Category: America Associates

Senior Associate

With more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Carolyn Hanson specializes in Donor and Constituent Engagement. Her experience has included owning a successful nonprofit consulting business, working for the public information and philanthropy departments at amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, and providing writing services to various UN agencies, including UNDP’s HIV/AIDS Group, UNIFEM (now UN Women), the Office of the UNSGSA, and SDG Impact. Carolyn graduated from Barnard College with a bachelor’s degree in English. As a grant writer, she has consistently raised more than $2 million per year. Her additional skills include direct mail marketing, copywriting, and editing. Carolyn’s wide-ranging experience has helped her develop subject-matter expertise in HIV/AIDS, global and public health, homelessness, LGBTQ+ rights, economic development, financial inclusion, animal welfare, and more. As an independent consultant, she has worked with Housing Works, Bailey House, Bideawee, March of Dimes, and others. Carolyn enjoys learning from her clients and helping them share their visions for a better world with donors and the public.  

Area of Expertise:
Carolyn’s core expertise is in Donor and Constituent Engagement including proposal writing, donor communications, and nonprofit publications.

Experience:
Healthcare, International Development

Fundraising Must Have:
I work to cultivate a deep understanding of my clients’ work so that I can tell their story effectively to raise funds.

Associate

With more than 18 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Jon Garrow specializes in advancement services. Some of his previous experience has included: director of prospect development at Montefiore Health System/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, head of fundraising operations at International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, and instructor in fundraising operations at Rice University. Jon graduated from Chapman University with a bachelor of arts in music and from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy with a master’s in philanthropy studies. He is currently completing an additional graduate degree in data science. Jon is a leader in prospect development, serving on the board of Apra International, and received the 2024 Cecilia Hogan Award for contributions to the field.

Area of Expertise:
Jon’s core expertise is in Advancement Services. Data Analytics, Fundraising Campaigns and Strategic Planning, International Fundraising

Experience:
Education, Healthcare, Arts & Culture, International Development

Fundraising Must Have:
Jon’s fundraising must have: Trust in each other and in our data.

Associate

With over a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector, Jennifer Lynch-McKinney, MNA has served the Arts & Culture, Animal Welfare, Education, Housing and Community Based Membership and Advocacy nonprofit sectors, serving as Manager of Annual Fund and Advancement for the Cleveland Zoological Society, Annual Fund Manager for ASM Materials Education Foundation and Institutional Advancement Manager for University Circle, Inc.  

Today, Jennifer applies her skill and talent as Manager of Fundraising at CHN Housing Partners, a highly seasoned, nonprofit affordable housing developer and housing service provider that works with its partners to solve major housing challenges for low-income people and underserved communities. CHN partners with cities and organizations to deliver housing solutions for their constituents, with utility companies, financial institutions, and public agencies to manage and deliver large-scale housing resources to the community, and with people—low-income individuals, families, seniors, the disabled and the homeless—to improve their housing stability. 

Through partnerships CHN has developed over 7,000 affordable homes, and each year serves over 60,000 families through a wide array of housing services. 

Working in Ohio and neighboring states, CHN preserves and expands affordable housing, building equitable communities. By investing in affordable housing, CHN invests in families, communities, and the economy – CHN invests in the power of a permanent address. 

Jennifer is passionate about the work she does with various organizational partners and works hard as an advocate for the voices that need to be heard and the work that needs to be done to improve individuals and our communities. 

A graduate from Otterbein University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Equine Administration, Jennifer is also a graduate from John Carroll University with a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Administration.  

Jennifer completed the Cleveland Leadership Center’s Civic Leadership Institute, is a board member of One Health Organization, past chair of The Gathering Place’s Race for the Place fundraiser, a member of the Advisory Board for Ashland University Women in Leadership Certificate Program and a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Cleveland chapter. 

  
Area of Expertise: 
Jennifer’s core expertise is in Donor and Constituent Engagement. She has excelled in Annual Giving and Direct Marketing; Fundraising Campaigns and Strategic Planning; and Major and Principal Gifts 
 
Experience: 
Education, Arts & Culture, Community Based Membership and Advocacy 
 
Fundraising Must Have: 
Passion and strong advocacy to improve individual lives and the communities we serve. 

