Who We Are

Becca Hurowitz is the co-founder and CEO of Givver, a philanthropic matchmaking organization that focuses on equity and joy for funders and grantees alike. After 25 years in the nonprofit, fundraising, and strategic planning space, Becca is dedicated to revolutionizing the philanthropic landscape for the Next Generation.

Becca’s expertise combines high-level strategic analysis with detail-oriented planning. She is a skilled fundraiser and community builder with deep experience in the Israel and Jewish communities.

Prior to starting Givver with her lifelong best friend, Becca was the CEO of Vibe Israel USA, the North American arm of an Israeli nonprofit dedicated to connecting the Next Gen with Israel through social media. She was the Director of Campaigns & Missions at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for 10 years, as well as working in the JCC movement. Becca has led educational travel experiences to Israel, Argentina, Cuba, Prague, Budapest, Morocco and more.

Becca is active in progressive Jewish organizations and is on the Board of Directors of National Council for Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section. She lives in the Regent Square neighborhood of Pittsburgh with her husband, three children, and a short-legged Pitbull mix named Otis. She is a passionate live music fan who has been to hundreds of concerts and is always looking forward to the next one.

Marla Tobe Werner is a creative, mission-driven professional with over 25 years of experience in building community and resources for both nonprofit organizations and for-profit businesses. Marla is an engaging, visionary leader, speaker, coach, and trainer with a proven ability to initiate and implement exciting ideas while mobilizing staff, boards, volunteers, and donors to achieve extraordinary results.  

Marla has held Director of Development, Marketing and Communications roles for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh and Ronald McDonald Charities of Morgantown and Pittsburgh. Marla was the founder and Chief Growth Strategist at MPower Consulting LLC, which rolled seamlessly into Givver in 2023.  Marla has served as the Executive Director of the Evan and Tracy Segal Family Foundation since 2017.  Recently, Marla co-founded Givver with her lifelong best friend, Becca Hurowitz. 

Marla currently serves on the board of Democratic Jewish Outreach PA (DJOP), was appointed to the Inaugural Committee for Governor Josh Shapiro, serves as a member of The Center for Loving Kindness board, and is a cohort member in a Black / Jewish dialogue for Catapult Greater Pittsburgh and National Council of Jewish Women. Marla lives in the Fox Chapel area with her husband Michael and their two sets of fraternal twins.

Kaileigh Payne is a strategic-thinker and creative soul dedicated to creating a better world. Kaileigh began as Givver’s Strategic Growth and Plan Development intern during the summer of 2023, and joined the Givver team full-time as the Client Relations Associate. In 2025, she began a new role of Client Relations Manager. Kaileigh’s goal, simply put, is to leave the world better than she found it. She is excited to further her social impact work as a part of the Givver Team! 

Kaileigh is a 2024 graduate from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, where she studied Public Policy Analysis with minors in Political Science and Spanish. During Kaileigh’s four years at IU Bloomington, she served on the faculty-selected Kelley Latinx Advisory Board and Kelley Dean’s Undergraduate Student Action Committee, both of which worked to address DEI at the Kelley School of Business. In addition to her campus involvements, Kaileigh has seized multiple professional opportunities, including a congressional internship, a summer of nonprofit work in Guatemala, and an internship as an analyst at Segal Ventures. In her free time, Kaileigh is an avid reader, concert-goer, broadway enthusiast, and lover of all things creative. Kaileigh lives in Nashville, TN with her family. 

Committed to giving back to the community, Johanna has worked in the mission-driven sector for more than fifteen years. She has extensive experience in change management, strategic planning, and directing innovative programs that meet critical community needs.

Johanna is an intuitive problem-solver who brings her legal training, sense of humor, and experiences in organizational management, succession planning, fiscal management, and communications to her consulting work. Johanna currently serves as the Co-Executive Director of the Association for the Public Defender of Maryland (APDM) where she builds community and professional partnerships to advance the Maryland Office of the Public Defender’s holistic representation and support for justice involved individuals.

