Leaders
Jane Alexander
JANE CLOVER ALEXANDER
A native of Jackson, Mississippi. Jane is currently the President and CEO of the Community Foundation for Mississippi, which was founded in 1994 as the Greater Jackson Foundation with a gift of $200,000. Coming to this community foundation when it was in a state of chaos and change, Jane was able to see and chart a path toward sustainability and impact that has increased assets (from $28 million to nearly $90 million today), created strong partnerships with philanthropic partners and grantees, and invested in community hardscapes as well as in people. CFM has expanded to cover 22 counties in central and southwest Mississippi.
Jane enjoys building and nurturing existing partnerships, and fostering new initiatives rooted in a commitment to values. She loves nothing better than to brainstorm with brilliant minds to define challenges and create approaches to meeting them, and is optimistic and realistic about what it takes to create ways to make lasting change and durable solutions for entrenched challenges. One key ingredient is cross-sector partnerships and collaborative relationships with others.
Jane is a former board member of Philanthropy Southeast and currently serves in the Public Policy and Community Foundations committees. She is a member of the CEO Forum of Philanthropy Southeast and is a state captain for Foundations on the Hill. She is on the board of the Mississippi Alliance of Nonprofits and Philanthropy and is a member of the Alliance's Community Foundations Network and the Education Affinity Group. She was elected to membership in International Women’s Forum in 2017, and sits on the Council on Foundations Community Foundation Advisory Committee.
Amanda Crawford
Amanda Crawford currently serves as the Executive Director for the Mississippi Nurses Foundation, a philanthropic foundation that supports nursing students and the nursing profession in Mississippi. She guides the Foundation’s mission through organizational leadership, fiscal management, and community engagement.
Throughout her 25+ year career in the nonprofit space in Mississippi, Amanda has worked with organizations that have had an impact on the quality of life for Mississippians. During her 13 year tenure with the American Cancer Society, she served in multiple roles concluding with the Executive Director for the South Region, which included leadership and management for fundraising efforts in markets across Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas.
Prior to joining the MS Nurses Foundation, Amanda served as Director of Development at Palmer Home for Children, where she worked closely with the executive team to secure annual operating support for the organization as well as capital gifts for a campaign in excess of $8 million.
As a result of her leadership and expertise in fundraising and development, Amanda helped these organizations raise over $30 million in funds to support both mission and capital projects.
She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from Mississippi State University, a Certificate in Nonprofit Finance from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, a Certificate in Principles of Fundraising from Indiana University’s Lily School of Philanthropy, and a Master’s Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Delta State University. Amanda is a current candidate for the Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), and is preparing to sit for the exam in October of 2024.
John Damon
Dr. John Damon, MS, PhD, is the CEO of Canopy Children's Solutions, Mississippi's largest and most comprehensive non-profit provider of children's behavioral health, education, and family support solutions. John works with all three branches of government; business thought leaders and community stakeholders to develop public policy, clinical best practices, and catalytic partnerships aimed at helping every child and family reach their full potential. He has served as president of the National Association for Children's Behavioral Health (NACBH), the Behavioral Health Society of the Mississippi Hospital Association, and the Mississippi Association of Child Caring Agencies. John continues to serve in Board leadership for NACBH and the Children's Home Society of America. He is a member of the Mississippi Early Child Investment Council.
John is currently appointed by the Mississippi Legislature to serve on the Mississippi K-12 and Postsecondary Mental Health Task Force and by the Mississippi Supreme Court to serve on the Children's Justice Commission.
Donna Ladd
Donna Ladd is an American investigative journalist who co-founded the Jackson Free Press, a local newspaper and later, the Mississippi Free Press, an online news publication that emphasizes solutions journalism where Ladd currently serves as editor & CEO. She is noted for highlighting the historical and continuing role of race in current events. Ladd was born in Philadelphia, Mississippi. In 1983, Ladd completed her B.A. in Political Science at Mississippi State University and left to pursue a career in journalism. She helped start The Colorado Springs Independent, Colorado Springs' first alternative newsweekly, in 1993. After editing and then writing for the paper for several years, she moved to New York City where she wrote for The Village Voice and pursued a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University.
Maura McDevitt
Maura is an assurance principal with BMSS, LLC with more than 25 years of combined public and corporate accounting experience. She manages assurance and related services for a wide range of privately held and non-profit entities as well as provides consulting services on various financial matters. Maura has in depth experience in the areas of budgeting, forecasting, analytical review and financial statement preparation. Maura has a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from Clemson University and a Masters in Business Administration from The Citadel Graduate College. Maura is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Global Management Accountant and a Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional. Maura and her husband Jeff live in Flowood, Mississippi and have four children and three grandchildren.
Matt Milliman
Matt Milliman is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Mercy House Adult & Teen Challenge, a 14-month men's residential Christian discipleship program in Georgetown, Mississippi. Matt's desire is to help families overcome their struggle with addiction. He has a passion to see broken lives restored and enjoys teaching men to become the person that God created them to be. Matt has a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and Management from University of Louisiana at Lafeyette.
