Director and Asst. Professor of Instruction, The University of Texas at Austin

Dr. Noel Landuyt (he/him), PhD, serves as the Director of the Institute for Organizational Excellence (IOE) and is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in both the School of Social Work and the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. In his role at UT, he oversees a range of research projects focused on organizational development, customer service, leadership, supervisory effectiveness, and employee engagement and attitudinal assessments. Dr. Landuyt is also the coordinator of the Survey of Employee Engagement, a widely utilized tool among governmental agencies, child welfare organizations, health and human services, and various non-profits across the U.S. Additionally, the IOE administers the Index of Volunteer Engagement (IVE) used by hundreds of organizations to improve the capacity to fully engage volunteers. As a consultant, he advises organizations on strategic planning, organizational design, assessment methodologies, nonprofit management, and the delivery of social services. Dr. Landuyt has written and presented extensively on 360-degree evaluations, leadership, and organizational assessments, as well as other topics related to human resources and organizational development.

Master Trainer, BJR Solutions

With a heart for service and a passion for positive change, BillieJean Ring, MBA, Certified Coach, is on a mission to help nonprofit leaders balance compassion with self-care. As a career readiness coach, leadership trainer, and soft skills expert, she’s spent years empowering others to overcome challenges and thrive in their work. A breast cancer survivor, mindfulness advocate, and someone who has walked the walk, BillieJean brings a refreshing blend of positivity, wisdom, and practical strategies to every event.She knows firsthand the highs and lows of nonprofit work and believes that staying fueled by compassion doesn’t mean running on empty. From managing teams to fostering resilience, BillieJean’s unique approach shows leaders how to be both highly effective and deeply empathetic, without burning out. Whether she’s coaching organizations on stress management or leading workshops on leadership with a purpose, she lights up the room with her energy and relatable insights. When she’s not inspiring others, BillieJean can be found practicing mindfulness, creating innovative ways to promote positive thinking, or cheering on her favorite football team. Get ready for a session that’s as uplifting as it is practical!

CEO, Embracing Equity

Rashi Jawade (she/her), Esq., an Indian-American immigrant who moved to the U.S. as a child, has harnessed the power of education as a tool for social change throughout her career. With a background as an attorney and over a decade of experience in startup nonprofits, Rashi joined Embracing Equity as a participant, where she experienced the transformative impact of antiracist education.
As Chief Strategy Officer, Rashi has been instrumental in leading the organization’s strategic growth and expanding its impact. Prior to Embracing Equity, she was the Vice President of Strategy at Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity, working with minority-serving institutions to diversify the teaching workforce. She also held leadership roles at Deans for Impact and Baltimore City Public Schools.

As of January 2025, Rashi will take the helm as CEO of Embracing Equity, continuing her commitment to advancing justice and equity.

President, Colton Strawser Consulting

Dr. Colton Strawser, PhD, is a nonprofit and philanthropic consultant and the President of Colton Strawser Consulting—a consulting firm that works with mission-driven organizations to develop the funding, data, and leadership skills necessary to create change.He has provided consulting and coaching to organizations and leaders at community foundations, United Ways, homeless shelters, senior service agencies, youth programs, arts and culture organizations, and more.
Colton has trained over 1,500 organizations, generated over $25 million in government grants, and supported local and national research efforts to understand social issues and community challenges better. His research has been featured in numerous academic journals and practitioner outlets, including The Foundation Review, Journal of Advancement Analytics, Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership, GrantCraft, CFInsights, and Candid.
Established in 2012, Colton Strawser Consulting was created to serve a need in the nonprofit sector to merge practical nonprofit management with rigorous academic research to address social issues. With a special emphasis on empowering organizations to create change®, Colton Strawser Consulting assists clients in the areas of organizational development, fundraising/philanthropy, research/evaluation, and leadership development.

Co-Founder, Emerging Perspectives, LLC

Robin Atwood (she/her), EdD, PMP, is a co-founder of Emerging Perspectives, LLC. She sees change as opportunity. Robin works with teams and organizations to enhance decision-making and planning with a focus on purpose, process and relationships. She is passionate about wellness, both physical and emotional, and merges her background in public health, health promotion, worksite wellness and her expertise in project management to help teams align their purpose and goals. After spending over twenty years at the University of Texas at Austin as a Research Assistant Professor and Program Director working with State and local governments and non-profits, Robin brings extensive experience in program management, strategic planning, and organizational development to her work. Robin also has a strong evaluation background, which she uses to build evaluative capacity to help prompt new insights and guide innovative directions of practice. Robin uses practical skills and techniques to help generate new conversations and ways of working and living. She gathers inspiration and creates space for ‘aha’ moments while out running and walking in Austin, Texas.

