Our Speakers:

D. Alex Agard, CFRE, is the Director of Individual Giving at the Entertainment Community Fund, a human services nonprofit that provides support to those in the performing arts and entertainment industry. After working as a professional singer and actor for over ten years, Alex shifted his focus to philanthropy when he joined the Fund in 2017. His background in the performing arts has helped inform his mission-centric approach to his work. Alex has earned a certificate in Arts Management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University. 

Matt Bogdanow is the co-founder of Everyday Arts, a Los Angeles-based non-profit that supports neurodiverse students in achieving their goals through inclusive arts integration, where he serves as Director of Education and Grants. He is a Berklee College of Music graduate, summa cum laude, as well as a graduate of the Community-Word Project Teaching Artist Training and Internship Program. Matt has delivered guest lectures on the intersecting fields of special education and the arts at University of California, Loyola Marymount University and Otis College of Art and Design, and is the author of The Backbone of Drumming; A Systematic Approach to Learning the Drumset.

Stephanie Willis 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 ten years of experience in prospect research, prospect management and data analytics at both higher education and nonprofit organizations. At Creative Fundraising Advisors, Stephanie’s main responsibilities are establishing strategy, procedures and processes for the areas of prospect research, prospect management and data analytics, while also providing operational support for database optimization, client campaign and fundraising initiatives. Stephanie has a master’s degree in library science and is a Gallup-certified Strengths coach.