalHealth Manager

With the Center since July 2012, Elisha provides customer service to Center members, interacting with them daily to deliver professional…
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202-457-0546

 

Aziza Rush, VitalHealth Customer Operations Coordinator

Aziza became apart of the Center team in October 2012. She provides overall coordination of the administrative operations for the Benefits Trust…
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202-457-0543

Team Partners

Javier Goldin

CPA, Manager, BOB Finance

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Javier Goldin


Javier’s experience in accounting, finance and business consulting services spans more than 20 years. Founding and managing partner of Goldin Group LLC, Javier has led his firm to national recognition by the AICPA (CPA national umbrella) as a one of the most visionary and innovative firms in the country. Goldin Group’s strength is in marrying innovative technology with CPA skills in order to streamline processes, achieve efficiencies and concentrate on the strategic missions of the nonprofit organizations they serve.

Javier earned an MBA degree in Finance and Investments from George Washington University and is CPA licensed in Maryland, DC and Virginia. He has also served as Director of Finance of the Organization of American States – a large international organization headquartered in DC.

Pat Durbin, Broker

Capital Group

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Pat Durbin, Broker


Patrick is a veteran of the employee benefits market with over 25 years in the industry. He has worked for Metlife, Humana, Kaiser Permanente and Benefitmall. Pat was president of Maryland Insurance & Financial Advisors, recipient of the Greater Washington Health Underwriters Member of the Year, and a member of the NAIFA-MD Hall of Fame. He has served the nonprofit community for many years, including serving on the board of the former Potomac Prep in Washington, DC.

Pat graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a B.S. Degree in Criminal Justice. His professional designations include Life Underwriter Training Fellow (LUTCF), Managed Healthcare Professional and Health Insurance Associate (HIA).

Pegah Hojjat

Finance Accountant, VitalHealth

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Pegah Hojjat


Team Specialists

Charles Evans

Capacity Building Specialist

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Charles Evans


Charles is the founder and lead consultant of BlackStar Consulting, which provides project management support, technical assistance and training, and individualized, leadership coaching to address organizational development challenges. Founded in 2011, BlackStar has worked with over 15 small to mid-size nonprofits in the DC metro area and many individual clients including executive directors, organizational founders, lawyers, board chairs and managers.

Charles is also the Regional Director for DC Operations for Progressive Life Center, where he launched two new programs to serve children and families in the District of Columbia. In a prior role, Charles served as a Senior Program Officer with the DC Children and Youth Investment Corporation (CYITC), where he led a team charged with developing and managing capacity building grants for innovative program offerings and managed the Boys of Color Initiative, which sought to develop promising practices for programmatic engagement of African American and Latino males.

Chelsea Brown

Program Manager, Chief Executive Leaders Ascend Program (CELAP)

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Chelsea Brown


Chelsea Brown is an award-winning philanthropist, social impact advocate, and entrepreneur. Trained as a nonprofit management professional, Chelsea has more than eight years of experience in philanthropy, fundraising, sponsorships, and grantmaking. Through her passion for bringing diversity and inclusion to philanthropy, she received the Diverse Communities Scholarship through the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Conference and the Charles R. Stephens Scholarship for the AADO/CASE Conference on Diverse Philanthropy and Leadership.

In 2019, she was selected to be a Forbes Under 30 Scholar, the University of Maryland’s Do Good Institute Philanthropy Fellow, and a William Randolph Hearst Fellow with the Aspen Institute’s Philanthropy and Social Innovation Program. In 2020, she was highlighted as a “Black Woman to Watch in Philanthropy” in BlackHer’s study on Black philanthropy titled “The Black Woman’s Guide to Philanthropy.” As an advocate for community engagement, she has served on over five boards, including the Winthrop University Foundation Board of Directors.

After her time at the University of Maryland, she worked as Exelon’s Senior Corporate Citizenship Specialist, reviewing grant applications and providing funding for more than 150 nonprofit organizations annually in the Delaware, Maryland, and D.C. region. the Nasdaq Foundation as the Corporate Purpose Specialist, providing support for Foundation-related grants administration and corporate social responsibility strategy.

