Founder and Chief Momentum Officer, Tara Levy Consulting

Tara Levy (she/her), JD, is an engaging partner, facilitator, and problem-solver. She has a unique ability to see both the forest and the trees in creatively addressing nonprofit organizations’ needs. Tara is an experienced trainer and consultant on nonprofit leadership and management. She has served nonprofits as a staff member, board member, and volunteer, so she brings a holistic and informed perspective to her work in the sector. Tara is a regular presenter and educator at the local, state, and national level, and she enjoys supporting nonprofit leaders in being well-prepared for their work. She specializes in change management—helping organizations plan and pivot through succession planning, strategic planning, organizational dynamics, stakeholder engagement, and board development. Tara is an attorney and holds a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. with Special Honors from UT’s Plan II Honors Program. She is a graduate of the Leadership Austin class of 2005 and served on their Board of Directors. She’d love to meet up for a cup of tea and talk about nonprofits, what you’re reading, and your favorite breakfast taco.

Executive Director, Academy 4

John Shearer has served as Academy 4’s Executive Director since 2017. John oversees all operations of the organization and administration of programs, works with the Board of Directors to identify and execute strategic goals, oversees director-level staff, and works to build and expand community partnerships. Before becoming the Academy 4 Executive Director in 2017, John Shearer was the VP of Product Development with Praesidium, the national leader in abuse risk management – helping hundreds of organizations keep children safe. Shearer’s prior experience is in corporate learning and development and organizational development. He had his own consulting firm, developing custom learning courses and facilitating leadership development experiences for almost 10 years. The rest of his career was spent in a variety of roles in the learning and development world. John is a proud graduate of Texas Tech University with degrees in Economics and Technical Communication.

Interim Director of Childcare Program, Maternal Health Equity Collaborative

Tavia Williams, CRC, OTD, currently operates as the childcare director for the local nonprofit, Maternal Health Equity Collaborative. As a Doctor of Occupational Therapy and disability advocate, Tavia possesses a deep commitment to fostering equitable access to community resources. With a background in rehabilitation counseling and a specialization in maternal health occupational therapy, Tavia brings a unique perspective to the intersection of health, education, and advocacy. Tavia is currently building research focused on women’s health, furthering her mission to support underrepresented communities and empower women through her work.

As a novice leader in nonprofit program development, Tavia oversees a childcare program for a local nonprofit and has contributed to strategic initiatives like budget planning and community outreach. She combines her professional expertise with a passion for advocacy, striving to create sustainable change in Texas and beyond.

Executive Director, Dallas College Foundation

Josh Skolnick, JD, serves as Dallas College Foundation’s Executive Director. Before joining Dallas College Foundation, Josh led the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, a yearlong leadership program for mayors from around the world at Bloomberg Philanthropies. He also played an instrumental role in the design and development of the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University. Prior to his time at Bloomberg Philanthropies, Josh served at the U.S. Department of Education as Deputy Director of Strategic Partnerships in the Office of the Secretary. There, he led the launch of the Success Mentors Program, a chronic absenteeism reduction effort in 30 school districts around the U.S., as part of President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative. Before serving in the federal government, Josh worked at the New York State Education Department and the New York City Department of Education to advance education innovation initiatives. He holds a J.D. from Boston College Law School and graduated from Brown University with a bachelor’s in political science.

CEO, BoardBuild

TD Smyers has more than three decades of executive leadership across the government, social, and private sectors. As BoardBuild’s CEO, he is focused on evolving the way we populate, strengthen and manage boards across the social sector by growing the impact of the platform’s industry-best training and automated matching to prospective nonprofit board members and social sector organizations across North America.A retired US Navy Captain (O-6), TD commanded a maritime patrol squadron and a joint military air base and served at the Pentagon. The Secretary of the Navy awarded him the coveted Legion of Merit for his transformational leadership of Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base. After retiring from the Navy, TD began a second career as a nonprofit executive, serving as CEO of the American Red Cross North Texas Region, then President & CEO at United Way of Tarrant County. TD’s civilian leadership was also formally recognized when the Fort Worth Business Press named him their 2019 Nonprofit CEO of the Year. TD and his wife Barbara took a career pause between 2019 and 2021 to sail the Atlantic and Carribean about their sailing catamaran La Vie Dansante.

