Training for Executive Directors of Regional Nonprofits
The Nonprofit Academy is facilitated by Jeff Bryant and Christi Cakiroglu of the Center for Nonprofit Business and is designed to support nonprofit Executive Directors/CEOs with less than three years of experience in their current role. Participation is limited to one participant per organization.
Applications for the 2026 Nonprofit Academy will open in Q4 2025.
About the Nonprofit Academy
Who is Eligible?
The Nonprofit Academy is offered annually for nonprofit Executive Directors/CEOs who typically have less than three years of experience in their current role. Executive Directors/CEOs who have more than three years of experience are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Participation is limited to one participant per organization per year.
What is the Cost?
There is no cost to participate.
Program Schedule
There are nine monthly meetings from January – October (there will be no meeting in July). Meetings will be held in-person at the Community Foundation on the first Wednesday of the month from 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm.
Application Deadline
Applications for the 2026 cohort will be open in Q4 of 2025.
Nonprofit Academy features make it unique and valuable
- Participation is free.
- Nonprofit Academy participants create their curriculum. The Community Foundation does not assume the training needs. Instead, we ask participants what topics are most important to them, just like we do with our initiatives. What are nonprofits missing that will advance their organization the most?
Participants listen and learn from each other. At the start of their meetings, participants will share recent achievements and seek wisdom from their peers.
Nonprofit Academy Graduates
Since 2019, more than 95 Executive Directors have graduated from the Nonprofit Academy:
- Adopt a Vet Dental Program, Inc. – Heather Borkowski
- Artists' Co-operative of Reno – Patricia Leonard
- Arts for All Nevada – Jackie Clay
- Bed Bug Relief Foundation– Jodi Ashby
- Big Brothers Big Sisters – Derek Beauvais
- Black Wall Street – RoMar Tolliver
- Boosted Diplomas – Cooper Richardson
- Brewery Arts Center– Spike McGuire
- Cancer Community Clubhouse – Natalie Stevenson
- Capital City CIRCLES Initiatives – Steve Hedrick
- Carson Valley Community Food Closet - Cynthia Rodriguez
- Chase International Foundation – Cindy Ranne
- Children's Cabinet – Kim Young
- Communities in Schools – Auburn Harrison
- Communities in Schools of Western Nevada – Nicole Willis Grimes
- Community Services Agency – Leslie Colbrese
- Cultural Alliance Nevada – Tia Flores
- David J. Drakulich Foundation – Ognjen Grubor
- Dean's Future Scholars – Mariluz Garcia
- DOULA CO-OP of Nevada – Emily Barney
- Down Syndrome Network of Northern Nevada – Christina Ugalde
- Dress for Success – Patti Weiske
- Eddy House – Trevor Macaluso
- Education Alliance– Sarah Gobbs-Hill
- Education Innovation Collaborative – Mary Alber
- enCompass Academy - Toby Wiedenmayer
- Envirolution – Mishkat Al Moumin, Mike Robertson & Vanessa Robertson
- Feeding Pets of the Homeless – Laura Brown
- Fernley Community Foundation – Cody Wagner
- Food Bank of Northern Nevada – Nicole Lamboley
- For Kids Foundation – Annie Goni-Stewart
- Girl Scouts of Sierra Nevada – Pam Czyz
- Girls on the Run - Sierras – Joy Heuer
- Good Luck Macbeth– Sarah Hinz
- Great Basin Outdoor School– Emily Baldwin
- Hart Foundation – Justin Miller
- Historic Fourth Ward School Museum and Archives – Nora Stefu
- I Got You Reno– Marsha Cuddy-Brasel
- Inter-Tribal Council of NV Inc. – Deserea Quintana
- Join Together Northern Nevada – Anne-Elizabeth Northan
- JUSTin HOPE Foundation – Maricela Gutierrez Rodriguez
- Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful – Darcy Phillips
- KUNR Public Radio – Brian Duggan
- Lahontan Audubon Society – Diane Wong-Kone
- Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival - Joe Atack
- Latino Arte and Culture – Mario Delarosa
- LEAD with Horses – Jeane Spada-Allgood
- Lizzy Hammond Foundation – Mitch & Wendy Hammond
- May Arboretum Society - Frances Munoz
