CCVA Staff, Board and Committees
Staff
| Faiza Venzant, CVA Temecula, California, USA Executive DirectorFrom a young age, Faiza Venzant's parents instilled a strong sense of volunteerism in herself and her two older brothers. They, as immigrants to Canada from Uganda in the early 70s made a successful transition into Canadian life with the help of many generous volunteers. A volunteer herself from a very young age, she has been an advocate for volunteer engagement and leaders of volunteers for the last 20 years speaking, facilitating and continually learning from others internationally. Faiza is an active member of Volunteer Management Professionals of Canada (VMPC) and Association for Leaders in Volunteer Engagement (AL!VE.)In 2020, Faiza was the recipient of TAVA’s Innovation Award. In 2019, she was the recipient of the inaugural IMPACT award in Canada for Exemplary Volunteer Leadership. From PAVR-O, she received the Linda Buchanan Award in 2013 and has twice received the President's Award. Faiza is passionate about equity and access amongst volunteers and leaders of volunteers. She believes strongly that a community with a thriving volunteer base improves the overall quality of life and health of all its members. In 2018, Faiza published her first children’s book entitled, My Mamma Wants to Eat Me Up! As a mother of two young boys, she has not actually eaten any of her children. |
CCVA Board of Directors
| Julie Gallanty, MA, CVA, CPC Vice President, Alliance Services -NJ YMCA State Alliance Trenton, NJ, USA Board Chair Julie Gallanty has 25 years experience developing, managing, and sustaining volunteer programs in various nonprofits. Currently, she is providing consulting and coaching services to volunteer and community organizations. Previously she was a CEO/Executive Director for 25 years in the YMCA. During this time, she worked with hundreds of volunteers in many capacities and successfully elevated the impact within the community. In addition, she provides executive coaching to professionals in Volunteer and leadership individuals. She graduated with a BA degree from Binghamton University and holds a MA in Education from Adelphi. She is working on an advanced degree in Higher Education and Adult Learning at Walden University. Julie is a certified professional coach. Ms. Gallanty has created and trained over 100 volunteer trainings and orientations for fundraisers, programs, boards of directors as well as community collaborators. She is certified as a national trainer in Volunteerism, and ESL (English as a Second Language) and has served as a volunteer English instructor. She has presented at workshops and conferences in volunteer management and engagement, board governance, and executive leadership.She is active in her community serving on the boards of Rotary Club of New York, Solar One, Literacy Solutions New York an active with nonprofit professional networks. |
| Amber McMillan, PMP Prosci ADKAR (CMC) CVA EQP Executive Director, Executive Educator, Program and Change Manager & Speaker Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Past Chair A diversely skilled professional, Amber specializes in all aspects of leadership, communication and stakeholder management. She has a unique aptitude for leading complex conversations and works hard to create and sustain productive dialog through team building exercises, positive motivation and her own contagious enthusiasm.With tangible credentials and over 25 years of experience in both profit and not-for-profit environments, she is committed to learning and growing while continuing to practice her profession. Amber excels as an empathetic visionary, establishing creative ways forward in complicated multiple stakeholder communities. Often referred to as an ‘agent of change’, with wide-ranging communication and service experience, her passion continues to drive innovation in her work. She is eager to share both her successes and failures in benefit to others, reflected in her favorite quote:“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” —Maya AngelouStakeholders who work alongside Amber appreciate her honesty, transparency, unique insight and tangible advice for immediate use.She currently serves as Executive Director of Rogers Society, Executive Educator for the University of Winnipeg, Saskatchewan and Victoria and Workshop Facilitator for Volunteer Victoria. |
| Kristine Flynn, CVA Volunteer and Programs Administration, Western Development Museum Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Vice Chair Kristine manages and supports the work of volunteers at the Western Development Museum (WDM) Corporate Office. She also supports and collaborates with staff at all WDM locations to create education programs that build historical awareness, unveil crucial context behind contemporary issues, and develop participants’ critical thinking skills.Kristine is active in both the volunteer management and museum communities. In addition to her role with CCVA, she sits on the Administrators of Volunteer Resources – Saskatchewan Board as Secretary. She has worked with the Museums Association of Saskatchewan (MAS) to update their Volunteer Management and Museums and Education courses and author an Education and Interpretation Self-Assessment Workbook. In 2020, Kristine was recognized by MAS with their Young Professional Award. She is also a proud Leadership Saskatoon alumna. |
| Tiffany Lockett, CVA, CAVS Director, Volunteer Services and Pastoral Care, Virtua Health Voorhees, New Jersey, USA Vice ChairTiffany is the Director of Volunteer Services for Virtua Health, one of Southern New Jersey’s largest health systems with over 13,000 employees, five hospitals, and over 250 other locations. She is responsible for leading a team of over 1200 volunteers in addition to other departments within the health system.In 2014, Tiffany invested in her professional development by receiving both the CVA (Certified Volunteer Administrator) and CAVS (Certified Administrator Volunteer Services) designations. She is active in her state chapter NJAHVRP (New Jersey Association for Healthcare Volunteer Resource Professionals) and sits as the Chairperson for the New Jersey Council on Volunteerism. Tiffany is an active volunteer with Big Brothers & Big Sisters, Girl Scouts of America, and various community agencies. Her team has also been recognized with a Superstar Award by her organizational leadership and peers. |
