WSPN Spring Series: Business Strategy - Trust in Leadership (Thursday, June 18, 2026)

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:30:00 GMT

Join a candid conversation with seasoned development leaders as they reflect on how fundraising has evolved and where it must go next. Celebrating not only tenure, this panel will also emphasize practical insight, continuous learning, and inclusive leadership.

Panelists will share lessons learned, moments of recalibration, and strategies for building authentic donor relationships in a changing landscape. The discussion will also explore how to expand effectiveness through lessons learned, the importance of mentorship and what it can look like, and how to strengthen the next generation of professionals.

Following the session, attendees will be able to:

Identify 2-3 practical fundraising approaches that are effective across experience levels and organizational contexts.
Apply strategies to build more inclusive, relationship-centered donor engagement practices.
Recognize ways to expand access, mentorship, and visibility for emerging professionals.
Gain tools to seek beneficial mentorship experiences.
Commit to one actionable change that strengthens individual and team effectiveness.

Speaker Information:

Ken Bartels

Principal at Ken Bartels Consulting (KBC) & Senior Vice President & Director at Community Bank of Elmhurst

A founder of West Suburban Philanthropy Network, Ken has 52 years of fundraising experience, 36 of which were in higher education at Carthage College, Marquette University, and Elmhurst College/University. KBC is focused on board management, educational seminars, and strategic planning.

Honors shared with Ken include: WSPN Distinguished Service Award, Carthage College Alumni Service Award, Elmhurst Jaycees Distinguished Service Award, Elmhurst University Bluejay’s Hall of Fame, Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry Civic Hall of Fame, and Vice President for College Relations Emeritus at Elmhurst University.

Gina Gramarosso
Senior Director of Philanthropy
Northern Illinois Food Bank

Gina has launched many new programs during her 35-year career, including annual giving programs, phone-a-thons, advisory councils, and regional fundraising offices. She was hired 12 years ago to build out and grow the major and planned giving programs at Northern Illinois Food Bank and is now helping to build a principal giving program. During this time, cash contributions have grown from $10M to $30M, portfolio management has grown from 50 donors to over 1,000 donors, and the legacy society has grown from 7 to 180 members.

Her career started her senior year of college with an internship at the Southern Illinois University Foundation, where she would work in development for a total of 10 years. She was Director of Alumni Relations and Associate Director of Development at North Central College and Director of Alumni and Development – Chicago Region for Drake University. During a hiatus to be a stay-at-home mom, she worked part-time at the DuPage Children’s Museum and at the College of DuPage Foundation.

She lives in Naperville, where she serves on the Grace Church Foundation Board. Prior to the establishment of WSPN, she was active in the Women in Development West group and the National Society of Fund Raising Executives (AFP’s former name).

David M. McGowan, CFRE
President and CEO
Dave McGown Consulting LLC
David M. McGowan, CFRE, was the chief staff officer of DuPage Foundation for 25 years. He started as its executive director in 1998, was named president in 2003, and named CEO in 2015. He retired from the Foundation at the end of 2022 and started his consulting practice in January 2023.
Dave became a certified fundraising executive in 1987. He has nearly 45 years of experience in fundraising, grantmaking, and not-for-profit management in the Chicago metropolitan area.

Dave is the recipient of the 2009 West Suburban Philanthropic Network Distinguished Service Award, the 2022 Loaves & Fishes Community Partner Award, the 2022 West Suburban Philanthropic Network Humanitarian of the Year Award, the 2022 Career & Networking Center Service Award, the 2022 People's Resource Center Community Impact Award and the 2026 Metropolitan Family Services DuPage Legacy Award.

Moderator:

Kate Bousum, CFRE
Vice President of Philanthropy

Aspire

Kate Bousum, CFRE, serves as Vice President of Philanthropy at Aspire, where she leads a dynamic philanthropy team focused on building meaningful relationships, strengthening a culture of philanthropy, and advancing opportunities for people of all abilities to live, learn, and work in their communities.

With experience spanning higher education, social services, and nonprofit leadership, Kate is a passionate advocate for the philanthropic sector and frequently presents on fundraising, leadership, and donor engagement topics. She is actively involved with the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Chicago Chapter, serving on the Continuous Learning Council and as a faculty member for the “Fundamentals of Fundraising”. She is on the board of the West Suburban Philanthropic Network and involved with multiple civic and nonprofit organizations.

PENDING APPROVAL for CFRE Credit - Full participation in this session may be applicable for 1.25 points in Category 1.B -Education of the CFRE International application for initial certification and/or recertification.

2026 WSPN Philanthropy Awards (Thursday, August 27, 2026)

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Now seeking nominations and sponsors!

Nominations due May 29, 2026

The 24th Annual WSPN Philanthropy Awards will take place on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026 at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn.

At the heart of the philanthropic community are people-organizers, communicators, mentors, and innovators, all who are willing to inspire, enlighten, feed, heal, shelter, educate, and nurture the people in our community. Each year, West Suburban Philanthropic Network recognizes these outstanding individuals, businesses, foundations, and corporations and the skilled, fundraising professionals who serve alongside them through our Annual Philanthropy Awards.

We invite you to nominate a person, group, business, or organization to be recognized in these categories:

Philanthropist of the Year
Humanitarian of the Year
Young Philanthropist of the Year
Grantmaker of the Year
Philanthropic Foundation of the Year
Philanthropic Service Club of the Year
Philanthropic Business of the Year
Nonprofit Executive of the Year
Nonprofit Volunteer of the Year

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A NOMINATION FOR THE 2026 WSPN PHILANTHROPY AWARDS

We are able to provide networking and growth opportunities all year long thanks to our generous sponsors of our annual awards program.

We invite you to:

View SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION.
Download the SPONSORSHIP FORM.

Thank you for supporting WSPN!

WSPN upcoming events

WSPN Spring Series: Business Strategy - Trust in Leadership (Thursday, June 18, 2026)

2026 WSPN Philanthropy Awards (Thursday, August 27, 2026)