President & CEO, Partnership With Native Americans

Joshua Arce (he/him), JD, is President & CEO of Partnership With Native Americans, one of the largest Native-led and Native-serving organizations in the U.S. A citizen of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, he has 20+ years of experience in Indigenous leadership, Tribal law, social work, and the advancement of Native communities. Josh became CEO of Partnership With Native Americans in 2020, after serving on their Board. Before PWNA, he served as Chief Information Officer of Haskell Indian Nations University, advancing their IT infrastructure and services to better meet their mission. He has also volunteered for the Kansas court-based Citizen Review Board for child welfare and Lawrence+Memorial Hospital for health equity, diversity, and inclusion. Josh earned his B.A. in social work from the University of Kansas and then a J.D. specializing in Tribal law, applied Indigenous leadership, federal Indian law, and Indian gaming law. He brings in-depth knowledge of social issues facing Tribal communities, such as food insecurity, education barriers, the digital divide, emergency preparedness, and misconceptions about Native people, history, and funding. As a Native thought leader, he helps organizations become more NativeAware® and engaged as change agents.

Executive Director, Southeast Texas Nonprofit Development Center

Kayla White (she/her), BBA, is a Southeast Texas native with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Lamar University. She has been honored as one of the Southeast Texas Top 40 Professionals Under 40 by the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce and as one of Southeast Texas’ Top 30 Professionals Under 30 by the Beaumont Enterprise. Kayla has been working in nonprofit business development and finance over the last fifteen years. During this time, she’s secured millions of dollars in grant funds, organized and managed countless fundraising initiatives, and cultivated sustainable strategies for programmatic success. Now, Kayla leads the Southeast Texas Nonprofit Development Center, the area’s only nonprofit agency providing quality management support services to nonprofits and funders, enabling them to effectively serve the community. Through education, training, consulting and more, the Center is SETX’s go-to resource for vital development resources that ultimately ensure the continuity of the area’s most critical public charities.

Principal, Woollard Nichols Torres Consulting

Kelly Nichols (she/her) is a consultant specializing in social impact and collaboration. With two decades of experience in project management, strategic planning, community engagement, program evaluation, and community assessments, Kelly works primarily with nonprofits and local government entities (often helping connecting the dots between the two sectors). Through her engagement with a wide variety of participants, organizations, and systems contributing to addressing social determinants of health in the Austin area since 2006, she has a deep knowledge and understanding of local collaborations and initiatives relating to addressing affordable housing and homelessness, health and human services, behavioral health, education, workforce and community development, food systems, and criminal justice. One of her key learnings from this work is that persons who are directly impacted by the issue must be engaged in identifying and addressing the solutions for sustainable change to occur. Kelly is a graduate of Washington and Lee University and the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.

Founder + Coach, Kenny Lange Coaching

After selling his company that he started in his late 20s to another agency, Kenny Lange served as its second-in-command and helped grow their revenue by almost double in 2 years from high six-figures to low seven-figures. Now, as a coach, he helps nonprofits and purpose-driven businesses scale by helping them focus the organization, foster high-performance teams, and create leaders worth following. ​He is also the host of the top 10% globally ranked podcast, “How Leaders Think with Kenny Lange.” He and his wife, Rebekah, have fostered 18 kids and counting, and adopted 2 in addition to their 3 biological children. They are on a mission to positively impact 10,000 kids by December 31, 2033, because kids from hard places deserve to be seen, heard, and know someone is coming to help them.

Ami Kane (she/her/they), MPA, CFRE, is a nonprofit professional, gender-justice activist, Hoosier, film producer, cat mom, auntie, fundraiser, and philanthropist working to create social justice in Texas and beyond, by empowering others and telling powerful stories. An adult survivor of child abuse and domestic violence, Ami’s work is focused on advocating for youth and other individuals who are pushed to the margins and overlooked. She is currently Girls Empowerment Network’s Executive Director, where she originally joined the staff in 2010 and previously served as Deputy Director, Chief Development Officer, Development Director, and Conference & Workshop Manager. She also currently serves on the board of Impact Austin, Central Texas’ largest women-focused collective giving circle, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Austin Chapter, and is a frequent Good Measure collaborator. She was named an AU40 nonprofit service finalist in 2017, the Outstanding Fundraising Professional of the Year by AFP in 2023, and the 2024 Core Values Member of the Year in Impact Austin. When she’s not working for GEN or volunteering, Ami also serves as a producer in her partner, Ronald Short’s, indie film production company, Short Pictures Independent.