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Board Members

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Barbara Jones
President

Barbara is the Development Director at Vincent House, Inc. Her responsibilities include grant writing, fundraising, donor cultivation and special events. Barbara has a BA in Political Science from Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. She has over 30 years experience in grant writing and grant program management in the public and nonprofit sectors, primarily in the area of affordable housing. She has completed numerous HUD training programs in the area of affordable housing development.

 

Jennifer Renner
President-Elect/National Philanthropy Day Chair

Jennifer has been active in fundraising and development since 1998. In her current position as Development Supervisor at CANI (Community Action of Northeast Indiana), she oversees all fundraising, marketing, and public relations. Before coming to CANI, Jennifer was the Membership and Computer Manager at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. In addition to being on the AFP board, Jennifer is a Big Brothers Big Sisters volunteer, on the Northeast Indiana Public Radio Community Advisory Board, and a graduate of the Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana Leadership Institute. Jennifer has a B.A. in Fine Arts from Indiana University and an Associates degree in Computer Information Systems from Ivy Tech Community College in Fort Wayne.

 

 

 

Robert Croft, CFRE
Immediate Past President/Board Development Chair

Robert is a partner with the fundraising consulting firm, Crandall, Croft & Associates, and works with nonprofit clients in Fort Wayne and nationwide. Prior to consulting, he was the Associate Director of Development for White's Residential and Family Services and Director of Development for Georgia Baptist Children's Homes and Family Ministries. He has directed all aspects of annual fund development, communications and marketing, planned giving, and numerous capital campaigns. Robert is also on the Board of Directors of the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy and serves on the Professional Advancement Division of AFP International. In particular, he is working on the North American Task Force that created the new AFP Fundamentals of Fundraising Course. Robert is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and has been a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) since 2000. He holds a Bachelor of Science, Cum Laude, in political science and sociology from Georgia Southern University. 
 

Steve Linsenmayer
Vice President, Education

Steve has worked as Development Director for the Embassy Theatre Foundation Inc. since November 2007. Prior to that, he was a photojournalist at the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel for 19 years. He works part time for Northeast Indiana Public Radio and is vice president of the Burmese Advocacy Center board of directors. He is married to Ellie Bogue, who currently works for the News-Sentinel. They have two children, Alex, 20, and Rachelle, 17, and a big and a small dog.

 

 

Bob Crandall, CFRE
Every Member Campaign

Bob has been active in the nonprofit community for over 23 years, working in a wide variety of positions with responsibilities encompassing the creation of new fundraising and planned giving programs, managing capital campaigns, growing annual support, spearheading major special events, and more. His consulting firm, Robert J. Crandall and Associates, LLC client list includes Ivy Tech Community College Northeast, Calumet College of St. Joseph, Interfaith Hospitality Network, Allen County Historical Society and Museum in Lima, OH, United Hispanic-Americans, Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America in Wichita, KS, American Baptist Historical Society, and First Baptist Church in Massillon, OH. The firm’s staff includes five consultants with a wide variety of expertise. Bob holds a BA in psychology and history from the University of Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls, SD and an MAT from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN, and principal’s certification from Iowa State University. He has also completed training in the second AFP Faculty Training Academy and has been a motivational speaker, presenter, and discussion leader at both national and international AFP conferences as well as in Hyderbad, India, Amman, Jordan, and Sao Paulo, Brazil. He has served five years on the former NSFRE Board (now AFP), six years on the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy including two years as an officer, and is currently an active member of the AFP Leadership Society. Bob is a member of the Christian Stewardship Association and is the recipient of the 2007 Barbara Marion Award for outstanding leadership and service to AFP.  

 

Debbie Gotsch

 

Matthew Leighty, CFRE 

 

Linda Miller

 

Linda is the Supervisor of Business Development for the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory. She has been with the Conservatory since 2000, serving first as the Marketing Director for six years and since 2007 as the Development Supervisor. She is responsible for grant writing, fund raising, sponsorships and overseeing customer service and all membership, gift shop, admission, and rental sales. Prior to joining the Conservatory, she served as the Marketing Coordinator for the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society and worked for several years in the Employee Benefits Division at Lincoln National Corporation. Linda has a B. A. in journalism and political science from Indiana University.

 

 

Sarah Nitcher

Sarah has been a professional fundraiser for more than ten years. She currently serves as the Development Officer for the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department and is responsible for fundraising sponsorship activities for the department. Her past position was grants administrator for the Indiana Arts Commission and Arts United in NE Indiana. Sarah is a communication generalist and has worked in the profession for over 30 years, beginning with newspaper and television reporting, corporate communication at Magnavox and GTE, university-level teaching and Forensic Speech coaching, and finally development and grants administration jobs. She has served on grant panels for the Indiana Arts Commission, Arts United and the City’s Community Block Grant (CDBG); provides training and serves as a facilitator for public meetings; and she is a board member of Audiences Unlimited, Inc. Sarah has a B.A. in Journalism from Indiana University and an M.A. in Professional Communication from Purdue University.

 

Julie Knuth

Julie is the Director of Annual Giving at the McMillen Center for Health Education. She has been with the Center since 2002. Her responsibilities include fundraising, grant writing, and special event management. Julie graduated from Manchester College with a Bachelor of Science in Nonprofit Management—the first class in the history of the College to receive this Degree. She is currently in the process of obtaining her Certificate of Fundraising Management from the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. Julie is also on the Board of Saint Nicholas Church in Fort Wayne.