Prior to leading APDM, Johanna played a pivotal role on the senior leadership team for the Maryland Office of the Public Defender where she focused on change and organizational management, DEI initiatives, and strategic recruitment. Johanna began her career on the frontlines of justice as an Assistant Public Defender in Baltimore. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and her juris doctorate from George Washington University Law School.

Nikole Brugnoli Sheaffer is dedicated to making the world a brighter place. She approaches organizational challenges in unconventional ways to reignite passion and purpose so that leaders can innovate solutions to make a lasting impact on their community. With a knack for turning visionary concepts into actionable strategies, Nikole is a creative, social innovator and advocate (and capacity-builder) for leaders doing important work for impactful change.

As the Founder of The Thinking Lab, LLC since December 2022, Nikole has been building leadership capacity and program development. Through insightful listening sessions, meticulous research, and data analysis, she crafts processes and develops strategy and tactics for project implementation. Nikole’s talent for grant writing and program creation transforms ideas to fully realized, impactful initiatives, and, because of her background in other spaces, Nikole can provide an advisory role for budget development, human resource needs, and change management.

Nikole’s approach is rooted in systems thinking and an ecological perspective. She excels in designing and implementing programs that are not only innovative but also sustainable and impactful. Her acute awareness of budget management and resource allocation ensures that every project is both feasible and effective….and fun. Nikole believes that unlocking creative potential isn’t just for those who identify as artists. Creativity is essential for innovation, adaptability, and personal growth—especially in a world that demands transformational thinking.

Elizabeth T. Swibel is an independent grant writing consultant for nonprofit agencies nationwide specializing in the research, cultivation, writing, and reporting of grants to foundations nationwide.  Her clients include BaMidbar, the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, the JCC of Manhattan, the Milken Community School, Prizmah, and the Sid Jacobson JCC, among others.

Prior to becoming a consultant, Ms. Swibel was the Director, Grants and Foundations Relations for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the nation’s premier civil rights and human relations agency fighting anti-Semitism, bigotry, and hatred of all kinds. Ms. Swibel graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts from American University, where she remains an active member of the School of Communications Alumni chapter. In 2005, Ms. Swibel graduated with a Masters in Public Administration in Nonprofit Management from American University. She is the recipient of the school’s 2004 John D. Young Memorial Award and 2003 and 2004 Susan Dweck Scholarship.

LaToya Johnson-Rainey likes to introduce herself as a creative business specialist because she is a well rounded professional who brings a creative approach to business operations, strategy, and problem solving. Her background includes owning a Mainstreet business for 11 years, writing curriculum, mentoring, and facilitating business classes and meetings.

LaToya is a passionate advocate for empowering others and making a positive impact in their lives. With a strong focus on organization, attention to detail, and a drive to get things done, she is dedicated to helping individuals and organizations achieve their goals and make a difference in the world.

Striving to create positive impacts in the community, providing opportunities for all, Tara McHenry brings nearly nine years of nonprofit development work, specializing in corporation and foundation relations. Tara enjoys working with non-profits to help build and grow their granting programs, providing them with the tools they need to be successful. Being mindful of donors’ interests, Tara helps clients build their organization’s portfolio of grant leads. In addition to having extensive knowledge in the granting process, she brings experience in all aspects of organizational development including the coordination, planning, and implementation of mass mailings, special event support, donor cultivation, and stewardship. 

When Tara is not working to support area non-profits, you can find her reading the latest suspense novel or volunteering with a local cat rescue.

Ashlee Carter’s passion is working with nonprofits to move their mission and vision forward. She achieves this by partnering with organizations to share her expertise in project management, fundraising, grant development, and prospect research.

Ms. Carter has worked in the corporate, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors for more than ten years. She served as the development director at a Federally Qualified Health Center focused on serving all, regardless of their ability to pay. During her time at the health center, she was instrumental in securing 100% of funding from private and corporate sources to expand the dental clinic to serve more patients, increase employment opportunities, and increase the footprint of the health center. Ms. Carter’s experience also includes working with PNC Charitable Trusts and Eden Hall Foundation, assisting donors with identifying grantees that would assist funders with creating a sustainable impact in the community.

