Thursday Morning Keynote
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8:00 AM - 9:15 AM |
Campaign Conversations: Insights from the Frontlines of Major Fundraising InitiativesJoin Russ Austin, Vice Chancellor of Development at Washington University in St. Louis—currently in a bold $5 billion comprehensive campaign—as he moderates a dynamic panel of St. Louis nonprofit leaders managing capital and comprehensive campaigns of all sizes. Panelists include Lauren Ross, Executive Director of Laumeier Sculpture Park, and Mark Norwood, Co-Head of Crossroads College Prep. This session offers a behind-the-scenes look at campaign planning, leadership engagement, donor pipeline development, and what it takes to stay on track. Whether your campaign goal is $1 million or several billion dollars, learn best practices, innovative strategies, and candid lessons from organizations in the trenches. |
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Russ Austin With nearly twenty years of university fundraising experience at both state and private universities, Russ Austin is a seasoned advancement professional known for unwavering dedication and commitment to advancing the missions of educational institutions. As a versatile and accomplished fundraiser, Russ has successfully navigated various facets of university development, leaving a lasting impact on each area he has touched. Before his current position as Vice Chancellor for Development at Washington University in St. Louis, Russ held key positions in diverse fundraising roles. His university advancement experience started as director of development for the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine at the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA - fundraising arm for the University of Wisconsin-Madison). Driven by a passion for medical advancement, Russ transitioned into medical development, spending six years leading the development team for the UW Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Department of Surgery, channeling philanthropic support toward groundbreaking research and life-changing initiatives that have touched countless lives. After spending fourteen years working at WFAA, Russ joined the Washington University in St. Louis senior leadership team, leading the Office of Planned Giving. The senior leadership team is responsible for setting the visionary course of University Advancement and ensuring that philanthropic endeavors align with the university's long-term goals and aspirations. |
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Lauren Ross Laumeier Sculpture Park welcomed Executive Director Lauren Ross in August 2018. She has 30 years of curatorial and arts leadership experience, having served as Curator and Director of Arts Programs for the High Line, the outdoor, elevated public park in New York City; Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and inaugural Curator of the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. She is also a distinguished writer who has contributed to catalogs published by institutions including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Dallas Museum of Art, as well as to such publications as ARTnews, Burnaway, and Art in America, among others. She has taught at Virginia Commonwealth University, the School of Visual Arts, Rhode Island School of Design, and the Whitney Museum. Ms. Ross holds a B.A. from Cornell University and an M.A. from Hunter College at the City University of New York, both in Art History. |
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Mark Norwood As a young man, Mark returned to Saint Louis and took part-time work at a local independent school as an after-school counselor and substitute. He loved working with children in a school setting and has spent the last 35 years in independent schools as a teacher, coach, Dean of Students, and now Co-Head of School at Crossroads College Prep, located not far from the Washington University campus in one of the most diverse regions of the metro area. Mark is now in the middle of All for Crossroads, a $5 million campaign. Mark and his wife Beth live in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood, now often called The Grove, where they raised their two children, Hannah (now living in Chicago) and Josh (in Detroit). Mark loves tea and would happily talk with you about it for an inappropriately long amount of time. |
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Thursday Afternoon Keynote
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3:10 PM - 4:10 PM |
Funding Forward Panel: Insights from St. Louis' Leading Philanthropic VoicesRachel D'Souza, President of the AFP St. Louis Chapter and President of Gladiator Consulting, will moderate a dynamic conversation with some of the region’s most influential philanthropic leaders. Panelists include Dr. Jason Purnell, President of the James S. McDonnell Foundation; Elke Buckland, Executive Director of The Saigh Foundation; and Barbara Carswell, CEO of YouthBridge Community Foundation. Together, they will explore how today’s political and economic climate is influencing funding priorities, how foundations and corporate funders are evolving their focus areas, and how they are thinking about equity, systems change, and measurable impact. Attendees will gain timely insights into philanthropic trends and learn what nonprofits can do to build authentic, lasting relationships with funders—and thrive in an ever-changing landscape. |
