Renee Bourque, M. Ed, Grant Certified Professional
President of Bright Star Grant Consultants, Inc.

Vice-President of the Puget Sound Grant Writers Association, Bourque is a recognized Subject Matter Expert by the University of South Florida and the Institute for Grant Writing Certification, and a grant maker for Pangea Giving for Global Change. A strategy expert, Bourque has led local, statewide, and international initiatives that integrate constituency, program, policy, and infrastructure objectives

Susan Howlett
Fundraising Consultant

Howlett has authored two books: Getting Funded: The Complete Guide to Writing Grant Proposals (with Dr. Mary Hall), and Getting Your Board Members to Raise Money Joyfully. She received UW's Award for Teaching Excellence in 2004 and Northwest Development Officers Association Lifetime Professional Achievement Award in 2001.

Ray Li
Director of Strategic Initiatives for Neighborhood House

Previously the agency's Director of Development and Advancement, Li also served as the Assistant Director of Development for the Greater Hartford Chapter of the American Red Cross. Li is on the Visiting Committee for the Seattle University Master in Not-for-profit Leadership Program and serves as the past-president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals - Washington Chapter.

Kathe Shaw-Bassett
VP of the Nonprofit Services Group at Pacific Continental Bank

Shaw-Bassett helps create an innovative program of banking products and services tailored to the needs of nonprofits. She was previously a not-for-profit fundraising coach for over 65 nonprofits throughout the U.S. and Western Canada in sustainable, mission-driven fundraising strategies, primarily targeted at increasing individual donors.

Savitha Reddy Pathi
Consultant

Pathi has extensive experience in philanthropic advising, grantmaking, fundraising and fundraising consultation through her work at The Seattle Foundation, Women's Funding Alliance and The Collins Group. She served on the Board of Northwest Development Officers Association and as Co-Chair of the Puget Sound-Northwest Chapter of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, and was awarded a Brainerd Fellowship to Social Venture Partners Seattle in 2009.

Instructors are subject to change.