About Us

Our Board

 
 

Dr. Matthew Naylor

Chair/Chair of the Governance and Organisational Development Committee

Dr. Matthew Naylor is the President and CEO of the National WWI Museum and Memorial. A native of Australia, Naylor began his tenure at the Museum and Memorial in June 2013 and possesses more than 30 years of leadership in the non-profit arena.

Under Naylor’s leadership, the Museum and Memorial has achieved unprecedented success, breaking and resetting records for attendance, educational and community event participants, website traffic, media and social media impressions and digital learning.  In 2018, he was named Nonprofit PRO “Executive of the Year” and in 2019, Ingram’s Magazine included him on its “50 Missourians You Should Know” list.

Naylor earned a Ph.D. from Curtin University in Perth, Australia. He serves on boards and committees for several civic and educational initiatives, including the advisory council for the Kansas City Economic Development Corporation, the advisory board for the National Stars and Stripes Museum and the board of the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy.

Matthew Naylor, PhD, CFRE | LinkedIn

Gauri Manglik

Gauri Manglik is the CEO and co-founder of Instrumentl, the leading grant management & research solution for over 3,000 nonprofits & universities. Prior to Instrumentl, she was a Product Manager at Airbnb which she came to by way of acquisition of her first company, Fondu. She loves technology and great products and is always excited about ways to bring that passion to help solve real world problems.

Gauri Manglik | LinkedIn 

Jane Husdon

Dr Jane Hudson, PhD

Chair of the Research, Education and Impact Committee

Jane Hudson is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing at the University of Exeter and has been working with, and researching into, the charity sector for the last 14 years. She has been the Managing Editor of the International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing since 2010 and is always keen to publish articles that relate to improving fundraising. As an author she has published three academic book chapters and research into charities in a variety of academic journals. She has presented her research at a number of international academic conferences, such as the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organisations and Voluntary Action and the Association for Consumer Research. She also supervises a number of PhD’s in the philanthropy and fundraising areas.

Jane has a BSc. in Applied Economics, a MA in Applied Social Research and earned a Ph.D from Bristol Business School (UK) with Dr. Adrian Sargeant as her supervisor. Adrian first introduced her to the world of fundraising in 2005 when they completed a UK Research Council funded project that examined branding in the context of charitable organisation. This project developed into a passion for the nonprofit sector and the belief that academic research can be instrumental in shaping and driving sustainable growth in philanthropy.

Jane is also active in the fundraising sector, she is a former External Examiner for the UK Institute of Fundraising and is a tutor on their Diploma in Fundraising. She is also engaged with supporting numerous local charities and serves on the board of the Institute of Sustainable Philanthropy.

Jane Hudson | LinkedIn

Marianthi O’Dwyer 

Marianthi O’Dwyer is an experienced business leader who, after a 25-year career with The Walt Disney Company, now dedicates much of her time to the non-profit sector. During her corporate career, she held senior leadership roles across the UK and Europe, leading diverse teams and businesses through growth and transformation. 

Today, Marianthi brings her experience to a range of charitable organisations. She is Chair of the National Animal Welfare Trust and a member of the Childline Circle supporting the NSPCC, alongside selected advisory and consulting work. 

As both a charity trustee and a long-standing donor, Marianthi is particularly interested in what inspires people to give, how meaningful relationships between donors and organisations are built, and how philanthropy can create lasting impact. She believes that making a difference is not only about financial giving, but also about giving our time, skills and experience — and that small acts, collectively, can have a meaningful impact. 

Marianthi holds an MBA from London Business School. 

Marianthi O’Dwyer | Linked In

Photo of Matthew Beem

Matthew J. Beem, PhD, CFRE

Matt Beem is Chairman and CEO of Kinetic, a Kansas City based global fundraising consulting firm. Matt chairs the advisory board of the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy in Plymouth, United Kingdom. He is a Senior Fellow of the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s (UMKC) Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership. Matt served on the board of trustees of Avila University in Kansas City from 2015-2017 and on the board of trustees of Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa from 2008-2014.

Matt is a featured speaker on fundraising and fundraiser compensation in the United States and abroad. He is the author of Performance-Driven Fundraising: Taking Control of Your Success and a co-author of $231 Billion Raised and Counting with Bob Hartsook and Karin Cox.

Matt holds a Bachelor of Journalism in News Editorial from the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Master of Public Administration in Nonprofit Management and Doctor of Philosophy in Organizational Behavior and Higher Education Administration from UMKC’s Bloch School of Management, and School of Education.

Matt Beem | LinkedIn

Nigel Harris

Nigel Harris, MBA, CFRE, FFIA, GAICD, MA

Chair of the Finance and Operations Committee

Nigel Harris is Managing Director of Nigel Harris & Associates, an advisory and consulting practice specialising in philanthropy and fundraising leadership. He is also Founding Partner of Giving Architects Australia, a fundraising campaign and impact investment consultancy.

In a 40-year career, Nigel has held executive leadership roles in non-profit organisations for all that time, most notably serving as Chief Executive Officer of Mater Foundation (Queensland) for 24 years. Under Nigel’s leadership, Mater Foundation’s annual fundraising revenue grew from $2m to over $70m, establishing the Foundation as one of Australia’s largest health charities and a major funder of medical research and clinical services.

Holding an MBA majoring in fundraising as well as qualifications in Public Relations and Marketing, Nigel is also a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD). In 2012 he was recognised as the Arthur Venn Australian Fundraising Professional of the Year and has also been recognised through other non-profit management awards.

Currently a director and Deputy Chair of Act for Kids, Nigel also serves on the Board of the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy. He is a Fellow of Fundraising Institute Australia and the Institute of Managers and Leaders and Certified CEO through the CEO Institute. He is also a Past President of the Rotary Club of Albany Creek and has been active in community and sporting organisations for over four decades.

Nigel was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (MA) in the Queen's Birthday 2022 Honours List for significant service to the not-for-profit sector, and to the community. 

Nigel Harris AM | LinkedIn

Valerie Pletcher

Chair of the Development Committee

Valerie Mullen Pletcher is a steward of generosity and a lifelong student of how love, meaning, and human flourishing are expressed through giving. For more than 25 years, she has walked alongside non-profits, donors, and families as they discern how to share their talent, treasure, and trust in service of the Church and the common good. A Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), PhilPsych credential holder, and graduate with distinction of the International Advanced Diploma in Fundraising (MInstF), Valerie has spent more than a decade working with the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy to apply philanthropic psychology research in practice—helping organizations understand how generosity forms people and strengthens mission.

Valerie has helped generate hundreds of millions of dollars in principal, legacy, and institutional gifts through fundraising systems that deepen donor relationships and strengthen long-term sustainability. She serves as Senior Director of Philanthropy for FOCUS and the FOCUS Mission Foundation and is the founder of A New Gift, LLC – Consulting and Coaching, advising boards, philanthropists, and nonprofit leaders on major-gift strategy, legacy giving, and philanthropic culture rooted in meaning and trust. Valerie lives near Washington, D.C., and is honoured to serve on the Board of the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy.

Valerie Mullen Pletcher, CFRE, MInstF (Adv Dip) | LinkedIn