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Rachel D'Souza, MPPA Rachel D'Souza, MPPA, MLS is the founder of Gladiator Consulting in St. Louis, MO, a boutique firm co-creating with nonprofits across the country. As a proud member of the Community-Centric Fundraising Global Council, Rachel works to guide and resource a global initiative to reimagine the nonprofit sector through a lens of radical collaboration, racial equity, social justice, and decolonization. In 2024, Rachel completed her coursework to earn her second Master's Degree at the Washington University School of Law. With this additional training in negotiation, mediation and cross-cultural conflict resolution, Rachel is eager to shift organizational culture and interpersonal relationships in the direction of healing, collaboration and systems change. In addition to the Community-Centric Fundraising Resource Hub, her thought leadership has appeared in Blackbaud Institute's 2021 npExperts publication The Great Reset, NeonOne's 2022 report, Donors: Understanding The Future of Individual Giving, and on the Season 4 premiere of the Ethical Rainmaker podcast. She builds understanding and practice of the potential for transformation in our sector through webinars and panel conversations in partnership with sector leaders such as the Independent Sector, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and the Collective Impact Forum. Rachel is the proud mama to her two children, Cameron and Emelia, and makes her home in the Shaw neighborhood of St. Louis. Rachel enjoys spending time with her kids, Peloton workouts, and Instagram. |
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Dr. Jason Purnell Dr. Jason Purnell joined the James S. McDonnell Foundation as president in 2023 after leading the community health improvement strategy at BJC HealthCare. He created health equity programs with colleagues and partners and introduced an anchor institution agenda focused on investments in high-poverty communities of color. This work built on his scholarship at Washington University’s Brown School, where in 2014, he and his collaborators released the seminal “For the Sake of All” report on African American health in St. Louis, inspiring policy changes and programmatic innovations. Dr. Purnell’s BA is from Harvard, and his PhD is from Ohio State University. |
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Elke Buckland Elke Buckland is the Executive Director of The Saigh Foundation, a private foundation founded in St. Louis, Missouri in (1999). The work of the Saigh Foundation is focused on enhancing the lives of children and youth in the areas of education and health. Elke succeeded a foundation founder, JoAnn Hejna, as only the second Executive Director in the foundation’s history. Elke began her professional career in manufacturing and supply chain management as an owner operator for sixteen (16) years. She transitioned into not-for-profit management in 2013, as a leader on the agency side of philanthropy. Her experience in both not for profit development and operations gives her a unique perspective and deep understanding of the challenges and impact charitable organizations often face in successfully executing their missions. She has extensive knowledge in setting strategy and implementing initiatives for organizational growth and her ability to cultivate longstanding relationships, both professionally and personally, is not only a strength but a passion. In her leadership roles Elke has managed, mentored, and collaborated with board members, volunteers, and staff to foster collaboration and collectively influence systemic change throughout the community. Elke’s work and accomplishments extend into her personal philanthropy, as she serves in a volunteer capacity as the Grants Chair for St. Louis Social Venture Partners, the philanthropic arm of the St. Louis Regional Business Council. Her efforts with SVP include directing the volunteer board and committee members in the areas of funding and collaborative partnerships with St. Louis area not for profit organizations. Her goal in her professional and personal endeavors is to strengthen the systems that lift up the entire community. |
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Barbara Carswell Barbara directs YouthBridge’s efforts to partner with donors in support of charities in the St. Louis region, especially those focused on children. She oversees a team dedicated to building the bridge between the philanthropic and nonprofit communities by providing exceptional giving experiences and impactful grants and community investments. After studies in Bonn, Germany and Geneva, Switzerland, Barbara earned her law degree from the University of Munich and her LL.M. from the University of Georgia. Prior to joining YouthBridge in 2013, Barbara was a tax attorney as well as the Executive Director of a child-serving nonprofit. Before assuming the role of CEO in 2021, she held the position of Vice President of Grants and Community. Barbara previously served on the Boards of Philanthropy Missouri and the Saint Louis Council of Charitable Gift Planners. |
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Scott Baier Scott Baier is the Director of Philanthropy & Community Impact at Edward Jones. He believes that Philanthropy should operate in service to the needs of communities and should likewise trust the expertise of the leaders and staff of the organizations that are doing the work. He came to corporate philanthropy after leading education nonprofit organizations for over twenty years in St. Louis, MO. Before that, he worked in higher education and in a past life taught seventh grade Language Arts at Audubon Middle School in the Los Angeles Unified School District. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Scott serves on the Board of his kids' school, where he Co-Chairs the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Committee and spends free time with his family going to art museums, watching baseball games, or seeing Miyazaki movies. |
