Sailing Through the Storm: Navigating and Growing From a Challenging Work Environment
Thursday, Aug. 21
Apra Talks has long been one of the most versatile sessions at the conference. Over the years, it has been delivered as TED-style talks, friendly debates and panel discussions on important and timely topics. No matter the format, Apra Talks has always been about connecting with and learning from varying perspectives within our prospect development community, as well as providing a platform for us to support each other.
This year, we’ve gathered colleagues from around the industry to share their experiences in less-than-ideal work environments and how they came out on top of the other side. Many of us have experienced at one point or another an unideal work environment, which can be caused by dysfunctional management or a toxic organizational culture. This, coupled with the uncertain political and economic climate, public funding cuts and changing attitudes towards philanthropy, may limit our opportunity to grow professionally. Furthermore, the LGBTQ community may struggle with identity recognition and protection at their workplace. These situations can take over your thoughts and creep into your life even while off the clock.
We invite you to share your experience but not to indulge in complaining; instead, we encourage you to embrace the challenge and find support and solutions that help us sail through the storm and achieve a healthy and successful career. Apra is dedicated to providing a safe space to support its community through mentorship and discussion about real challenges in the workplace.
Panelists
Jon Garrow, Director of Prospect Development, Willamette University
Jon W. Garrow has served as the director of prospect development at Willamette University since 2019. He was previously a director at Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Health System in New York City. Jon has been in the prospect development field since 2007, working with higher education, health care and human services organizations. He earned a master's degree in philanthropy studies from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and is now a graduate student in data science.
Jon serves on the board of Apra International and was the 2024 recipient of the Cecilia Hogan Award from Apra Northwest. In addition to his work at Willamette, he is an instructor at Rice University's Glasscock School of Continuing Studies.
Cindy Urick, Senior Analyst, Prospect Management, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Cindy is a senior analyst in prospect management at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. She is a member of the OneDevelopment Cultural Working Group and co-founded the Mentoring@MSK mentorship program in 2022, which is in its fourth cohort and has placed more than 60% of the office of development staff in mentorship pairs. Prior to coming to Memorial Sloan Kettering in 2019, she worked at independent schools for 26 years in a variety of development roles, including development associate at Collegiate School, campaign manager at Rye Country Day School and director of alumni relations and director of annual fund and stewardship at Hackley School. Cindy holds a bachelor's degree in English from Skidmore College and an MPA in non-profit management from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University.
Stephanie Willis, Senior Manager, Prospect Development, Creative Fundraising Advisors
Stephanie is the senior manager of prospect development at Creative Fundraising Advisors and is passionate about helping nonprofits understand the “science” of fundraising and how to effectively use data and research to enhance the “art” of fundraising. She has over a decade of experience in prospect research, prospect management and data analytics at both higher education and nonprofit organizations.
Stephanie has been a loyal Apra member and volunteer since 2013. For six years, she served on the Apra Indiana Board in roles including webmaster, programming chair, treasurer and vice president. In 2019, she co-founded the Apra Great Lakes chapter to launch a new regional experience for local state chapters. Stephanie has been a regular attendee and speaker at the annual Apra Prospect Development conference and served on the Curriculum Planning Committee for three years. In 2023, she was honored to serve as conference chair in Indianapolis and currently serves on the Apra International Board and is a trustee of the Apra Foundation. Stephanie is extremely passionate about supporting Apra because the knowledge and networking opportunities she has gained over the past 10+ years are priceless.
Stephanie has an undergraduate degree in education and a master’s degree in library science. She is certified in the Tessitura and Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge databases. Since 2010, Stephanie has been a Gallup-certified Strengths coach and has helped hundreds of people understand, apply and integrate CliftonStrengths results into their lives and work. Originally from Detroit, Stephanie currently lives in Three Rivers, Michigan.
Moderator
Anne Brownlee, Managing Director, Prospect Strategy and Research, Teach for America
Anne Brownlee is the managing director of prospect strategy and research at Teach for America, where her team works with TFA’s national and regional fundraising teams to provide prospect research, prospect management and strategy. Prior to joining TFA in 2021, she was director of prospect research at NYU and led a comprehensive prospect research program. Anne has been in the prospect development field since 2002 and has held positions at Harvard University, Brown University, the University of Adelaide in Australia, Yeshiva University and Brandeis University. She has served on the Apra Board of Directors since 2019 and is the 2024-2025 Apra president. She previously served as a board member of Apra Greater New York and NEDRA. Anne has a bachelor's degree from Wellesley College and an MLS from Indiana University.