Bio

Lynnette Adams is a distinguished nonprofit leadership and development figure with a career spanning over 15 years that blends academic achievement with practical expertise. She offers real-world insights and fosters the development of future nonprofit leaders. Her dedication to fostering positive societal change is reflected in her teaching as she guides students through the complexities of nonprofit management with a focus on effective leadership and organizational growth.

Education

Lynnette received her B.A. in Journalism from Eastern Michigan University, her MFA in Public Relations from Wayne State University, her MBA from the University of Phoenix, and her Ph.D. in Global Leadership from Pepperdine University.

Professional Background

Lynnette has held development positions at organizations such as the Community College of Aurora Foundation and the Crisis Center. Formerly, she served as the Director of Development at Black in Marine Science (BIMS), where she bridged theory with impactful action. Currently, Lynnette is the owner of Joy Eco System, a unique fusion of the for-profit The Joy Architect and the nonprofit The Joy Lab Inc., where she serves as Chief Joy Officer. Through this work, she leads initiatives to cultivate joy-centered leadership, healing, and connection in individuals, organizations, and communities.

Motivation for Teaching

Lynnette is passionate about nonprofit storytelling and seeks to develop the next generation of successful nonprofit professionals. She is not just an educator but also a mentor, equipping students with the knowledge and skills to drive meaningful change.

Helping Students Be Successful

Lynnette places joy and well-being at the forefront of learning, recognizing their importance to academic success and leadership sustainability. She prioritizes emotionally safe learning environments and remains accessible through email, phone, and virtual Zoom sessions to provide guidance and support with empathy and grace. Her goal is to help students become compassionate, capable nonprofit leaders.

Bio

Barry Baresi is the CEO of Association Ventures and an advisor/investor in two venture philanthropy firms. In these roles, he helps nonprofit organizations embrace innovation to advance their mission, social impact, and financial goals.

Barry’s teaching at DU draws from three decades of experience as a social impact entrepreneur, clinician executive, and public health policy advocate. He has extensive expertise in strategy, business model innovation, and digital transformation. In his student teaching and advising at DU, he applies this expertise to support students in gaining leadership capacity to start up and scale up sustainable social enterprises in various sectors, including healthcare innovation, community design, and inclusive education reform.

Education

Barry holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration from New York University, Wagner School of Public Service, as well as an OD in Optometry from the New England College of Optometry and a B.A. in Biology and Sociology from College of the Holy Cross and completing the Harvard Medical School Executive Education program in Digital Transformation in Health Care.

Bio

Alice L. Ferris is a partner and founder of GoalBusters Consulting, providing comprehensive leadership for small nonprofit teams. With 30+ years of fundraising experience in public media, rural healthcare, education, and science, Alice excels in finding creative solutions and teaching practical tactics. As an Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive (ACFRE) and a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), she is a sought-after consultant, mentor, and speaker. She designed the curriculum for the course NFP 4120: Technology Strategy for Fundraising using her expertise in helping organizations with needs assessments and software migrations since 1994. She has taught at the graduate level since 2018 and at DU since 2020.

Education

Alice earned a B.A. in Communication Arts and Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA in Accounting and Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Bio

Dean Gualco has served in many high-profile public/private-sector positions as a human resource and library director (for two California cities, the University of California, and an entity created by the Governor of California). He has published nine books, the latest titled Take the Right Road: Finding the Right Job, Being the Right Employee, and Becoming the Right Person. Dean has appeared in over 150 national media forums, including television, radio, and magazines.

Education

Dean holds a doctorate from the University of the Pacific, an MBA, and an MPA from the University of Southern California.

Bio

Jacqueline (Jackie) Jordan-Davis is a former executive director of both a regional and a statewide nonprofit organization. She is also a coach, consultant, and trainer who applies over 25 years of experience in nonprofit governance, management, community-building and leadership development to support the work of professionals within the sector.

Education

Jackie graduated with High Honors from the School of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a B.S. She earned her MBA from Texas State University in San Marcos, with a focus on Management. Jackie has also conducted post-graduate research to develop a framework for internal community-building, which assesses the impact and presence of ten factors and related practices to improve employee well-being and organizational health within nonprofit organizations.

Professional Background

Jackie is the founder of Workplace Coaches, a boutique coaching and consulting firm. The firm supports nonprofit professionals in improving organizational performance and strengthening their quality of life at work. Jackie has also served as a coach, consultant or trainer on numerous performance and leadership development initiatives. These include multi-year efforts for NeighborWorks and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, as well as similar initiatives for the Boston Public Schools, United Way of America and numerous local and state agencies across the U.S.

Prior to founding Workplace Coaches, Jackie designed and delivered training and technical assistance services for AmeriCorps programs as a subcontractor for several providers of the Corporation for National and Community Service. She was also the executive director of the Capital Area Volunteer Center in Austin, Texas, and the Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering.

Motivation for Teaching

Jackie believes supporting the development of the next generation of nonprofit leaders is a vitally important goal. It represents her “why” as an instructor. She also feels strongly that eliciting and applying the knowledge embodied within the class is as important as any of the readings and assignments are in achieving that goal.