- Monai Village – Patricia Artis
- NAMI Southern Nevada – Trinh Dang
- NAMI Northern Nevada - Nichole Marie Schembre
- National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges – Joey Orduna-Hastings
- Neighborhood Mediation Center – Mark Batson Baril
- Nevada Educational Advocacy Center for Children – Susan Zeiter
- Nevada Historical Society – Catherine Magee
- Nevada Housing Coalition – Christine Hess
- Nevada Kids Foundation – Kallie Todaro
- Nevada Math – Angela Francis
- Nevada Neon Project – Will Durham
- Nevada Outdoor School – Melanie Erquiaga
- Nevada PAW Society - Rebecca Obinque
- Nevada Rural Counties RSVP Program Inc. – Molly Walt
- Northern Nevada Black Cultural Awareness Society – Jessica Vann
- Northern Nevada Dream Center – Susan Sorenson
- Northern Nevada Literacy Council – Adrienne Santiago
- Northern Nevada Math Club – Sherry Griffin
- NV Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health – Jacquelyn Kleinedler
- OLLI – Kristen Kennedy
- Om Home Healing Sanctuary - Billie Jo Stokes
- Optimist Club of Reno – Priya Ahlawat
- Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UNR – Dolores Ward Cox
- Parkinson Support Center of Northern Nevada – Mindy Lokshin
- Pioneer Center – Dennyse Sewell
- Rebuilding Together Northern Nevada – Meg Shea
- Reno Food Systems - Lyndsey Langsdale
- Reno Little Theater – Melissa Taylor
- Reno Police Department’s Victim Services Unit – Brie Bertges
- Ridge House – Dani Tillman
- ROC Foundation – Miranda Hoover & Sara DePaoli
- Ronald McDonald House Charities – Rikki Ricker
- Safe Embrace – Jessica Cisneros
- Seniors in Service – Michelle Rector
- She Means Business - Alli Villines
- Shopping Angels – Jayde Powell
- Sierra Arts Foundation – Tracey Oliver
- Silver State Storytellers – Lyric Burt
- Sky Tavern - Pat Cashell
- Slopes4Sanity - Jonas Schenzel
- Soulful Seeds - Cara Montoya
- Sparks Heritage Museum & Cultural Center – Christine Johnson
- Spread the Word Nevada – Courtney Vogt
- Step 2 – Mari Hutchinson
- Tahoe Public Art – Marina Lowe
- Tahoe Rim Trail Association – Lindsey Schultz
- Tahoe Rim Trail Association – Morgan Steel
- Tahoe-Pyramid Trail – Mark Cameron
- Tahoe's Connection for Families – Kim Warren
- Tangible Movement - Torri Shack
- The Altruistic American – Chris Battenberg
- The Black Community Collective – Edward Coleman
- The Generator – Alysia Dynamik
- The Guinn Center- Jill Tolles
- The Reno Chamber Orchestra – Amy Heald
- The SWAAAG Foundation – Kyle Burke
- TheatreWorks of Northern Nevada – Elisha Harris
- TIP of Northern Nevada, Inc. – Gabrielle Totton
- Truckee Meadows Habitat for Humanity – Bridgette Boswell
- Truckee Meadows Tomorrow – Kylie Rowe
- Truckee Meadows Tomorrow - Erin Hanna-Butros Meyering
- Tu Casa Latina – Sandra Quiroz
- Urban Roots – Fayth Ross
- Urban Roots – Jenny Angius and Sydney Callahan
- Veterans Guest House – Sylvia DuBeau
- Women and Children’s Center of the Sierras – Alex Nevarez & Junella Zuniga
“The Nonprofit Academy gave me a tremendous amount of knowledge that I was able to put into use in real-time with the pandemic. The information helped my organization be able to weather the storm. I can’t wait to see what lies ahead for TheatreWorks of Northern Nevada.” – Elisha D. Harris, Executive Director of TheatreWorks of Northern Nevada
“My skill set has been strengthened, I have a larger toolbox to pull from and an expanded network to reach out to for support.” – Sara Depaoli, ROC Foundation, 2019 Nonprofit Academy graduate
“We will be embarking on a strategic planning process in 2020 that will have HUGE impact on the organization’s future. I will also be using the concept that our goals should drive the creation of our annual budget starting with the 20-21 fiscal year.”
“Topics that came up in Nonprofit Academy became topics in board meetings. I talked with my staff about what we were doing in the NP Academy and that led to good conversations that would not have happened otherwise.”
“The Nonprofit Academy has helped me become more strategic in educating the board, board direction and marketing our mission and purpose.”
