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 has deep experience in the Israel and Jewish communities. She most recently 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 continues to work as Chief Development Office for Vibe Israel.

Prior to the pandemic, Becca was the Director of Campaigns & Missions at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for 10 years, as well as working in the JCC movement. She is a skilled fundraiser and community builder and 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 and Repair the World in Pittsburgh, PA. 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.

Shaelyn Parker is a recent graduate from Carnegie Mellon University with a Bachelor’s in Chemistry and a minor in Politics and Public Policy. Her diverse range of interests have given her experience not only in lab work, science communication, and public policy research, but also in political campaigns, customer service, and environmental advocacy. She is thrilled to bring innovation and impact to the community with Givver.

Recent work experience includes a FERC Research Internship at Public Citizen, Political Organizing for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party in the 2022 midterm elections, and Science Teaching/Education Development roles through Plastic Tides, PA Cyber, and The Leonard Gelfand Center at Carnegie Mellon. In 2022, Shaelyn was a recipient of the 2022 Gelfand Student Educational Outreach Award.

Shaelyn currently lives in Squirrel Hill with her cat Marlon.

Amber Chaudhry received her B.S. from Allegheny College, and further education from the University of Pittsburgh, receiving her M.P.H and J.D.  During her studies, Amber worked as an intern for the Allegheny County Health Department and as a researcher for the U.N Gender Equity Committee. Amber also worked as a Derrick Bell Research Scholar and as an extern in Pitt Law’s pro-bono Health Law Clinic. She’s served as a summer associate at Highmark and The Department of Veterans Affairs largely focusing on breach of contract, contract development, and negotiation work.  Amber has since worked as a Grant Writer and Advancement Associate for nonprofit and for-profit entities. She has experience in both state-level and private grant writing, working with the state and several foundations to fund projects such as; the development of fresh-food retailers in food deserts, redevelopment of community playgrounds, infrastructure rehabilitation for community business development centers, and refugee resettlement programs. She has successfully sought over $4 M in funding for her clients. Amber has a particular interest in procuring funds for organizations that support the upward mobility and health of marginalized populations.

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.
ebecca 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.

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.

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.

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.

Robyn is an Education Consultant who works primarily with early childhood stakeholders to help them strategically develop and implement programming, improving the lives of young children and families. Her passion for early childhood education drives her to work to ensure all children have access to high-quality care and educational settings. 

Born in Pittsburgh, PA and a proud Steelers fan, Robyn moved to Atlanta shortly after graduation from the University of Pittsburgh. Her work experiences include tenure with organizations such as Teach For America, Atlanta Public Schools, The Atlanta Speech School’s Rollins Center for Language and Literacy, Danya International Inc., Purpose Built Schools Atlanta and the YMCA of Metro Atlanta. Through her company, Candor and Co Consulting, Robyn has worked with organizations such as Start Early, National Black Child Development Institute – Atlanta, The United Way of Greater Atlanta, Civitas Strategies Early, the Alliance for Early Success and School Readiness Consulting. In 2020, she was selected to serve as a Learning Fellow with The Heinz Endowments helping to lead the implementation of a comprehensive prenatal to three regional strategy. 

Robyn is a certified Georgia Educator and a Gates Millennium Scholar. She holds an M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from Georgia State University and a B.S. in Applied Developmental Psychology from The University of Pittsburgh.

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.

Kaileigh Payne is a student at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business studying Public Policy Analysis with minors in Political Science and Spanish. Her passion lies in helping others, which has led her to pursue a variety of experiences, ranging from a congressional internship to nonprofit work in Guatemala. Kaileigh’s goal, simply put, is to leave the world better than how she found it. She is excited to further expand her social impact through her work with Givver! 

Kaileigh’s recent work centers around her involvement at IU’s campus in Bloomington. She is on the faculty-selected Kelley Latinx Advisory Board and Kelley Dean’s Undergraduate Student Action Committee, both of which work to address DEI at the Kelley School of Business. She is the DEI Social Media Chair of her sorority Kappa Alpha Theta, and she also works with an organization called Rural UP, who aims to increase digital literacy in rural Indiana, as the head of Latino Outreach. In her free time Kaileigh loves to read and spend time with her friends!