Expert Trainers

Our faculty includes the volunteer management field's most knowledgeable and popular experts, from around the world.

Susan J. Ellis, President, Energize, Inc, Pennsylvania, USA

Susan J. Ellis is president of Energize, Inc. and the "dean" for the Everyone Ready® program. For 30 years she has contributed to the volunteer field through writing and training throughout the world. Susan is editor of e-Volunteerism: The Electronic Journal of the Volunteer Community and writes the bi-monthly "On Volunteers" column for The NonProfit Times.

Tracy Brown, President of Diversity Trends, LLC

Tracy Brown is President of Diversity Trends, LLC, a consulting and training firm based in Dallas, Texas. Since 1991 her company has helped clients nationwide design successful diversity strategies and develop skills that support inclusion.

Martin Cowling, President, CEO of People First - Total Solutions, Australia

Martin has 20 years of leadership roles within the not-for-profit sector with key Australian charities -- The Smith Family and Victorian Relief, AIDS Council of NSW -- plus with international organizations - AFS Intercultural Programs and UNICEF.

Jill Friedman Fixler, Principal, JFFixler & Associates, USA

Jill Friedman Fixler, has been in nonprofit management for twenty-six years. She is Principal of JFFixler & Associates, a full service consulting company specializing in training, technical assistance and capacity building for nonprofit organizations.

Andy Fryar, Founder and Director of OzVPM (Australasian Volunteer Program Management)

Andy Fryar is the founder and Director of OzVPM (Australasian Volunteer Program Management)–a consultancy, training and resource company specializing in volunteerism (www.ozvpm.com). He has contributed significantly to the Australian volunteerism community, and his achievements include serving as president of both Volunteering Australia and Volunteering South Australia.

Linda L. Graff, President, Linda Graff and Associates, Inc., Ontario, Canada

Linda L. Graff is President of Linda Graff and Associates, Inc., based in Ontario, Canada and is internationally acknowledged as the volunteer field’s leading expert in risk management issues.

William R. Henry, ABC Vice President , Corporate Insurance Management, Inc. ., Virginia, USA

William Henry, ABC, is director of Communication of The CIMA Companies, Inc., an insurance and risk management firm with headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. The Volunteers Insurance Service (VIS®) program offered by CIMA is designed to address the accident and liability concerns that are shared by many volunteers, would be volunteers and the nonprofit organizations that use their help.

Colleen Kelly, Executive Director, Volunteer Vancouver, Canada

Colleen has been with Volunteer Vancouver since 1999 and leads a team of 10 staff, approximately 126 volunteers and the delivery of nine programs including GoVolunteer.ca, BoardMatch.org, a full program of open and customized workshops, and the recently launched Executive Director & Board Governance Learning Circles.

John L. Lipp, Executive Director, PAWS (www.pawssf.org), California, USA

John Lipp is an international trainer, consultant, author and keynote speaker, specializing in volunteerism, nonprofit management, and executive transition issues. He is recognized for his high-energy, interactive sessions using humor and personal motivation and brings more than nineteen years of hands-on management experience in the nonprofit and government sectors.

Steve McCurley, Partner, VMS Systems, Washington, USA

Steve McCurley is an internationally-known trainer and speaker in the field of effective volunteer involvement. He is currently a partner in VM Systems, a management consulting firm specializing in helping organizations improve their utilization of volunteers.

Connie Pirtle, Founder and Director, Strategic Nonprofit Resources, Washington, DC, USA

Connie Pirtle is serves nonprofit organizations in all areas related to volunteerism. She has more than 20 years of experience working with trustees, volunteers, volunteer program managers, executive directors, and senior staff members on effective utilization of volunteer resources.

Sarah Jane Rehnborg, Associate Director for Planning and Development, LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Austin, Texas USA

n expert in volunteerism, Dr. Rehnborg is a published author in the field and has served as a consultant and trainer to organizations including the Points of Light Foundation, AARP, the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Texas Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service, the Texas Department of Mental Health/Mental Retardation, the Comptroller’s Office of the State of Texas and numerous local groups.

Ivan H. Scheier, Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, USA

For four decades, Ivan Scheier has been a cutting-edge thinker in the field of volunteerism. In the late 1960s, Ivan and others involved in the volunteer effort formed a distinct nonprofit organization called The National Information Center on Volunteers in Courts. Volunteers in all forms of human services joined in the effort and ultimately the organization, headed by Ivan, changed its name to The National Information Center on Volunteerism.

Betty Stallings, International trainer, consultant, author and keynote speaker, Washington USA

Betty Stallings, M.S.W., is an international trainer, consultant, author and keynote speaker, specializing in volunteerism, nonprofit fundraising, board development and leadership. She has written many popular books including: Getting to Yes in Fund Raising; A Resource Kit for Managers of Volunteers; and Training Busy Staff to Succeed with Volunteers: The 55-Minute Training Series.

David Warshaw, Founder and principal of Vistas Volunteer Management Solutions

David Warshaw is founder and principal of Vistas Volunteer Management Solutions, a consultancy formed to help businesses and nonprofits build capacity to improve their communities through strategic volunteering. Prior to starting his firm, David was a public relations executive for the General Electric Company (GE) for 27 years and directed GE’s award-winning global workplace volunteer effort.

Carol Weisman, President, Board Builders, USA

Carol Weisman, president of Board Builders, is an internationally known speaker, author, trainer and consultant who specializes in volunteerism, fund raising and governance. She has worked with a wide range of clients, and has personally served on 28 boards and been president of 7.