Strategic Advisor and Executive Associate

Jeff Comfort is a seasoned professional with 38 years of gift planning experience. Currently serving as vice president of principal gifts and gift planning at the Oregon State University Foundation (OSUF), Jeff provides strategic leadership to the gift planning program that assists donors in making deferred, assets-based or complex gifts to the university. Year in and year out, gift planning provides over 25% of total fundraising at OSUF.

 Jeff spent 18 years at Georgetown University, where he oversaw university-wide gift planning efforts resulting in approximately $500 million of gift commitments and receipts in his tenure. Before arriving at Georgetown in 1995, he spent 11 years in Denver directing the gift planning program for the National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medical (now National Jewish Health).

As a volunteer leader of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners (formerly the National Committee on Planned Giving), Jeff served as president, chaired the 10th National Conference on Planned Giving and was a member of the NCPG board of directors for five years. Additionally, he was a member of the ethics committee and chaired the task force on gift valuation. Jeff chaired the CASE National Conference on Planned Giving for 10 years from 2008 to 2018.

Area of Expertise:
Planned and Legacy Gifts.

Experience:
Education, Healthcare

Fundraising Must Have:
Prospects

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffcomfort/

Senior Associate

With close to 30 years of experience in higher education, Dr. Tracy Woodard is a visionary leader who specializes in data analytics with a focus on emphasizing diversity, equity, and inclusion principles in daily operations and organizational missions. Previous experience has included Dean of the Communications and Humanities Division at Tallahassee Community College, Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies program at Valdosta State University, and Professor of Sociology at Valdosta State University.   

Tracy holds a Ph.D. in Human Sciences, a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science from Florida State University.  

Area of Expertise:
Data Analytics. Tracy is also adept with Project Management and Board Training, Management and Governance 

Experience:
Education, Arts & Culture

Fundraising Must Have:
A vision and desire to affect positive change.

Contact Tracey at: twoodard@ssutton-and-associates.com

Associate

Cornelius Hubbard Sr. is an accomplished data science and analytics leader with more than 20 years of experience helping higher education, government, and nonprofit organizations use data to strengthen fundraising strategy, performance measurement, and decision making. He specializes in translating complex data into clear, actionable insights that support donor engagement, revenue diversification, and long-term sustainability.

As Associate Director of Analytics and Senior Data Analyst at Johns Hopkins University, Cornelius developed predictive analytics models to assess donor behavior and philanthropic potential across multiple giving levels. His work enabled advancement teams to better understand donor patterns, prioritize high potential prospects, and align stewardship strategies with institutional goals. By embedding data driven insights into everyday fundraising operations, he supported leadership in making informed decisions about resource allocation, program growth, and prospect strategy.

Cornelius’s experience spans both nonprofit and large-scale public-sector environments. Earlier roles at Walgreens Corporate, the Cook County Assessor’s Office, and Allovue involved modernizing data systems, improving reporting efficiency, and building tools that informed organizational strategy and public accountability. Across these settings, he has consistently helped organizations move from fragmented data toward integrated, decision ready systems.

Through his work with S. Sutton & Associates Inc., Cornelius supports organizations seeking to strengthen development programs through improved data governance, donor analytics, and performance tracking. Cornelius also conducts wealth screening to help clarify donor landscapes, assess fundraising readiness, and inform expansion strategies.

Cornelius holds a Master of Science in Analytics from the University of Chicago, a Master of Information Systems from Robert Morris University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Development and Leadership from Loyola University Chicago. A U.S. Army veteran, he brings a disciplined, mission focused approach to analytics, ensuring that strategy is informed by insight, scale is supported by evidence, and growth is sustainable.

Fundraising Area of Expertise: Cornelius’s core expertise is in Data Analytics, including data acquisition, data mining, data modeling, data visualization, and presentations.

Sector Experience: Education, Healthcare, Community Based Membership and Advocacy.

Fundraising Must Have: A comprehensive Data Analytics program designed to describe, predict, and prescribe to maximize the efforts and return on investment of frontline fundraisers and administrators.