Currently, Chelsea is the founder of The Black Mill; a consulting firm focused on coordinating cross-functional efforts to drive engagement, programs, funding, and partnerships with international nonprofit and for-profit partners. Through her work with The Black Mill, Chelsea has supported grantmaking and grant writing support for the Black and Missing Foundation, The Upwork Foundation, Baltimore Legacy Builders Collective, and more.

Recently, Chelsea received the 2022 BGE Energizing Small Business Grant, earning grant funding support to expand the Black Mill to offer sponsorship and partnership strategies for large-scale cultural events and organizations. Chelsea received her Master of Public Management from the University of Maryland in 2021 and her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from Winthrop University in 2014.

Edwin Washington

Executive Director, The Parks Main Street

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Edwin Washington


Prior to taking on this new role, Edwin was providing business development and fundraising consulting through his Washington Worldwide firm and serving as volunteer Church Administrative Officer with Walker Memorial Baptist Church. His career includes:

  • Business leadership roles in entertainment, energy and education
  • Nonprofit leadership roles in youth development, international relations and fundraising
  • Government leadership roles in job creation and internal affairs

Edwin has served as Vice President of Business Development with America’s Charities, and has held leadership positions with Greater Washington Boys & Girls Clubs, Davis Memorial Goodwill (now Goodwill of Greater Washington), Youth for Understanding, District Cablevision and the District of Columbia Government.

Edwin holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Baltimore where he is a 2010 inductee to their Basketball Hall of Fame. He resides in Ward 4 quadrant of Washington, DC with his wife and daughters.

Goldie Patrick

Capacity Building Specialist

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Goldie Patrick


Goldie’s experience spans more than 10 years in youth services and education, including roles such as teacher, curriculum developer, facilitator, program director and executive director in Wards 1, 3, 5, 7, and 8 of the District of Columbia. Goldie is the founder and Executive Director of the organization, F.R.E.S.H.H. Inc. (Females Representing Every Side of Hip-Hop). After successfully completing the Nonprofit Roundtable’s Future Executive Director Fellowship, she began providing consulting services to local foundations and other organizations, helping them more effectively increase their community engagement, advocacy efforts and cultural competency.

Jessica Mailander

Interim Executive Director, Upper Georgia Avenue

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Jessica Mailander


Jessica joined the Upper Georgia Avenue Main Street program in March of 2022. She came to the program with almost four years of experience in DC Main Streets, having started as an Event Coordinator for Rhode Island Avenue NE Main Street and eventually taking on the role of Program Manager for the Upper Bladensburg Road program in the Fall of 2019 – both run by the non-profit Friends of Rhode Island Avenue NE (FORIA).

During her time at FORIA, Jessica headed up the events portfolio for the two programs, including Porch Fest and the Procrastinator’s Holiday Market, growing both events to over 1,000 attendees during her time there. She supported small business owners through technical assistance and facade improvement grants, and played an integral role in shepherding the small businesses in Northeast DC through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to her time in DC Main Streets, Jessica worked for FirstNet in the Department of Commerce as an Industry Liaison. Jessica graduated from American University in Washington, DC in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. She interned with the Department of Agriculture while pursuing a Masters degree in Social Policy. She currently lives in DC with her husband and their dog, Maple. She is excited to work with the Ward 4 business community on Upper Georgia Avenue.

Sheila Holt

Capacity Building Specialist

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Sheila Holt


Sheila Holt is an experienced policy analyst and program developer, manager and evaluator. After working in the District of Columbia, Office of the Mayor and as vice president of a nonprofit, she began consulting. She works with government agencies, community organizations, nonprofits and business entities on program assessment and capacity building.

Sheila provides training that assists her clients in establishing effective networks and lines of communication that will allow them to build meaningful collaborations and create sustainable engagement. She recently assisted a CORE service agency, which provides services to individuals with mental and behavioral health disabilities, in reorganizing its struggling programs and becoming both programmatically and financially successful.

Sheila understands the importance of arming her clients with the resources needed to compete in a complex environment and competitive marketplace.

You can reach Sheila by email or phone: 202-302-7323