2013 Conference Speakers

Upcoming Events

June Luncheon
June 10, 2013
11:30am - 1:00pm
The Harbor Club, Seattle

July Luncheon
July 8, 2013
11:30am - 1:00pm
The Harbor Club, Seattle

July Virtual Seminar
July 17, 2013
10:00am - 12:30pm
Northwest Kidney Center, Seattle

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Planned Giving Day 2013 Conference Speakers

John Creahan, Founder, Cairn Law, PLLC
Cairn Law, founded by John Creahan, is a Seattle law firm serving the legal needs of families, individuals, businesses, and nonprofits throughout Washington State. With more than 15 years’ experience in the field, John provides practical and cost-effective estate planning services for individuals and families, represents fiduciaries in probate and trust administration procedures, and advises business owners in transition. Charitable planning is an important part of John’s practice. He also helps charities reach out to donors about planned giving opportunities. John is the immediate past president of WPGC and serves on development committees for PATH and the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation.

Todd Girouard, Donor Relations Manager, Northwest Harvest
Todd has served in his current position with Northwest Harvest since spring 2008. His previous nonprofit work includes Corporate Relations for the American Lung Association of Washington, Development and Media Director for NFFTY (The National Film Festival for Talented Youth), Director of Development for Sustainable Cascadia and the Cascadia Convergence, and Steering Committee member for the Alzheimer’s Association’s Memory Walk. Todd’s past occupations also include radio and TV broadcaster, musician, and whitewater guide.

Frank Minton, Principal, Frank Minton Consulting LLC
Frank is a nationally recognized expert on planned giving. Frank founded Planned Giving Services, a consulting firm that built an exceptional national reputation and was acquired by PC Calc in August 2005. He has served in several leadership positions, including Chair of the American Council on Gift Annuities and Conference Chair and President of the National Committee on Planned Giving (now known as the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning). Dr. Minton has received numerous awards in the field; the WPGC Professional Achievement Award is named in his honor. He is a frequent speaker at seminars and conferences and is the principal author of the definitive manual on charitable gift annuities, co-author of Planned Giving for Canadians, and has written many booklets and articles on planned giving topics. He holds MA and PhD degrees from the University of Chicago.

Alison O'Carroll, Senior Consultant, PG Calc
Alison joined PG Calc in 2006. She has worked in planned giving for more than 20 years, both in the field (CARE, University of Washington School of Public Health) and as a consultant. She has served in leadership roles in the local gift planning community, including President of the WPGC, and has spoken at various conferences across the country. Alison holds a JD and MBA from Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.

Tim Prosser, JD, Relationship Manager/Senior Technical Consultant, Kaspick & Company
Timothy Prosser joined KAPSICK & COMPANY in 2009 with nearly 20 years of experience in legal practice and financial services. Prior to joining TIAA-CREF Trust Company in 2000, Tim practiced law in the areas of estate planning, estate and trust administration, charitable giving, and business succession planning with the firms of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal and Armstrong Teasdale Schlafly & Davis in St. Louis, Missouri. He is on the board of the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning and is a board member and past president of the Saint Louis Planned Giving Council. Tim holds a JD degree and MA degree in Public Administration from St. Louis University and a BA in Russian Area Studies from Loyola University, New Orleans.

Jane Pryor, CFRE, Vice President of Development and Public Relations, Northwest Kidney Centers, and Executive Director, Northwest Kidney Centers Foundation Board
During her 29-year career, Jane has worked in fund raising offices small and large in higher education and healthcare, including seven years as Director of Major and Planned Giving at the Franciscan Foundation prior to her arrival at Northwest Kidney Centers in 2007. She was one of the first faculty for the University of Washington-Tacoma’s Fund Raising Management certificate program, where she taught courses in major and planned giving and worked with students on their culminating projects.

Kate Roosevelt, Collins Group
Kate Roosevelt, CFRE, Executive Vice President of Collins Group, specializes in developing major gifts, campaign planning, and offering strategies to build strong donor relationships. She has helped more than 60 nonprofit organizations raise more than $200 million. Kate is the board president of Braided River, an organization that uses photography and essays to build support for wilderness preservation. She also serves on the Advisory Board for the UW Nonprofit Management Certificate Program and as the chair of the nominating committee for the Alumni Council of Colby College, where she received her BA. Kate holds an MPA in nonprofit management from the University of Washington.

Claudia Sangster, Director of Philanthropy, Estate & Trust Services, Harris myCFO, LLC, Los Angeles Office

With her background in law and sociology, Claudia Sangster is uniquely qualified to help families transfer their valuables and values from one generation to the next. She possesses vast technical knowledge in estate, gift, and charitable tax planning accumulated through more than 25 years spent working in financial services organizations, a non-profit organization, and in law firms that specialize in estate and charitable planning and probate. She manages the philanthropy services division for Harris myCFO, a service within the BMO Harris Private Bank, delivering comprehensive family office solutions in estate, philanthropy and trust planning, and in counseling clients on sophisticated tax saving and wealth preservation strategies. A much-sought after speaker on philanthropy and estate planning, she is also a member and former President of the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning of Greater Los Angeles and a member of its national counterpart. She holds memberships in the state bar associations of Texas (inactive) and California, the American Bar Association, and the Los Angeles Bar Associations. Claudia is a faculty member for the American Institute for Philanthropic Studies for California State University, Long Beach.

Shelley Saunders, Director of Advancement, KidsQuest Children’s Museum
In her work with KidsQuest, the capital campaign to secure a new downtown Bellevue site is the top priority for Shelley Saunders. Shelley joined KidsQuest in 2012, after 13 years with Seattle Children’s Theatre as Director of Marketing and Development. Her professional background also includes serving as Director of Business Affairs at Vulcan-Experience Music Project and 18 years with KIRO Radio and TV.

Lani Starkey, JD, LLM, CPA, Director, Office of Estate and Gift Planning, University of Hawaii Foundation
A nationally recognized charitable tax planning expert, Lani frequently speaks at national, regional and local conferences, and he has authored articles in respected journals, newspapers, and newsletters. Lani is also an Adjunct Professor at the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, where he teaches tax and estate planning. Lani received his LLM in Tax from the University of Florida’s Graduate Tax Program. He earned his JD degree cum laude at Pepperdine University School of Law and his Accounting degree from Texas State University. A donor as well as a fundraiser, Lani is a member of the University of Hawaii Foundation’s Heritage Society and President's Club. Prior to moving to Honolulu, Hawaii, Lani was a longtime resident of Houston, Texas, and Malibu, California, where he was an avid triathlete and surfer.

Jeremy Stelter, Western Marketing Consultant, The Stelter Company
For ten years, Jeremy’s primary responsibility has been to manage the western United States for The Stelter Company, a leading source for gift planning marketing for the nonprofit community. Jeremy personally works with more than 300 clients concerning their marketing needs and makes face-to-face visits with clients and prospects within a nine-state territory. Whether he is speaking at industry meetings or through social networking on-line, Jeremy shares his expertise on hot topics in gift planning, such as marketing on multimedia platforms, relationship building strategies, and cutting-edge donor and fundraising research. Jeremy is a member of the Colorado Planned Giving Roundtable and currently serves on the marketing committee. He holds a degree in Marketing from the University of Iowa.

Maria Chavez Wilcox, President, Childhaven

With more than 30 years’ experience as a nationally recognized leader of nonprofit organizations, Maria Chavex Wilcox became Childhaven’s President in May 2011. She came to Childhaven after serving as President and CEO of United Way of Orange County for 15 years. Her previous experience with United Way of King County included working as a senior manager with Boeing and other large companies. Maria holds a Masters in Education from Boston University.