Most learning fails not because people do not care, but because it was never designed for how people actually change. Nancy’s work starts there.
Background
A field interpreter, not just a practitioner
What 25 years in nonprofit learning produces, when it is done rigorously, is a diagnostic lens. Nancy has seen the same failure patterns repeat across hundreds of organizations: learning designed for compliance rather than change, training scheduled instead of sequenced, content delivered to people who were never asked what they actually needed. That pattern recognition is what she brings to every engagement.
She has worked as an executive director, program founder, board chair, strategic planner, and consultant, which means she understands the real constraints nonprofit leaders work within, not just the idealized version. Her sector work includes building statewide learning systems, board, finance, and legal resources used across Washington State, practical tools for nonprofit and public-sector partners, and capacity-building efforts that strengthen networks across multiple fields.
In 2025, Nancy collaborated with Innovia Foundation and Whitworth University to design and deliver a new Nonprofit Management Certificate, built specifically for the realities of rural nonprofit leaders.
Nancy began her career in international education, teaching at the International School Manila, supporting capacity-building work in Brazil, and working in Germany. Those years reinforced a conviction she has carried into every project since: effective learning is built on empathy for the people doing the work, precision about what they actually need to change, and design that takes real-world conditions seriously.
Sector presence
- Nonprofit learning programs since 1996
- Statewide board, finance, and law resources (WA)
- Whitworth Nonprofit Management Certificate, 2025
- Co-founder, Nonprofit Learning Center
- Co-host, Nonprofit Radio Show
- Golden Apple Award recipient
“Just wanted to send a quick note to give kudos! We were super impressed with the training and it didn’t get as tangled and messy as it could have! That’s a huge feat with this topic and the level of information you were covering. You did such a great job of prepping, being thoughtful, and I love that you made space for folks to co-teach each other.”
Mallorie Shellmer, fiscal sponsorship webinar attendee
In conversation
Nancy’s thinking on nonprofit learning, leadership, and organizational change has been featured across sector media and conferences.
The Nonprofit Show : Rethinking Nonprofit Success
A conversation exploring nonprofit leadership and how learning supports real-world decision-making and impact.
Watch ›KING5 New Day Northwest : Power of nonprofits
A television segment featuring a conversation about the role and impact of nonprofits in our communities.
Watch ›Learning For Good Podcast : Training Isn’t a Cost
On the value of learning and development in nonprofits, and how to reframe training as an investment rather than an expense.
Listen ›IDIODC Podcast : Navigating the Nonprofit Learning Ecosystem
A conversation about how nonprofit learning systems work in practice and how they might evolve.
Listen ›Nonprofit SnapCast : Revolutionizing Nonprofit Learning
How learning strategies make a measurable difference for nonprofit organizations.
Listen ›Interested in featuring Nancy in a conversation, panel, or podcast? Get in touch.
Ready to work together?
Whether you’re planning an event, building a learning strategy, or just starting a conversation, Nancy is glad to hear from you.