Category: Our Associates

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.