Back by popular demand, the annual WSPN Funders Panel!
This session will include multiple panelists from local and regional foundations and granting organizations.
Session objectives include:
- Learn, first-hand, how grantmakers determine their giving priorities,
- Hear how they prefer to build relationships with charities,
- Discover what grantmakers are currently looking for in proposals,
- Understand what they expect from your organization in regards to communication.
Meet Our Panel & Moderator:
Rebecca Laskaris, Senior Manager, U.S. Community Giving,
BMO U.S.
Rebecca Laskaris is a Senior Manager on the U.S. Community Giving team at BMO, with over a decade of experience in corporate philanthropy. She oversees the implementation of BMO’s corporate philanthropy strategy in the U.S. and leads the BMO North American United Way Partnership, where she aligns donations across BMO’s footprint and measures progress through an impact framework.
Rebecca has established key partnerships with non-profits such as the Chicago Public Library Foundation, Hope Chicago, Ravinia, Junior Achievement and United Way of Metro Chicago and its Neighborhood Network Initiative. Her focus is on maximizing the impact of BMO’s contributions to address pressing societal needs.
Prior to joining BMO, Rebecca held roles at major cultural institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and The Field Museum in Chicago. She holds a BA from New York University and an MA in Arts Administration and Policy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Mary Ann Roeser, President
The Duchossois Family Foundation
More to come soon!
Jeff Zakem, System Program Director,
Community Impact & Equity, Endeavor Health
Jeff Zakem is a healthcare leader; an advocate for health equity and diversity, equity & inclusion; and a collaborative community partner. In his current role, he oversees the Endeavor Health Community Investment Fund, is collaborating across the system to develop an Anchor strategy and roadmap, and serves as the lead for Data & Impact for our community initiatives. In addition, he supports our Health Equity Impact Team, working to close disparity gaps in uncontrolled hypertension for our Black and African American patient population and previously led an improvement initiative for reliable and accurate collection of patient Race, Ethnicity, and preferred Language (REaL) information.
Prior to his current Community Impact & Engagement role and Health Equity areas of focus, Jeff brings more than 20 years of experience: designing education to help individuals develop and improve through behavior change; developing people through education, engagement, and motivation; delivering communication that builds buy-in, encourages stories, and inspires action; and leading high-performing teams in the Learning & Development function.
Jeff is a board member of Asclepius Initiative, a Kentucky-based non-profit which seeks to improve the health and economic stability of communities through educating, inspiring, and mobilizing people to advocate for a universally accessible, affordable, equitable, and high-quality healthcare delivery system. Jeff holds a B.A. in Cognitive Science from Northwestern University and an M.H.S.A. from University of Michigan School of Public Health.
Moderator:
Megan Lynch, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships,
Loaves & Fishes Community Services
Megan Lynch is a social impact leader with experience across the nonprofit, private, public sectors. She is the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for Loaves & Fishes Community Services, the largest food pantry in Illinois serving DuPage, Kane, Kendall, and Will Counties. In this role, she collaborates with partners to advance food security and help people access the food and resources needed to thrive.
Prior to joining Loaves & Fishes, Megan managed the Charitable Fund for Duly Health and Care, where she oversaw social impact, grantmaking, and volunteerism initiatives. She previously served as Director of Corporate Relations for North Central College and managed corporate partner relationships for The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the Council on Foreign Relations. She began her career at the U.S. Department of State at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.
Megan is a board member of Social Responsibility Chicago and has previously served on multiple nonprofit boards and advisory committees. She received the 2023 Grantmaker of the Year Award from the West Suburban Philanthropic Network and was selected as a 2021 NACC 4 Under 40 Award winner. Megan earned her MA in Politics from New York University and is a Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE).
Registration is open until November 19, 2024.
Full participation in the 2024 WSPN Funders Panel is applicable for 1.25 points in Category 1.B -Education of the CFRE International application for initial certification and/or recertification.
