About Beth Darmstadter, MPH

Beth Darmstadter has been Executive Director at Family Connections since 2022. She has 20+ years of experience in Cleveland’s nonprofit sector,  previously serving as Chief Philanthropy Officer at the YMCA of Greater Cleveland and holding leadership roles at the MetroHealth System, The Gathering Place, and the Cleveland Foundation. Beth holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan and a Master of Public Health degree from San Diego State University. She is an alum of Cleveland Bridge Builders, Board Secretary of SnakeBite Racing, former Board Chair of the AIDS Funding Collaborative of Cleveland and former Board member of Association of Fundraising Professionals, Beth lives in Berea and is a triathlete.

About David Holmes (he/him)

Dave Holmes is an Educational Programming Manager at Candid, coordinating national trainings and the training and educational programming for the Midwest region. He returned to the Foundation Center (now Candid) in 2015 from a position as Senior Consultant at Grants Plus, writing grants and doing research for a variety of large and small nonprofit clients. In his initial nine-year tenure with Foundation Center, Dave served in various roles including Regional Training Specialist, Interim Director of Foundation Center – Cleveland, and Director of Capacity and Leadership Development.

Earlier in his career, Dave served as a Program Officer for the Stocker Foundation in Lorain, Ohio, and as the Director of Grants and Prospect Research at Notre Dame College in South Euclid, Ohio. He has served on numerous local boards, including the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Greater Cleveland Chapter;  Joel's Place for Children; and Upcycle Parts Shop. He holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh, an MA from Villanova University, and an MLIS from Kent State University.

About Indigo Bishop

Indigo Bishop is a certified social justice mediator and a graduate of Case Western Reserve University where she studied sociology, anthropology, and social work. She has traveled to Kenya, Ecuador and the Netherlands to study nonprofit organizations, community development, and social policy.

Before coming to  Indigo worked with Neighborhood Connections, a program of the Cleveland Foundation and the nation’s largest grassroots grants program, established to empower and encourage Clevelanders to become more engaged with each other and with the city. In this role Indigo connected active citizens to opportunities and resources, encouraging their creativity, passion, and ingenuity to take action on what they cared about, shaping communities that work for them. She also developed sustainable wealth building initiatives, facilitated dialogue and collective action, and taught both nationally and locally; equipping practitioners across the country with innovative community building techniques.

About Judy Salm

About Judy Wright

Judy Wright’s career has spanned the fields of community organizing, education, and institutional philanthropy, always with a focus on advancing social justice. Currently Judy serves as the Director for the Ohio Transformation Fund, a collaborative fund developed by national and local funders to make structural changes in Ohio's criminal justice system in order to improve safety and health in Ohio's communities.

Judy graduated from Northwestern University with a B.S., cum laude, in Education and Social Policy and earned a M.Ed at Cleveland State University with a focus on Adult Learning and Development. With an interest in popular education and transformational learning, Judy has conducted field research in Chicago, Cleveland, and Bolivia. Her research on popular education in Cochabamba, Bolivia, served as the basis for several published articles and presentations.

About Robbin Hudson

Robbin Thornton Hudson serves as the Community Programming Manager for the . In this role she leads strategic efforts to create flourishing communities, sustainable nonprofit organizations, and collaborative community-based efforts.

Robbin has a record of success in philanthropy, education, and community engagement. She has worked with government, nonprofit organizations, foundations and corporations to build programs and services that lift up justice and opportunity. In 2017, Robbin launched Platform & Zenith a corporate and community social responsibility firm. Previously, she served for eight years as Director of Family and Education Initiatives at Neighborhood Leadership Institute.

Robbin serves on the board of New Bridge Center for Arts and Technology Cleveland, is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., National Black MBA Association, and Association of Black Foundation Executives. She is an international leadership trainer for the Cleveland Council on World Affairs. Robbin holds B.A. in Economics from Mount Holyoke College and a Masters of Business Administration from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. She is the proud mother of one daughter, Torah.

About Samantha Sopko

Sami Sopko is the Director of Grants and Foundation Relations for Friends of Breakthrough, the fundraising and advocacy arm of the Breakthrough Schools network in Cleveland, Ohio. Sami has been with Breakthrough for nearly five years, and prior to joining the network has written grants for a local school district and nonprofit organizations serving youth. She received her BA in English from Baldwin Wallace University. Sami is currently President of the Grant Professionals Association Greater Cleveland chapter and has served on the chapter’s Executive Board for three years.

About Staci Lowell

With over fifteen years' experience as an information professional, ten of which have been in the nonprofit sector, Staci Lowell has seen data transform how the world does business. Her company Giving Insight, LLC assists organizations in maximizing the use of their information resources to strengthen their donor base and improve fundraising outcomes.

Staci Lowell has a JD from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University and a BA in Political Science from Taylor University. Her previous work experience includes time at two of Cleveland's largest nonprofits; Hospice of the Western Reserve and Cleveland State University, where she held positions in prospect research and database management.

About Steven Day

Steve is a partner in the Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation practice group. Steve advises public, private and nonprofit clients on tax, securities, ERISA and state law issues related to designing and operating executive compensation arrangements and employee benefit plans.

Steve is recognized as one of "America’s Leading Lawyers" in Chambers USA 2017 for Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation and as a “Rising Star” by Ohio Super Lawyers.

Steve is a member of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and serves as Chair of its Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts committee, through which he provides pro bono legal services to members of the local arts community and frequently presents to artists and students on legal issues affecting artists. He is also President and Chairman of the Board of Directors for Encore Chamber Music Institute. Steve is also on the Board of Directors of the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce in Ohio.

About Teleange' Thomas

Teleange′ Thomas was named director of Candid Midwest in January 2016. She provides leadership for deepening the organization’s impact in 13 Midwestern states while enhancing the organization’s value proposition to the Cleveland community.

Ms. Thomas has 14+ years of professional experience in the fields of healthcare, public health, human services, and philanthropy. Prior to joining Foundation Center (now Candid), she served for seven years as a program director with the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland, overseeing strategies to reduce health disparities among vulnerable populations through strategic grantmaking, systems and policy change.

Teleange′ earned a bachelor’s of business management and entrepreneurial studies from Case Western Reserve University. She is a member of the boards of directors for Health Policy Institute of Ohio, Green City Growers, and the Conservancy of Cuyahoga Valley National Park; a fellow of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; and is published in professional and academic journals.

About Tom O'Brien

Tom is the Program Director with Neighborhood Connections, a community building/organizing and small grants program affiliated with the Cleveland Foundation. He has been with Neighborhood Connections since 2007.  Prior to directing Neighborhood Connections, Tom worked as a community organizer, teacher, coach, and with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest.