The Quad Cities Community Foundation has announced members of its Center for Nonprofit Excellence Advisory Committee. The committee is made up of 15 local leaders who will create the governance model for the center and carry forward its mission of strengthening regional nonprofits.

Jenny Colvin (left), chief development officer at River Bend Food Bank, speaks at a meeting of the new Center for Nonprofit Excellence Advisory Committee.

The Center for Nonprofit Excellence is a new resource hub for the region’s nonprofit sector, providing local organizations with access to resources, training, and collaboration opportunities, according to a foundation release.

The Community Foundation has designed the center to be for nonprofits, by nonprofits, meaning that from the beginning, nonprofits have been instrumental in creating the structure of the center and guiding its mission. This is clear in the makeup of a new 15-person Center Advisory Committee, which met “officially” for the first time in January and will guide the rollout of several “flagship” programs this year.

“We received applications from more than 80 community members who were interested in joining the committee,” said Sue Hafkemeyer, the Community Foundation’s president and CEO. “That level of interest speaks volumes about the dedication of our region’s nonprofit sector. Choosing the committee from this group of amazing candidates was difficult. We prioritized representation of different demographics, not only among committee members but also among the organizations they represent.”

Sue Hafkemeyer started as CEO of Quad Cities Community Foundation on June 1, 2022 (photo: QC Community Foundation).

The resulting committee is a diverse, passionate, and experienced group representing a range of local nonprofits, the foundation said. Their organizations are large and small, new and longstanding, and focused on everything from building affordable housing to alleviating food insecurity. Committee members will each serve a two-year term before rotating out to allow more organizations to participate.

These 15 local leaders serve the Center for Nonprofit Excellence Advisory Committee:

  • Alvaro Macias, vice president of business development at Ascentra Credit Union, city of Moline elected official 
  • Ashley Velez, executive director at Humility Homes & Services, Inc.
  • Avery Pearl, assistant director at Together Making a Better Community (TMBC) at Lincoln Community Center
  • Brian Ritter, executive director at Nahant Marsh
  • Cecilia Bailey, executive director at Quad Cities Open Network 
  • Chase Norris, executive director at Clock, Inc.
  • Jenny Colvin, chief development officer at River Bend Food Bank
  • Kevin Maynard, executive director at Quad City Arts
  • Lee Gaston, finance director at Center for Active Seniors (CASI)
  • Michael Glanz, executive director at Arc of the Quad Cities Area
  • Malavika Shrikhande, commissioner and trustee at Davenport Public Library
  • Nicole Carkner, executive director at Quad Cities Health Initiative
  • Nicole Cisne Durbin, chief executive officer at Family Resources, Rock Island-Milan Board of Education elected member 
  • Telly Papanikolaou, chief executive officer at Alternatives
  • Tom Fisher King, executive director at Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities

“Our donors want nonprofits to grow, be sustainable, and have every resource they need to take on their mission,” said Hafkemeyer. “We believe the best way to make that happen is to let the organizations lead the way. By placing these nonprofits at the center of early conversations and decisions, the Community Foundation is creating resources and programming that are truly for nonprofits, by nonprofits.”

For more information on the new center (led by director Daisy Moran), click HERE.