Helping Students be Successful

Jackie utilizes research, case studies and real-world experience to connect the dots between theory and practice. She is readily available to students via email, video, or phone to answer questions, and to support their academic and professional development.

Bio

Karen Kaminski is a consultant in instructional design for professional organizations where she works to analyze their needs, mentor staff, and provide direct services in areas such as developing on-boarding training, enhancing training department effectiveness, and designing learning and development opportunities. Karen also provides support for nonprofit organizations in the areas of leadership and development, resource development, and grant writing.

Education

Karen earned her B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Wisconsin Madison, and her M.S. in Instructional Design and Technology and her Ph.D. in Adult Learning and Technology, from the University of Wyoming.

Professional Background

Previously Karen served as the Executive Director of CASA of the Continental Divide, a nonprofit that serves abused and neglected youth. In this role she brought significant changes to the program staff and developed a strong working board. She managed most of the development events and funding activities. Before that, Karen worked for 20 years at Colorado State University, first as the Associate Director in the Office of Instructional Services. In this role she worked with staff to provide support for faculty across the campus in the areas of teaching excellence, instructional technology, and distance teaching and learning. She then became the Chair of the Masters of Adult Education and Training program, building the program up to 200 active students, then as Associate Professor she designed and taught courses in instructional design, adult learning theory, assessment and evaluation, distance learning, cognitive learning theory, and critical thinking and problem solving.

Helping Students Be Successful

Karen’s experience working in the field brings a significant level of expertise to the courses she teaches, providing students with practical examples. She has a passion for mentoring students and helping them reach their personal and professional goals. She continues to connect with students after they graduate, providing recommendations for jobs and guidance in their careers.

Bio

Debbie Mixon Mitchell is an accomplished academic, executive consultant, and expert in diversity, equity, and inclusion. She currently serves as an adjunct instructor at the University of Denver and executive director of Equity Inclusion MM Consulting, where she provides executive consulting, strategic planning guidance, coaching, training facilitation, and serves as a trusted thought partner and subject matter expert on creating equitable and inclusive organizational culture.

Education

Debbie earned her B.A. in Sociology from the University of Colorado Boulder and both her M.A. and Ph.D. in Human Communication from the University of Denver, with a concentration in Intercultural Communication. She also holds a certificate in conflict resolution and is an Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Qualified Administrator.

Professional Background

Debbie has worked in the fields of nonprofit administration, social work, and post-secondary education for 30+ years, holding positions including director of diversity recruiting, curriculum development director, senior consultant & program manager, and senior training & project specialist. Her call to management, teaching, consulting, and training facilitation is grounded in a deep commitment to promoting the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the work of organizations as essential components for achieving organizational success.

Teaching Philosophy

Debbie believes that students bring considerable knowledge and insight into the classroom. Thus, she centers students – affirming their backgrounds, life experiences, and perspectives while providing opportunities for introspection to promote enhanced understanding of self and others. She encourages learners to think critically as they examine the impact that ideology, hierarchy, and power have on workplace culture, operation and society more broadly.

Bio

Nina Sharma’s career has focused on expanding access and equity to underserved populations, and she has held leadership roles in private, academic, and nonprofit organizations.

Most recently, Nina was the Head of Programs at VC Include, a nonprofit organization that supports emerging fund managers. Previously, she served as an Operating Partner at Chloe Capital, a women-led VC firm. She built and implemented Project X-ITE at the University of Denver, a groundbreaking innovation and entrepreneurship hub. Much of her career has been at organizations focused on economic development and community empowerment, including the Greater Washington Partnership, the Millennium Villages Project, the New York Public Library, Carnegie Hall, Yale University, and the Ad Council.

Education

Nina earned her B.A. from Hamilton College (where she is on the Executive Committee), her MPA from NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service, and Executive MBA from DU. She is a Denver Business Journal 40 Under 40, and was recognized by the Stanford d.school for her use of design-thinking in business.

Bio

Ellen Winiarczyk (win-ar-zic), Ed.D. is a Teaching Associate Professor for the College of Professional Studies. A DU faculty member since 2018, she started the Nonprofit Leadership master’s program and has directed courses including graduate research methods, leadership development and capstone. For 18 years, Ellen consulted in leadership development, program/grants management, strategic planning, and diversity/equity/inclusion for national and local nonprofits, government agencies, and some corporations.

Education

Ellen earned her Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Denver, her Master of Environmental Studies (MES) in Water Policy/Tribal Natural Resources from the Evergreen State College, and her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Physical Education from the University of New Hampshire.

Professional Background

Ellen served in Washington State government for 10 years leading AmeriCorps workforce development and youth program education. She also worked in environmental regulation. She pioneered collaborative training and technical assistance across four Pacific Northwest states, as well as project-based and service-learning education for AmeriCorps programs. She has been a Bill and Melinda Gates grantee in education management and workforce development. She coached K-12 superintendents and principals for the National SAM Innovation Project.

Ellen has been an executive coach at the Center for Creative Leadership (Colorado Springs, CO) for nonprofit, governmental, and corporate executives. In addition, she has provided training services for the U.S. Department of Interior University, Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, Outward Bound, and other leadership, learning and development programs.