Empower and Excel: Cultivating your Professional Potential

Thursday, May 30, 2024

Networking: 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Program: 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Location:

LCRA Redbud Center

3601 Lake Austin Blvd.

Austin, TX 78703

This luncheon will include small group conversations facilitated by seasoned fundraising executives about professional development challenges and opportunities that include salary negotiation, career mapping, understanding how to take the next step in your career, and how to advocate for yourself throughout your career. Small group conversations will be followed by a panel discussion where speakers will answer the audience’s most burning questions. Attendees will leave empowered with the knowledge they need to advocate for themselves and their careers.

Speakers:

Aisha Gayle Turner, Esq., is the inaugural chief development officer at Start Early, where she is charged with providing leadership and strategic direction to meet the organization’s annual and multi-year private revenue and strategic goals. Start Early’s mission and vision is to close the opportunity gap and create more equitable early learning experiences for our youngest learners. Most recently, Aisha served as the interim chief advancement officer for IDEA Public Schools, where she built and managed a team of fundraisers across the country, more than doubling IDEA’s regional fundraising growth. Aisha has worked in development for over 12 years, also serving in fundraising leadership roles at OneGoal and Teach For America. Aisha holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale University, a master’s degree in fine arts from Columbia University and a juris doctorate degree from Duke University School of Law. She is originally from New Jersey and has served on several boards that support early literacy efforts. She resides with her husband and two children in Austin, Texas where you can find her jogging (slowly), watching Top Chef or debating fiercely with her long-time book club.

Gregory Perrin is a dynamic leader, fundraiser and artist with over 30 years of experience in nonprofits, higher education, community engagement and performing arts. Currently he serves as the Associate Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations at St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX. As a chief development officer at several organizations, he has led staff and volunteers in securing philanthropic support, creating a culture of philanthropy, and increasing contributions, donors, and giving at all levels with innovative initiatives and events.  As a consultant, he has successfully worked with organizations to plan and implement proven fundraising strategies, advised and assisted on recruiting diverse board members and served as an executive coach.  As a trainer, he has conducted workshops, seminars and presentations on fundraising, board development, and diversity equity and inclusion.

In addition to his fundraising career, Gregory has been involved in theater for most of his life and has directed, produced, and/or performed in more than twenty plays and commercials. He studied with Edward Albee, a three time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, who selected one of Gregory's plays for the Edward Albee Playwrights’ Workshop.  Gregory has been awarded five commissions as a playwright. Gregory serves on the Mid America Arts Alliance board; and the advisory council for the Armstrong Community Music School. He earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees in theatre from the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts at University of Houston.  He is married to Lamonica Guillory Perrin and they have an adult son, Oliver. 

Jackie Quintero Sekiguchi leads community affairs for Texas Mutual Insurance Company, where she's focused on creating a strategic corporate citizenship vision that maximizes Texas Mutual’s expertise to create impact across the state. In addition, she’s led Texas Mutual’s expansion of strategic philanthropy efforts, which has invested over $70 million in organizations focused on workforce development and safety training, supporting working families, and disaster relief and preparedness since 2016. The Texas Mutual community affairs team oversees the corporate citizenship strategy, strategic philanthropy initiatives, corporate sponsorships and employee engagement efforts for roughly 1,000 employees in 4 offices across the state.

Jackie has served as a board member with I Live Here I Give Here for nearly 7 years, chairing the organization and leading the transition of executive officers in 2023. When she’s not working, she’s spending time with her husband Jeff and their two young daughters, Madison and Harper. 

Amelia Long, MSc, CFRE (she/her/hers) joined the Central Texas Food Bank as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer in 2010, and worked in volunteer coordination, database management and major gifts there before moving into her current position as the director of community engagement. Amelia manages a fabulous team responsible for the Food Bank’s events, food drives, peer-to-peer fundraising, corporate relations and volunteer engagement activities. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and has been a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Austin Chapter for 10 years. In her free time she loves to rock climb, mountain bike, trail run and kayak in Austin’s beautiful green spaces.

Sara I. Harwood most recently joined the Greater Austin YMCA as their new Chief Development Officer. She sees the immediate opportunities to scale the Greater Austin Y’s impact and build healthy people, healthy places, and a healthy planet. Sara comes to the Greater Austin YMCA from a sixteen-year career at the American Heart Association where she served most recently as Regional Senior Vice President of Development covering the 6 states of the Southwest Region – Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado, and Oklahoma.

Sara brings an award-winning track record of leading large teams, engaging volunteers and raising more than $15 million annually. She is a graduate of Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. She and her family have called Texas home for the last 10 years, during which time she has worked extensively in the Greater Austin area and participated with her family in a variety of YMCA programs.

Sara’s passion for the missions and the communities her team serves shines through her servant-style leadership approach, driving greater alignment with the organization’s core values, and an overall can-do attitude. Witness to the tremendous impact the work of these organizations has had over these past few decades, Sara is inspired to continue moving the mission forward for even greater change. Sara continuously works to lead with mission and inspire those around her to see the transformational impact everyone can have on driving a future of good health for all.

*This course has been approved for 1 point of CFRE credit.

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