Career Paths: How Did You Get Here? Where Can You Go?
Wednesday, August 30th I 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. ET
Apra Talks has been one of the most versatile sessions at the conference. Over the years, it has been delivered as TED-style talks, friendly debates and short presentations on important and timely topics. No matter the format, Apra Talks has always been about connecting with and learning from perspectives within our prospect development community.
This year, we’re highlighting three prospect development professionals to discover how they got where they are and where they see the profession going in the future. You’ll hear their unique career journeys and ways they have advocated for themselves along the way. Our work in prospect development occurs within larger social and organizational paradigms — and we’ve experienced fundamental shifts over the past two years. Our speakers this year will share their insights into how they, and their organizations, are thinking and working differently as a result.
We hope this session will spark questions, conversations and ideas that can be shared at the conference and beyond. Regardless of what your career aspirations are, this interactive panel will provide you with tactical ideas for how you can get there.
Panelists
Regina Alhassan
CEO of ResearchPRO, Regina Alhassan enjoys helping non-profit leaders reach their highest goals. With total dollars identified in the billions, her work as a prospect development legend continues to fuel multi-million-dollar charitable giving campaigns across the United States. With a long history of industry leadership and current faculty for Apra Fundamentals: Prospect Research, Regina is also an award-winning artist, writer, philanthropist and TEDx speaker.
Kate McConnell
Kate McConnell is the associate director of prospect management for the major gifts team at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Kate was the first prospect management professional at PPFA, and implemented a brand new program now facilitated by a team of five. She and her team advise on portfolio and departmental strategy for PPFA and eight partner affiliates, and oversee the development of comprehensive organizational processes for data visualization, complex CRM coding, budget projections and more — including the creation of PPFA's Values Misalignment Policy. Prior to joining PPFA, Kate implemented the first prospect management program for Yeshiva University, where she began her 10+ year career in prospect development. Kate serves as co-chair for Apra's DEIBJA Committee and serves on Apra's Advocacy Committee. She is also a co-chair for the Apra Greater New York DEI Committee. In her free time, Kate is a superfan of musical theatre, BTS and feminist podcasts, and serves on the board of directors of Phi Sigma Pi, a gender-inclusive honor fraternity committed to social service through scholarship, leadership and fellowship.
Aisha Maddox
Aisha Maddox is the director of research and relationship management at Rollins College, overseeing the institution’s prospect research, prospect management and fundraising analytics needs. She has more than 15 years of experience in health care and higher education fundraising. Prior to joining Rollins College, Aisha held positions in prospect research development and database management at Orlando Health, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Florida Atlantic University and Georgia State University. Aisha received her B.S. in political science and English and her Master of Management from Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, Tennessee. She is currently the president of the Apra Florida Chapter, where she previously served as director of professional development, and is a former Apra Georgia board member.