Lisa M. Chmiola, MS, CFRE, CSPG
Founder & Chief Fablanthropist
Lisa has more than 22 years of professional philanthropic development experience. An unexpected layoff led her to make her dream of serving as a consultant to colleagues a reality. Lisa recently returned to a full-time role at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and her experience includes working with organizations in the education, healthcare, religious, and cultural sectors. She’s served as an active volunteer for a variety of nonprofit organizations for nearly 40 years, starting as a Girl Scout in elementary school (and cookie seller supreme!).
Currently, Lisa is actively involved with the Association of Fundraising Professionals (as chair of AFP Global’s U.S. Government Relations Committee and as member of the AFP PAC board), and the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners (board member 2021-2023, Past Chair of Emerging Professionals Committee). She’s also a Junior League sustainer, and a graduate of several leadership development programs.
An AFP Master Trainer since 2014 and TEDx speaker, Lisa has presented at four AFP International Conferences, and a variety of AFP and other industry association regional conferences, chapter meetings, and webinars. She previously served as an adjunct instructor in the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Department of Communication, and teaches for Rice University’s Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership. Additionally, she has co-authored several pieces for AFP’s Advancing Philanthropy magazine. Prior to her philanthropic career, Lisa worked in public relations, and as a reporter/copy editor for the Houston Chronicle.
Kent C. Weimer, CAP®
Gift Planning Specialist
Kent Weimer, a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy®, works in gift planning at a large academic medical center in the Dallas area.
He works with donors and their advisors to make estate gifts, create endowments or make donations with assets other than cash.
Kent has been actively involved in the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners for more than 20 years including leadership roles at the Chicago and Dallas Councils, and is past chair of the national CGP board. Kent is on the board of governors of the Dallas Estate Planning Council and has been a volunteer facilitator for local Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® study groups.
Kristine Otto, JD, PhD
Gift Planning Specialist
Kris has served charitable organizations as a frontline individual giving professional for more than 21 years, with experience in five campaigns having goals of $100 million, $750 million, $1.3 billion, $2 billion, and $6 billion.
She has cultivated a deep understanding of aligning charitable organizations’ strategic plans with campaign priorities, the importance of understanding donor bases, engaging organizational leadership, creating gift range charts, quiet phase practices, determining institutional impacts desired and defining goals, and writing case statements.
Kris has an expertise in the area of gift planning, with more than 15 years of experience, including relationship development and gift solicitation; coaching major and annual giving colleagues; developing gift documentation, marketing plans, and stewardship initiatives; and creating data management practices and organization-specific predictive modeling.
The gift planning contexts in which Kris has operated span elevating a mature gift planning program, improving an existing gift planning shop, and establishing a gift planning program from the ground up. She currently leads the gift planning efforts of a large medical center in Boston. Previously, she served large public, large private, and small private higher education institutions in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
Kris is an active member of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners and the Planned Giving Group of New England, and her volunteer activity includes serving on the Board of Directors of a Boston-based nonprofit organization.
Kirby Messinger
Communications Specialist
For more than 16 years, Kirby has worked to strategically deliver communication and marketing in the fields of education, construction, architecture, healthcare, and tourism. Her breadth and depth of experience has created expertise in a variety of areas, including strategic planning, direct mail and digital marketing, project and creative management, feature writing, strategic content creation, video production, media relations, social media planning, crisis management and campaign communications.
Since 2011, Kirby has utilized her experience and applied it to the world of fundraising. In her initial role, she was a one-woman advancement communications “shop” for medical school fundraisers. Over the course of 10 years, that role has expanded to include cross campus partnerships with philanthropic leadership, deans, and a vast collection of fundraising professionals. Her special areas of interest are annual giving, gift planning, and major gift proposal creation. She is passionate about helping fundraising professionals use strategic communications to meet their goals more effectively.
Lorraine Bergeron
Digital Specialist
Lorraine is an experienced designer and digital creator with a specialty in customer service and experience.
With a keen eye to design and functionality, Lorraine utilizes her expertise to build and deploy email marketing campaigns that help nonprofits meet their goals. She aids in building and maintaining websites and online platforms that help clients innovate digitally.
With a background in higher ed fundraising and alumni engagement, Lorraine helps fundraising and engagement professionals utilize web technologies to leverage their full potential.
Ava Lynn Chmiola
In loving memory of our mascot
A 2014 alumna of Miniature Schnauzer Rescue of Houston, and a 2015 graduate of PetSmart Training Academy, Ava will always be the heart and soul behind the intersection of fabulous and philanthropy. Texas born, she was a New Orleanian at heart, greeting anyone she met, human, canine, or feline. Though she crossed the Rainbow Bridge in February 2022, she continues to provide moral support and inspiration to the Chief Fablanthropist and you might spy her sweet face in the virtual background of a meeting.