| Christi J. Brown, MHA, CVA, CAVS Senior Director – Volunteer Engagement WellSpan Health York , Pennsylvania, USA Board Treasurer Christi Brown is the Senior Director of Volunteer Engagement for WellSpan Health. She is responsible for over 2,500 Volunteers and Interns, in addition to other departments, including hospital gift shops, Guest/Reception Services, Internship Services and Auxiliaries within the health system.Christi earned her Master’s in Healthcare Administration from Drexel University and her B.S. in Business Administration from Elizabethtown College. She is very active in the York County community, currently serving in several leadership roles, such as the Chair of Women United/United Way of York County, Sustainer President for the Junior League of York and is the Treasurer of the Pennsylvania Association of Healthcare Volunteers Resources Professionals (PAHVRP).Christi was recently recognized by two organizations for her passion and dedication in the volunteer management field and her community service. PAHVRP awarded her the 2018 Evelyn Burston award. She was also recognized by the United Way of York County as the 2018 Volunteer of the the Year. |
| Becky Blumer, CVA Volunteer Services Manager, Multnomah County Library Portland, Oregon, USA Incoming Board TreasurerBecky Blumer, CVA (she/ her) has devoted her career to providing people with the opportunity to transform themselves and their communities through service. She joined the library world in 2018 as the Volunteer Services Manager for Multnomah County Library (MCL.) Prior to MCL, Becky was the Director of Hands On Greater Portland and a 16-year veteran of the organization. She served as a National Service Fellow with the Corporation for National Service. In 2019, she was awarded a Light A Fire Award as an Extraordinary Board Member from Portland Monthly Magazine for her board service with Store to Door of Oregon. Becky earned her CVA credential in 2008 and was a member and became the chair of the CCVA Test Writing Committee from 2009 - 2016. She is thrilled to continue her service to CCVA as a board member and is grateful for the opportunity to support an organization that has been a critical part of her professional development in volunteer management. |
| Bentley Anderson, CVA Director of Volunteers - Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity Orlando, Florida, USA Board SecretaryBentley Anderson serves as Director of Volunteers for Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity, where he supports and oversees the strategic direction for 900 volunteers. Bentley’s experience spans over 13 years in both public and private sectors. With proven effectiveness as a full-cycle recruiter and innovative onboarder, Bentley’s passion is investing in volunteers so they are best equipped for their roles while having an experience that offers continual personal development. A native of Mississippi, Bentley earned both his B.A. in history and political science and his M.S. in political science with emphasis in public law and government from the University of Southern Mississippi. Along with being a certified Volunteer Administrator (CVA) Bentley also earned certifications in both inclusive and ethical leadership and diversity, equity, and inclusion in the work place. Bentley and his wife Hannah reside in Orlando, FL with their son Owen and larger-than-he-realizes Labrador named Beauregard. They are active volunteers, supporting JDRF, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Make-A-Wish, and Give Kids The World. |
| Kylene Mellor, CVA Manager, Volunteer Resources, IWK Health Centre Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Director of CCVA Exam Kylene is a certified Volunteer Administrator who has been working in the field of Volunteer Management for over 15 years. As the Manager, Volunteer Resources with the IWK Health Centre in Halifax Nova Scotia, Kylene holds knowledge and expertise in all areas of the volunteer cycle. She has worked for, and volunteered for, a number of charities over the years and truly loves working with and motivating volunteers. She is currently the President of the Board of Volunteer Management Professionals Nova Scotia and was the Chair of the National Conference Committee which hosted the national conference for volunteer administrators in 2016. |
| Pamela Cox, CVA Senior Director, Volunteer and Community Engagement Memphis, Tennessee, USA Director of Ethics Pamela D. Cox is the Senior Director of Volunteer and Community Engagement for the Neighborhood Christian Centers, Inc. (NCC) in Memphis, Tennessee. She has been employed at NCC for over 30 years and has managed volunteers for over 15 of those years. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi. Pamela currently serves on the DOVIA Memphis Board as Member at Large after serving six years as Board Treasurer. She is a Nexus Leaders Class of 2016 Mentor and an active member of the Junior League of Memphis, where she has served on several leadership committees. In her personal time, she enjoys spending time with her family and assisting authors with book publishing. |
Ashley Rieser, CVA (she/her)
Director of Volunteer Services and Front of House Guest Experience - Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Director of Outreach
Ashley Rieser has been in the volunteer administration field for over 12 years. She oversees more than 500 volunteers who assist in a variety of performing arts venues, festivals, and art galleries at The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. She is a forward-thinking leader focused on moving the profession of volunteer engagement to the next level on a local and national scale. She received her CVA in 2016. In addition to her work on the CCVA Outreach Committee, she is the Past President and current Treasurer for her local association VASP, Volunteer Administrators of Southwestern PA. Ashley was the recipient of the 2017 EVIE Award for Outstanding Volunteer Administrator of the Year. She is the Chair of Tessitura’s Managing Volunteers and Interns Community of Practice. She is also a Volunteer Management Instructor at the Community College of Allegheny County. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in English from the University of Colorado and one in Human Resources from Point Park University. She is currently in the process of completing a dual master’s program in Human Resource Management and M.B.A.
