Dorel Shanon Consulting
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Dorel Shanon is an independent consultant providing organizational and program development support to not-for-profit organizations. She has more than eighteen years of experience leading groups and facilitating meetings. She assists clients in the areas of strategic planning, change management, leadership development, team development and workplace communication. Her clients have included the Philadelphia Department of Human Services, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Congreso de Latinos Unidos, The Center for Responsible Funding, Planned Parenthood, NARAL-PA, the Philadelphia Domestic Violence Coalition, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, and the Philadelphia Department of Health AIDS Activities Coordinating Office.

Ms. Shanon is former Vice President for Professional Development and Education for Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania. During her tenure at Planned Parenthood she worked regionally and nationally on initiatives to strengthen the organization’s capacity for meeting its mission, including service on the Steering Committee of the Association of Planned Parenthood Leaders in Education, the Ford Foundation Advocacy Committee of SIECUS (Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S.), the Planned Parenthood Federation of America Education Reinvention Team, and the Planned Parenthood Federation National Staff Development Facilitation Team. She has also served on the Boards of the Greater Philadelphia Women’s Medical Fund, NARAL-PA, and Congregation Mishkan Shalom.

Ms. Shanon is the author of several articles and publications, including The Women’s Guide to Philadelphia (Prestegord Publishers, 1983), “Sexual Health Education and the Internet: The Next Frontier (SIECUS Journal, 1996), and “Adolescents, Sexual Health and the Internet: Possibilities, Prospects and Challenges for Educators” (Journal of Sex Education and Therapy, 1997). She won the National Association of Planned Parenthood Leaders in Education Golden APPLE Award, for most outstanding leader in the field of education and training (1995).

Ms. Shanon has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Pennsylvania, magna cum laude, 1982. She has extensive post-graduate training from institutions including the University of Pennsylvania (Organizational Dynamics Masters Program) and Temple University, and has recently completed a yearlong practicum with the Center for Human Systems.

Martha Isobel Lask Consulting
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

MIL Consulting provides consulting and training to organizations in the public and private sector to improve business through effective, intentionally developed communication.

MIL Consulting:

• Brings innovative models and approaches to help individuals and groups fine-tune verbal and non-verbal communication skills;
• Challenges and supports clients to rekindle inspiration and hope in their organizations;
• Brings facilitated peer coaching and application of the best of organization development practices to leaders in the non-profit sector.

MIL Consulting specializes in:
Executive Coaching
Workshop Design
Leadership Development
Culture Change
Group Facilitation
Public/Private Partnerships

Types of client projects include:

• Delivery of customized coaching and mentoring skills training to leaders, managers and staff in a variety of industries including healthcare, insurance, pharmaceutical and publishing resulting in enhanced leadership and supervisory skills.
• Executive coaching, producing specific behavioral changes and strategic organizational outcomes, to leaders of consulting firms, human services agencies, advocacy organizations and small businesses.
• Facilitation and mediation of communication processes between diverse groups, leading to more effective working relationships, at a publishing company, a college academic center, and across human service agencies and city departments.
• Design and delivery of an innovative approach to enhance consulting and coaching skills using movement, music and art, producing heightened awareness and understanding of intervention choices, for two groups of organization development consultants.
• Design and facilitation of customer relationship management training for two international consulting firms for consultants ranging in level from junior to principal, to help them create and retain long-term relationships resulting in increased revenues.

Martha Isobel Lask has more than 20 years experience as a consultant and in executive director and management positions in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Her breadth of experience in these sectors helps her understand how the strengths of each can benefit the other.
Prior to starting her own consulting practice, Martha held the position of Senior Staff Development Specialist at Towers Perrin, a worldwide benefits and human resources management consulting firm. Before her work with Towers Perrin, Martha served as Executive Director of South Portland Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. (SPNHS) in South Portland, Maine.
Martha Isobel Lask holds an MS in Organization Development from American University (AU/NTL), a B.A. in sociology from Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Me. She is trained in several different dance and movement methodologies. She teaches a methodology called Authentic Movement to individuals, groups and uses this approach as part of some of her coaching work.

Wendy R. Epstein
Philadelphia, PA

Wendy Epstein brings a broad range of expertise to her work as a consultant based on her twenty-five years of experience as a management and development professional with nonprofit organizations. Building on a foundation in arts programming and administration, Wendy has focused on helping nonprofit organizations to grow and thrive.

Since establishing her own firm in 1991, her client list includes Awbury Arboretum, Educating Children for Parenting, Delaware County Family Centers, The Lighthouse, LaSalle University, Philadelphia Education Fund, Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, and the Sedgwick Cultural Center. During 1999-2000, Wendy also served as Executive Director of Childspace Cooperative Development, Inc., a childcare advocacy organization.

