Hannah Chotiner-Gardner is responsible for the design, articulation, and implementation of a comprehensive fundraising strategy that is catalyzing KIND’s global growth. Prior to joining KIND in April 2021, Chotiner-Gardner spent eight-and-a-half years managing the development department at Physicians for Human Rights (PHR). Under her leadership, PHR nearly doubled its annual revenue, launched the first fundraising campaign in the organization’s history, and more than tripled the number of annual donors. Chotiner-Gardner played a key role in increasing support from philanthropic institutions by more than 50 percent and helped PHR achieve new milestones in overall revenue. A key member of KIND’s senior leadership, Chotiner-Gardner provides data driven analysis and insights to guide the organization’s ambitious approach to sustaining long-term financial health. In addition to leading and managing KIND’s development department, Chotiner-Gardner contributes to the organization’s ability to build and strengthen its partnerships and programs. Chotiner-Gardner’s career in fundraising spans 15 years and includes leadership experience in the fields of social justice and global public health. Before joining PHR, she worked for five years with major donors at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, in support of an 800 million-dollar capital campaign. She has also held management positions at the Boston Rescue Mission and the American Friends Service Committee. Chotiner-Gardner also brings extensive global experience to KIND, having managed educational initiatives in Ecuador, Ghana, and Namibia. Chotiner-Gardner holds a BA in English from Mount Holyoke College.

Jessye Brick supports the Development team at KIND and is responsible for mobilizing funding from foundations, corporations, and governments. Prior to joining KIND in May 2022, Jessye was a senior member of the business development team at FHI 360, an international nonprofit focused on implementing integrated, evidence-based solutions to global challenges. During her time at FHI 360, she oversaw global health business development activities, tracked performance, and was instrumental in rolling out internal systems and processes. She brings experience in proposal writing, strategic pricing, and project management. She holds a BA from Smith College and an MPH in Maternal and Child Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia with her husband and daughter.

Diana Jacobs-Komisar leads KIND’s cultivation of support from foundations throughout the US and the world. Previously, Diana was Institutional Giving Manager at Huntington Theatre Company in Boston, where for seven years she directed all foundation, corporate, and government fundraising for the organization’s annual fund and large-scale comprehensive campaign. As part of the company’s equity and Anti-Racism Task Force, Diana helped design, implement, and steward systemic institutional strategies toward becoming a more equitable and actively anti-racist organization. Prior to The Huntington, Diana was Development Manager at Mayyim Hayyim and Cultural Arts Manager at the JCC of Greater New Haven. Diana got her start in nonprofit development with Laurie Heller and Associates in Israel, where she managed institutional fundraising for a portfolio of organizations serving the spectrum of Israeli and Palestinian society. She has an MFA in Theater Management from Yale School of Drama and a BA in International and Intercultural Studies from Goucher College. Diana lives in Baltimore, MD, with her husband and three children.

Bio coming soon!

Sherry Yang supports the Development team at KIND and plays a key role on the individual giving team, ensuring successful fundraising and smooth planning and execution of annual fundraising events. Before joining KIND in May 2023, Sherry served as the Associate Director of Events and Project Management at Math for America (MƒA). In this role, she developed, maintained, and executed comprehensive event project plans and timelines for various events. Additionally, Sherry oversaw a team of project managers, coordinators, and support staff, assuring the seamless operation of a daily evening professional development program that catered to over 1,000 math and science teachers from public schools in New York City. Sherry holds a BS in Landscape Architecture from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and an MS in Nonprofit Management from Columbia University in NYC.

Evelyn comes to KIND with six years of experience managing grants and fundraising for nonprofit organizations. Evelyn holds a Master's in Nonprofit studies from Arizona State University, and has additional experience with organizing for public education, which she gained while working with the Arizona teacher's union and Arizona State Board of Education. Evelyn grew up with parents in the Foreign Service, and has lived in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Macedonia, and Northern Virginia. Having spent the past five years in Seattle, Evelyn is thrilled to be back on the East Coast. Although she, her husband, and two young daughters were sad to leave their chickens, Col. Mustard, Goldie, and Brown Talon, back in Washington State, they continuously join local efforts to allow DC families to own back-yard chickens.

Tina Le is the Salesforce Manager for the Development team at KIND. She joined the KIND team in March 2023 and is responsible for supporting and maintaining the integrity of Development’s Salesforce database. She brings over a decade of non-profit experience in database management, development operations and donor services. Prior to joining KIND, she was the Development Manager at ProPublica, a non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. Tina graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, with a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies with a concentration in Political Communication.

Bio coming soon!

Jennifer Macías Taylor Biography Jennifer Macías Taylor is the Development Coordinator for the Institutional Development Department at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), where she provides strategic fundraising and administrative support. Jennifer has experience in trauma-informed direct services, advocacy, and community organizing centering youth empowerment, immigrant rights, and anti-violence initiatives. Prior to KIND, she served as the Development Project Associate with Advance NYC, where she supported diverse client organizations with strategic planning, communications, and fundraising. Previously, she served as the Senior Development and Communications Associate as well as the Program Coordinator for the Resilience Advocacy Project training youth from low-income communities in local policy and advocacy work. At The Healing Center, Jennifer served as the Community Outreach Coordinator and Children’s Counselor serving undocumented Latin American families impacted by intrapersonal and community violence. Jennifer holds a B.A. from Montclair University in Psychology and a M.S. in Social Work from Columbia University.

Kelsey Salvesen supports the Development team at KIND and is responsible for clearly and compellingly conveying the urgent work KIND is undertaking through grant and development materials. Prior to joining KIND in 2022, Kelsey worked in a variety of development roles over the past decade, including as Grants Coordinator and on-staff Grants Writer for Center For Family Services (a large New Jersey-based social services organization), and as Senior Research Development Associate for Duke University. She also helped support her own research while a doctoral candidate at the University of Pennsylvania with fellowships and grants from a number of private and university funders. She brings to KIND a wide breadth of expertise in research, proposal writing, and project management. Kelsey has a B.A. from UNC-Chapel Hill in French and International Studies and an M.A. and PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in History.

Cristina Wood supports the Development team at KIND as a Grant Writer. She is responsible for crafting compelling proposals and fundraising materials to support KIND’s critical programs and services. Cristina joined the team in April 2023, bringing 10 years of experience as a nonprofit communications and resource development specialist. She previously served as Fundraising Manager for a leading affordable housing developer and supportive services provider in the Washington, DC region. Cristina holds a B.S. in Mass Communications (Print Journalism concentration) and Sociology from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Bio coming soon!