Team

Jennifer Tersigni’s professional career began at The White House, where she worked on a team that supported fundraising, leadership and change management in action after the Oklahoma City bombing, a federal government furlough, and Clinton Administration headlines. Since then, she has helped multiple nonprofit organizations spark growth and transformation through efforts that combine the best in fundraising, organizational development, strategic consulting, and transformational leadership.

While working in the nonprofit sector, Jennifer started Raise the Bar Consulting out of a desire to provide relevant and innovative consulting solutions that help organizations to thrive, so that they could meet their mission and further their goals in contemporary and cost-effective ways.

Jennifer never anticipated becoming a fundraising powerhouse – it just happened that way. In her unforeseen 25-year career, Jennifer has served as a chief development officer, transitional leader, CEO, university instructor, and entrepreneur. Thus far, Jennifer has raised more than $160 million, and she and her team have assisted close to two-hundred organizations to stabilize, grow, and flourish.

Cynthia Wasco has an innate ability to communicate, influence, and educate others. She has vast experience with creating compelling opportunities that support an organization’s mission, and is constantly creating strategies to advance an institution’s mission to the next level.

Responding to current needs, in real time, gives Cynthia passion and purpose. Her favorite Raise The Bar project was the Courageous Conversation Series, as she was able to discuss racial and social injustices within the nonprofit sector as it was happening.

Cynthia was recognized by the National Association Women In Construction (NAWIC) as a 20 Women Leaders Awardee in February 2020 and Co-producing the Courageous Conversations Series. Although her heart lies in the performing arts, Cynthia believes that advocating for basic needs (food, shelter, etc) is one of the most impactful ways she can serve the nonprofit sector. 

Diana Sheldon’s career spans 30 years of experience which includes working for three national
organizations: American Cancer Society, Association of Multi-Ethnic Americans, and
Ronald McDonald House Charities. Diana’s range of experience includes Board
recruitment, finance, capital studies and campaigns, hiring Executive staff and succession planning sessions. 
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In 2016 Diana launched her non-profit consulting firm with a focus on Interim Executive
Director work. Diana has facilitated successful leadership transitions for National and
Local organizations across the southwest. While also serving on the following boards: St. Luke’s Home, Children’s Clinic, Sister Jose Women’s Center, YWCA, Eastside Neighbors Volunteer Program.

Diana received her BS degree in Business Management, University of Phoenix,
graduate of the Kellogg Business School of Management Executive Education
Program, Chicago, Ill.

Lori Malangone has 20 years of nonprofit experience and 9 years of nonprofit executive experience in a statewide prevention organization specializing in rural communities in Arizona. Her experience includes organizational leadership, board leadership, overseeing and writing for local, state and federal grants and including a start up charter school. She has extensive experience in youth programming.  Lori successfully lead two mergers in her time as a nonprofit CEO.  She is currently working as a contracted grant writer and consultant.  

Lori is a Tucson native and completed her Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Arizona and her Master’s Degree in Education through Northern Arizona University.  

Kari Procopio is a senior nonprofit executive who works with educational institutions and human services nonprofits to support fund development, strategic planning, and public relations. Kari specializes in gender-based violence prevention, youth development, education, environmental justice, and equity for marginalized communities.

Kari has spearheaded public policy initiatives that successfully implemented programs to reduce violence against women and girls by cultivating healthy masculinity in young males. Kari is committed to helping organizations contribute to lasting social change. Kari earned her BS in Journalism and Political Science from Utica University.

Kewona Mitchner is a fundraising executive and program director who works with youth, education, and healthcare nonprofits to develop and implement strategic plans and facilitate cross-sector collaboration. Kewona specializes in working with historically underrepresented communities in areas of concentrated poverty and was instrumental in securing federal funding for Hurricane Harvey relief in Houston.

Kewona also assists nonprofits in recruiting and training staff and building mission-driven teams. Kewona earned her BBA in Business, management, and Marketing from Northwood University and an MBA in Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations from Walden University.

Mark Zero is a fundraising executive who specializes in organizational assessment and institutional representation to help nonprofits achieve greater community support, expand fundraising, and refine program goals. Mark has held C-Suite positions with nonprofit arts and educational organizations and has secured multi-year, multi-phase federal grants for communitywide public/private collaborations involving the Pima County Attorney’s Office, the Tucson Police Department, the Tucson Fire Department, and many others.

Mark is also a novelist and nonfiction author whose work has been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Lascaux Prize for Literature and won the M.M. Bennetts Award for Historical Fiction and the Mass Book Award. Mark earned his BA in Media Communications and his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona.

Valarie Bostic is a nonprofit executive with more than 25 years’ experience leading educational and healthcare nonprofits as a CEO and Executive Director. Valarie has led early childhood education centers, clinics, and healthcare coalitions in southwestern Florida, specializing in developing and implementing creative programming and efficient business practices. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals; as a radio presenter, she has hosted programs about community initiatives and solutions on the Armed Forces Radio Network.

Valarie earned her BA from the State University of New York at Oswego and holds professional certificates in Management and Project Management.