Sammy Feilchenfeld, OCT, CVA (he/him)
Manager of Learning, Volunteer Toronto
Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Director of Partnerships
Michele Baker, CVA
Jackson, Mississippi, USA
Director of Marketing and Communications
Michele D. Baker has traveled the world since she was just six weeks of age. In Hattiesburg, site of University of Southern Mississippi and a major ESL (English as a Second Language) portal, Michele reveled in the company of dozens of children from other countries on the playground (her closest friends were from Iceland, Turkey and Spain) and the amazing food and cross-cultural community fostered by the Indian, Hungarian, Jewish and African neighbors in the complex.
Upon graduating from university, Michele began her professional career at the Mississippi Center for Nonprofits helping people start 501(c)(3) charities. Next, she worked for 15 years in state government at Volunteer Mississippi, helping many of the same nonprofits find and keep volunteers, and working with a growing group of AmeriCorps national service members. With work colleagues, she studied for a year before taking and passing the CVA exam in 2008. In 2017, she was awarded the Hometown Hero Award from the Jackson (Miss.) Visitor’s Bureau for volunteer service; and in 2018, she won a Governor’s Initiative for Volunteer Excellence (GIVE) Award.
Michele is the newly appointed editor of eat. drink. MISSISSIPPI and Lifestyles After 50 magazines and divides her time between freelance travel and food writing, writing curricula on volunteer management topics, training and speaking on volunteer management topics, writing and blogging on spirituality, baking, and international travel. She lives in a restored 1920s bungalow, owns 200 cookbooks, and loves cats. Read her work at MicheleDBaker.com.
Jennifer Bennett, CVA
Director of Education and Training - VolunteerMatch
San Francisco, California, USA
Director of Knowledge
Jennifer joined VolunteerMatch to formalize and manage the organization’s volunteer engagement program. With her breadth of experience, she is well qualified to help VolunteerMatch’s community of nonprofits better recruit and engage volunteers. She shares her knowledge with volunteer managers through the webinars found on the Learning Center, in newsletters and blog entries, and at conferences around the country. She also co-hosts the Time + Talent Podcast with Tobi Johnson from VolunteerPro.
She contributed The New Volunteer Manager’s Toolkit chapter to the guide Volunteer Engagement 2.0: Ideas and Insights that are Changing the World published by VolunteerMatch in 2015. And, she is the current Co-Editor and contributing author for the 4th Edition of Volunteer Administration: Professional Practice.
She’s a strong believer in the importance of engaging volunteers in meaningful work and was certified in Volunteer Administration in 2009.
She currently volunteers with the Justice & Diversity Center and Project Homeless Connect in San Francisco and with the Social Justice Sewing Academy.
She holds a B.A. from Randolph-Macon Womans College in Lynchburg, VA.
Keith Seel, PhD, CVA
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Co-Director of Knowledge
Keith Seel is the current co-editor of Volunteer Administration: Professional Practice and has been in the editor role since the start of CCVA. He is the former Dean, Centre for Excellence in Foundational Learning at Bow Valley College where he worked extensively with the nonprofit sector and government to provide basic literacy education and upgrading for a diversity of adult students. Prior to that, Dr. Seel was the Director, Institute for Nonprofit Studies at Mount Royal University where he was an active researcher into Canada’s nonprofit sector. He focused on both governance and social policy issues within Canada’s nonprofit sector. He has held board appointments to provincial committees working with persons with developmental disabilities, professional certification of teachers, and children’s services. At the national level Dr. Seel chaired the Human Resources Council for the Nonprofit Sector.
