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.

Senior Consultant, Mission Capital

Sunjit Khamba, MBA, BEng, is a Senior Consultant on the Consulting, Learning, and Leadership team, specializing in organizational change within communities of color. With over eight years of experience, Sunjit combines human-centered design with JEDDI principles—Justice, Equity, Diversity, Decolonization, and Inclusion—to develop impactful, community-driven strategies for public sector clients. Sunjit’s academic background in Engineering and an MBA enhances his unique approach, balancing analytical rigor with deep empathy. Known for fostering inclusive workspaces, he ensures that all voices are heard, empowering participants to co-create solutions. Sunjit is committed to driving systemic change through thoughtful, equitable design.

Senior Evaluation Officer, St. David’s Foundation

Jesse Simmons (he/him), MS, is the Senior Evaluation Officer at St. David’s Foundation, a health equity funder in Central Texas. Jesse develops, implements, and manages comprehensive evaluation strategies for the Foundation. In this role, Jesse supports team members in developing theories of change, documenting current thinking and assumptions, and incorporating continuous learning practices. He is also responsible for analyzing demographics trends, community needs, and the impact of Foundation strategies. He received his Master of Science in Applied Sociology from Texas State University and brings a strong work ethic and future-oriented vision to his job.

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.