Ms. Carter earned a bachelor’s in Health Service Administration from Slippery Rock University and a master’s in Professional Leadership with a focus on Nonprofit Management from Carlow University. She is based in Pittsburgh, PA, but has worked to make a positive impact with nonprofits in Arizona, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

Cathy provides development counsel, executive coaching, and strategic advising. She has extensive experience in the for-profit and the nonprofit sectors in business development and fundraising.  During her tenure as Chief Development Officer of the Pittsburgh Jewish Community Center she increased the annual fundraising total from $2M to $10M (a 500% increase) and created a successful annual fundraising event, “The Big Night.”  In this role she had responsibility for managing  a team of 6 development staff and 5 marketing staff.  

Prior to the JCC, Cathy worked at the Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital Foundation as a Development Specialist where she was taught the fundamentals and tools of development as part of one of the nation’s largest and most successful hospital systems.  In her career Cathy utilized her extensive experience as a department store buyer to open her own gift and toy retail store. She holds a BA in Political Science with a minor in Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh.

After more than two decades of working for prestigious communications firms, Beth founded Verity Communications, LLC. with the goal of supporting causes that align to her true principles, especially ones of fundamental importance to society. Her areas of expertise include criminal justice, policing, health and education. Beth also serves as the Director of Communication at The Justice Collaboratory at Yale Law School, where she supports the communication of research toward a theory-driven, evidence-informed justice system.

Over the course of her career, Beth has helped diverse philanthropies, nonprofits and corporations develop messaging, raise their organizational visibility and influence public policy through traditional and social media campaigns. She specializes in building thought leadership for nonprofit leaders through op-eds, media engagement, media training and social media support.

Beth has a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs from George Washington University and has completed coursework toward a Master of Arts degree in International Communication at American University in Washington, DC.

Ilana Lipson Cohen specializes in strategic growth and advancement through the lenses of engagement, communications, branding and business development. With a 25-year career that began in New York’s film industry, she has produced powerhouse results within a range of fields: education, healthcare, entertainment and social impact.

At the intersection of creative development and data-driven strategy, Ilana offers a suite of services to amplify purpose-driven companies and nonprofit organizations. Her contributions are for the long term: expansive thinking to elevate brands, create new sources of revenue, foster engagement and build teams to achieve sustainable momentum. Ilana’s name means tree, so nurturing growth that is rooted in values and purpose is an enterprise that’s got her name all over it.

Ilana understands that building a powerful, authentic brand means curating meaningful experiences that reach far beyond a name and logo. As such, her expertise includes designing integrated engagement plans for diverse audiences, positioning and rejuvenating brand reputations, developing campaigns that connect fundraising and marketing goals, scaling initiatives and mapping out multiyear, multimillion-dollar action plans to guide growth trajectory. In addition to her consulting and advisory roles, she is a freelance writer with a degree in public relations from the University of Florida’s school of journalism.

Ilana’s commitment to community reaches beyond the office with volunteer work being central to parenthood. She lives in South Florida, where her multigenerational family carries on its tradition of supporting a range of local and national causes.

Kelly DeJean is a results-driven social impact strategist dedicated to driving meaningful change for underserved individuals and communities. With over a decade of experience, she has leveraged her strategic vision, cross-sector expertise, and leadership to expand organizations, mobilize resources, and create sustainable impact.

Passionate about solving problems and social reform, Kelly specializes in connecting key stakeholders, facilitating collaboration, and sparking innovation to accelerate progress for those in need. Her ability to navigate complex challenges and implement effective solutions has made her a trusted advisor in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors and beyond.