She was Senior Associate with Agenda, Inc., a consulting firm providing marketing services to major corporations in the Greater Philadelphia area, where she administered philanthropic advisory programs for corporate, foundation and individual clients. In 1990, Wendy served as Chief Fund Raiser for Allyson Schwartz for State Senate.

From 1986 to 1990, she was Senior Account Executive for McPherson, Schultz & Associates, Inc., a national consulting firm providing marketing, development and management counsel to diverse regional and national nonprofit organizations. She created and directed capital campaigns; major gift, corporate and annual giving programs, media campaigns, membership and audience development programs, and special events. Her clients included the Academy of Natural Sciences, Center for Literacy, Franklin Institute, Free Library of Philadelphia, National Zoological Park, People's Emergency Center, New Jersey Network Public TV, Philadelphia Festival for New Plays, Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, and Womens Way.

Wendy began her career in arts administration first as Assistant to the Producer/Director for Cutler-Diamond Productions, then as Program Assistant at the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance (GPCA). She spent four years in development at the Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts) administering the alumni affairs and annual giving programs, special projects and college-wide events. Wendy was also Development Director at Appel Farm Arts and Music Center. She has held numerous community volunteer positions including, Board Chair of WomenMatter, Inc., President's Council for Womens Way, Finance Committee for State Senator Allyson Schwartz, and Board member of the Institute for the Arts in Philadelphia.

Wendy received her B.F.A. degree jointly from Rutgers University and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. She has completed the Management Improvement for Cultural Organizations Program (MICO/LaSalle University), and graduate course work in the Dynamics of Organization at University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Philadelphia, PA.

Adina Abramowitz
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Adina is the principal of Consulting for Change, a consulting practice specializing in maximizing the impact, market responsiveness, and efficiency of nonprofit organizations. For over twenty years Adina held progressively responsible positions in nonprofit management and for the past twelve years she has provided consulting to nonprofit organizations. She is an expert in the field of community development finance.

In January, 2006 Adina formed a consulting practice called Consulting for Change with expertise in strategic and operational planning, market analysis and product development, organizational assessment, leadership development, nonprofit mergers, and organizational change in nonprofit organizations. Adina’s clients include organizations that serve rural, urban, and Native American people, and several nonprofit Associations. Recent clients include CFED (Washington DC), First Nations Oweesta Corporation (Rapid City, SD), the Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises (FAHE (Berea, KY), and Crispus Attucks Community Association (Lancaster PA).

Previously Adina worked for Opportunity Finance Network from 1996 to December 2005, the premier national membership organization for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). For most of her tenure, Adina was responsible for the organization’s strategy to develop CDFI capacity. Adina developed National Community Capital Consulting Services, planned the Annual Training Conference, and created the Virtual Learning Center. As a consultant she worked with CDFIs on strategic planning, performed organizational assessments, and aided CDFIs in planning and implementing new programs. Adina developed and provided training on a variety of topics including Managing Growth, Board roles and responsibilities, and Risk Management.

Prior to joining Opportunity Finance Network, Adina was Executive Director of Cooperative Business Assistance Corporation (CBAC) in Camden, NJ, which she helped create in 1987. CBAC is a nonprofit CDFI that serves small businesses in the City of Camden and other low income areas in Southern New Jersey. Adina grew the program from one loan product to an integrated ladder of credit for businesses, and designed and implemented bank partnerships for all levels of financing.

From 1982 to 1987, Adina was the Business Developer at PACE of Philadelphia, Inc. where she packaged loans for and provided financial training to worker owned businesses in the Delaware Valley. Their primary focus was developing inner city worker owned grocery stores.

Adina has a B.A. from Barnard College, Columbia University and has completed courses in public policy analysis at the University of Pennsylvania and received credit training from the National Development Council. Adina served as the Treasurer of Bread and Roses Community Fund from 1998 to 2003, was a member of the Reconstructionist Prayerbook Commission, and currently serves on the Board of Weavers Way Community Programs.

 

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Rosales Communications
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Rosales Communications provides native Spanish-speaking capabilities to the employee ownership community and other corporate and non-profit clients, including Spanish / English verbal and written translation, training and related services. The firm provides award-winning easy-to-read materials development, Spanish writing, editing / proofreading, desktop publishing, newsletter / brochure design, and related art and design services to clients that need to reach bilingual audiences. Rosales Communications has worked on-site with Praxis providing Spanish-language employee ownership training, and provides written translations of employee ownership communications and legal documents, with appropriate oversight from legal counsel.