Steven Mulhollen
Steve Mulhollen,
While obtaining his B.A. in Christian studies, his M.B.A., and his Certificate in Accounting from Mississippi College, Mulhollen embarked on a diverse career. Steve began his career working in the Investor Relations mailroom at WorldCom and worked his way up as a Financial Analyst while completing his M.B.A. at Mississippi College. After a short stint at Georgia Pacific as a Wood and Fiber Procurement accountant, Steve entered public accounting to pursue his passion for serving Not-for-Profit organizations. After a successful tenure at HORNE, he left to serve his clients, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and Phi Theta Kappa Foundation as the chief financial officer. While serving as the finance committee chair, his home church, Broadmoor Baptist Church, asked him to serve as the Executive Pastor and Treasurer.
Mulhollen was first introduced to teaching adjunct at the collegiate level in the early 2000s at Mississippi College. His desire and joy for teaching have never left him. He is currently an Instructor of Accounting at Mississippi College, where he teaches principles, intermediate, and cost accounting. Steve, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Southern Mississippi, continues to serve the Not for Profit and Governmental community through his consulting services company Poiema L.L.C. Steve is a Certified Public Accountant and holds the SHRM-CP designation.
Kassi Rushing
Kassi Rushing builds places people want to work. She specializes in connecting the people, processes, and resources necessary to make culture a company's competitive advantage. Since 2002, Kassi has been bridging the strategies between business and people, transforming workplace culture, building high performing teams, developing leaders and leadership pipelines with future ready skills, designing intentional employee experiences, improving talent experiences and pipelines, and crafting communication strategy to accelerate organizational success.
Kassi specializes in accounting firms and finance organizations. Clients ranging from small firms to the Big 4, and private and public companies, including those in the Fortune 500, have worked with Kassi to transform for the future of work.
Kassi previously served as the director of people growth and engagement for a Top 50 public accounting firm and as a corporate communicator at a large financial institution. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in communication from Mississippi State University and her Master of Science in corporate communication from Mississippi College. She holds her Certificate in Diversity & Inclusion from the Yale School of Management.
Kassi is a working mom and owner of Kassi Rushing Consulting. You can follow her on Instagram at @momsmakegreatleaders.
Lee Stringer
Lee Stringer is President and CEO of 5th Squad, a nonprofit organization comprised of combat veterans from various branches of service within the military. Its mission is to support the veterans in need, along with giving back to the community that has supported the military. The 5th Squad has created multiple events to raise funds and awareness for Veterans in need. Ruck for Rugrats, Ruck 2 Remember, Jacob Campbell Memorial Scramble and multiple other events. The R4R is a toy drive/7 mile ruck march to Children's of Mississippi Hospital done each December. Lee has a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration from University of Arkansas Grantham. He is Sergeant Major in the Mississippi Army Guard.
Eric B. Tisdale
Brad Tisdale leads the Fractional CFO & Consulting firm, BT Advisors. His previous role was with Reformed Theological Seminary as the Chief Operations and Financial Officer where he gave leadership to the entire institution for over 14 years. Before that, he worked for 6 years with KPMG, LLP in Jackson where he specialized in the non-profit industry serving healthcare, education, and foundation clients. Brad is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and has both a Bachelor and Master of Professional Accountancy from Mississippi State University. He serves as a Ruling Elder and Chairman of the World Missions Committee at Highlands Presbyterian Church in Ridgeland, MS. Brad and his wife, Sara, have been married for 10 years and have two beautiful daughters Millie Ruth and Ayres.
Tanya Webber
Tanya G. Webber is the Assistant Secretary of State for the Charities Division of the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office, a position that she has held under two different Secretaries of State (one Democrat and one Republican). In this capacity, she has the responsibility of regulating non-profit organizations for compliance with the Mississippi Charities Act by performing routing financial examinations, investigating complaints and nonprofit embezzlement cases, as well as other violations of the Act. The Division also works with federal and state prosecuting authorities to criminally punish violators of these charity laws. Prior to joining the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office in 2001, Tanya worked with the Mississippi Legislative PEER Committee and the Mississippi Department of Transportation. A proud graduate of Okolona High School, Tanya graduated Valedictorian of her class before graduating Magna Cum Laude from Jackson State University with a BBA in Accounting. Tanya then went on to earn her Juris Doctor from the University Of Mississippi School Of Law in 1998. Selected as one of Mississippi's 50 Leading Business Women in 2016, the Board of Trustees & Deacon Wives Council at Gt. Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, and the illustrious Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Tanya takes serious her service to mankind and commitment to making the world a better place one day at a time.
Brian Yacker
Brian, a tax partner in Baker Tilly's Orange County, California office, specializes in non-profit organizations. Brian received his Bachelor of Science, finance and marketing, at the University of Virginia (Charlottesville, Virginia) and his Juris Doctor from Indiana University School of Law (Bloomington, Indiana). Brian has nearly 30 years of experience providing tax, legal and accounting services and solutions to all types of non-profit organizations, including public charities, private foundations, university auxiliaries, social clubs, business leagues, labor organizations, social welfare organizations, water districts, athletic organizations, social services entities, hospitals, bids, veterans organizations. Brian provides reasonable compensation studies, lobbying studies, governance consulting, public support test consulting, unrelated business income studies, special events consulting, state charitable solicitation registration services and insider
transaction analyses. Brian is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), American Bar Association (ABA) Exempt Organizations Committee, Board of Directors for the TE/GE EO Council, AICPA EO Tax Technical Resource Panel, and AICPA Non-profit Advisory Committee.