In semi-retirement, he is an active volunteer with Banff National Park where, as an advisory committee member, he helps support the volunteer administrator. As a sessional instructor, Dr. Seel works with Mount Royal University to deliver courses in social innovation. His consulting focus continues to be on board governance with a special emphasis on board-CEO relations, generative governance, and the mechanics of well functioning boards.
Sasha Kress, MPA, CVA
Chief Operations Officer, Care Harbor
El Segundo, California, USA
Director of Engagement and Professional Development
Sasha Muraoka Kress started as a volunteer with Care Harbor 10 years ago and now is the Chief Operations Officer for the non-profit organization. She is responsible for over 3,000 volunteers who provide free medical, dental, vision, and specialty care to the underserved, underrepresented, and underinsured in the Greater Los Angeles area. Sasha’s service as an AmeriCorps kickstarted her career in the non-profit sector.
Her passion for driving change and positive impact has motivated her to serve leadership roles on a variety of volunteer committees, non-profit boards including Directors of Volunteers in Agencies - Los Angeles (DOVIA-LA), and achieve certifications in volunteer management and grant writing and administration. Her professional expertise focuses on development, operations, and project management.
Sasha holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication and Legal Studies from University of San Francisco, a Master’s degree in Public Administration from California State University of Long Beach, and is a Certified Volunteer Administrator through the Council for Certification in
Volunteer Administration.
Tim Suda, CVA
Volunteer Services Engagement Services Specialist, American Red Cross
Atlanta, Georgia, Canada
Director
Tim Suda is and experienced leader of volunteers whose niche is empowering leadership volunteers who support their own teams of volunteers. He has a passion for volunteerism and brining volunteer engagement professionals together. Tim is the Vice President for the Georgia Association for Volunteer Administration (GAVA) where he supports efforts for professional development, networking, industry updates and information. He additionally works for the American Red Cross and focuses on the engagement, empowerment, and support of more than 4500 volunteers across Georgia.
Tim was a 2021 Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement (AL!VE) Impact Award recipient for the Emerging Leader Award. Prior to working in the Volunteer Engagement field, Tim had a 12-year career in Information Technology (IT). He regularly uses his technology skills in supporting both volunteers and leaders of volunteers to streamline processes, empower volunteers, and make life easier for everyone around. When he is not working or volunteering, Tim can be found in his amateur wood shop.
CCVA Committees
The CVA credentialing program is supported by many active CVA committee members. These individuals write test items, update the competencies, assist with marketing, address issues related to CVA renewal, and participate in special task force projects. All CVAs are eligible to apply for committee participation.
Outreach Committee
Many thanks to these individuals who partner with CCVA to reach new audiences and provide Informational Webinars to potential CVA candidates. Not pictured below are Drew Delbaere, Yvonne Dunphe, Renée Fleming and Eileen Small.
Corina Sadler, CVA
Volunteer Resources Supervisor, City of Plano
Plano, Texas, United States
Heather Jackson, CVA
Manager RSVP and Volunteer Programs, Volunteers of America
Ft.Collins, Colorado, USA
Heather began managing volunteer programs in 2011 out of a belief that each person has unique talents, gifts, and experiences to offer. She loves assisting people in finding their best fit in service and helping volunteers connect in meaningful ways that impact their world. She believes in building community and creating belonging and is an expert at how to convey purpose when discussing volunteer roles and impact. She enjoys creating new programs and teaching. Heather successfully built and managed the volunteer and intern program for the Denver Rescue Mission in Northern Colorado before moving on to Volunteers of America, where she now manages their AmeriCorps Seniors – RSVP grant with over 600 active volunteers. She also provides volunteer management oversight and training to both Volunteers of America staff and the over 50 community partners they work with. She received her Bachelors of Science in Human Services from Metropolitan State University of Denver and is a Certified Volunteer Administrator through the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration. In addition to her work on the CCVA Ethics and Outreach Committees, Heather is active with her local DOVIA and is the Secretary of the Colorado VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster) as well as the Volunteer Committee Chair for their Long-Term Recovery Group.
Ethics Committee
Many thanks to this dedicated group of CVAs who are working to promote the Professional Ethics in Volunteer Management.
Renewal Task Force
Many thanks to this dedicated group of CVAs from around the world who are working to revise and update the Renewal Process for current CVAs.
Governance
CCVA is governed by a board of individuals with extensive experience in the field of volunteerism and volunteer resources management, many of whom bring the perspectives of a number of the large national/international organizations which support this field. The board includes those who have earned the CVA and CAVS credentials.