Associate Professor, University of Texas at Dallas

Dr. Elizabeth Searing (she/her), PhD, CNP, studies how nonprofit and other social economy organizations become more resilient. This normally involves financial management, but also relies on strategic management, program evaluation, and the local community. She is a firm believer that scholars should be rooted in the needs of the community, and she focuses on finding (and teaching others to find) data-driven answers for social economy organizations around the globe.

President & CEO, Supporting World Hope LLC

Sabrina Walker Hernandez, MPA, President & CEO of Supporting World Hope LLC, exemplifies empowerment and community service. With a robust background in nonprofit management and a passion for fostering leadership skills, Sabrina has empowered countless organizations to thrive through effective fundraising strategies like raising $12 million to construct a state-of-the-art Boys & Girls Club in Edinburg, Texas. Her workshops, including “The Top 6 Ways to Cultivate Donors,” have equipped hundreds with the tools to make meaningful impacts in their communities.
Certified in Nonprofit Management by Harvard Business School and a published author of five influential e-books and bestselling book Successonomics, Sabrina not only educates but inspires through her “Sipping Tea With Sabrina” podcast and as editor of the Here’s the Tea Nonprofit Report. Her accolades, including the 2023 Edinburg Woman of the Year and multiple prestigious awards, underscore her profound influence and dedication to social good.

Vice President of Development, The Center For Nonprofit Management

Heather Weathers is a nonprofit communicator who is afraid of public speaking. She has nearly 25 years of experience in fundraising, communications and program management roles for organizations from Texas to Taiwan. She is a strategic people person who loves creatively organizing processes almost as much as she feels driven to help nonprofit professionals move towards a mindset of abundance.
As the Vice President of Development at the Center for Nonprofit Management, Heather supports both CNM and local organizations in achieving their marketing, communications, and fundraising goals. Prior to joining CNM, Heather served as the senior executive overseeing community services and Marketing for Atlantic Housing Foundation, and as the Executive Director to build the first HopeKids chapter in North Texas. Heather earned a Master of Arts in Journalism from the University of Missouri – Columbia and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations from the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma.

Heather believes powerful magic happens in ordinary moments. When she is not organizing chaos at work, she is preventing it at home and works hard to keep life as boring as possible with her husband, two teen daughters, and their Scottish Terrier.

Executive Director, Capacity Catalyst

Saro Mohammed (she/her), PhD, fights the injustice of knowledge-hoarding by deeply and meaningfully connecting research and practice to improve lives. As a member of the communities she serves, Saro is co-creating a data-just world in which individuals and communities are the primary owners and beneficiaries of their data, including their lived experiences. In this future, each person knows and understands their experiences and the outcomes that they are most interested in, and can use this knowledge about their experience to access supports, resources, and opportunities, to achieve their desired life outcomes and their most personally meaningful potential. As Executive Director of Capacity Catalyst she leads the organization’s core programs: a high touch, mentored, social sector externship; and, in partnership with MEASURE, Huston-Tillotson University, and others, the Community-Engaged Research Course. She is Founder + Principal of Ed Research Works, a consulting firm; and a Lecturer of social justice informatics at UT-Austin’s School of Information. With over 15 years’ experience as a researcher, evaluator, and advisor, Saro conceptualized the Just Ed Research design principles in 2020. Saro holds a PhD in Educational Psychology from UT-Austin, and a Bachelor of Science in brain and cognitive sciences from MIT.

Co-Founder, Emerging Perspectives, LLC

Jennifer Bloom Greenberg (she/her), SM, is a facilitator, poet, social innovator, scholar, and co-founder of Emerging Perspectives, LLC. With a BA from Yale University and a Master of Public Health from Harvard, she has over twenty-five years of experience working health departments, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and communities to design, implement, and evaluate programs and strategic plans. She is a skilled facilitator who crafts conversations and processes to inspire innovative thinking and approaches to planning within organizations and communities. Jennifer loves to weave the intellectual and creative worlds together to inform one another. Her work integrates her contemplative and poetry practices as well as her continued studies through The Neuroleadership Institute, The Mindsight Institute, and Prosocial World. She is passionate about possibility and considers her role to be that of meaning maker and sacred space holder, whether she is designing a program evaluation, facilitating a retreat, or engaged in a writing project.