Gisele Barreto Fetterman is an access and equity advocate, a hugger and the former Second Lady of Pennsylvania. Gisele is the founder of Freestore 15104, where surplus and donated goods are received and redistributed to neighbors in need. FS15104 aims to eradicate food and clothing insecurity and has inspired 14 spin off locations and the birth of 412 Food Rescue. Gisele is the co-founder of 412FR, a community wide effort to end hunger and reduce food waste. 412FR has rescued tens of millions of pounds of food. She is co-founder of For Good PGH, a non-profit that works to create action and inspire kindness. For Good’s initiatives have received both national and international praise. She is also a firefighter with Rivers Edge 113. Gisele is a Tedx Speaker, a Jefferson Awards recipient, and a published author.  She is a mother of three and of beloved rescue pups Levi and Artie and rescue cat Potato.

Stacey Barlow Hill is a leadership and lifestyle coach and consultant who’s passionate about helping busy entrepreneurs and non profit leaders find balance and build businesses they love. She helps clients overcome self-doubt, discover their purpose, and grow into strong, confident leaders.

With a heart for service and a knack for strategy, Stacey has supported small businesses and nonprofit organizations in building strong foundations, scaling their operations, and positioning themselves for funding opportunities. Her experience includes everything from strategic planning to mindset coaching—always with a focus on meaningful, sustainable success.

Before stepping fully into the world of coaching and consulting, Stacey spent over 14 years building and running a successful event planning company known for creating memorable, impactful experiences. She also facilitates entrepreneurship classes and is a certified Maxwell Leadership DISC Consultant. Using the DISC behavioral assessment, Stacey helps individuals and teams better understand their strengths, improve communication, and lead more effectively.

As a wife and mother of teenage twin girls, Stacey knows what it takes to juggle business and life. Her mission is to help others lead with clarity, grow with purpose, and succeed on their own terms—with confidence and balance at the center of it all.

Karen has been bringing donors and organizations together for over 25 years. As principal of Catalyzing Philanthropy, she offers consulting services to organizations to help harness their fundraising strengths and use the best tools to work with their donors and boards. She served as Executive Director of the Tikkun Olam Women’s Foundation, a grantmaker dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls in the DC region and in Israel, and led development efforts at NARAL Pro Choice America, National Immigration Forum, and Dance Theatre of Harlem, and was Washington Director of New Israel Fund.

Karen was a participant in Selah, the Rockwood Institute/Jewish leadership training sponsored by Bend the Arc. She and her late husband, Jonathan Stern, a journalist, received the Heschel Visionary Awardfrom Jews United for Justice in 2016 for their dedication to telling the story of his terminal illness in the Washington Post with compassion and honesty and allowing it to be submitted as testimony in the DC Council hearings on family leave.

Karen is also a writer, preparing for publication of her first book of essays centered on widowhood, grief and trauma and her role as a caretaker for a spouse with terminal brain cancer. She has had essays, short stories and poems published in numerous outlets, including the New York Times (Modern Love), Washington Post, Lilith Magazine, Boston Globe, Modern Loss, Pangyrus, San Antonio Review, Red Wheelbarrow Literary Magazine, and Grace & Gravity, a literary journal dedicated to publishing the work of women writers in the DMV.  She holds grief writing workshops at the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing, Sixth and I Synagogue and CaringMatters, where she sits on the Board of Trustees, and also serves on the Leadership Councils of the Red Tent Abortion Fund and New Israel Fund.

A New Orleans native, Rebecca Guillory Gilmer enjoys a rich career as a prized executive and board coach, business consultant, visionary leader, strategic implementer, program designer, event planner, inspirational moderator, and dynamic speaker. As consultant for various organizations in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America, her work emphasizes: personal transformation, justice, stakeholder communication, leadership growth, organizational development, and equitable program design.

Rebecca graduated first in her class from Princeton Theological Seminary earning a Master of Divinity with a concentration in Homiletics. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Rebecca co-founded the Impact Movement Inc., which has influenced thousands of African American college students academically, civically, and spiritually for work in corporate, religious, and non-profit sectors.

Rebecca served as Executive Director of Bethany Community Ministries (BCM) in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh. During the height of the pandemic, Rebecca effectively contested misinformation, challenged disparate delivery systems, and partnered with multiple agencies to pioneer vaccination pop-up clinics among populations initially experiencing restricted access to Covid-19 vaccine.