Many grant consultants are looking to grow businesses but are having difficulty finding the right people, determining the best structure for managing them, and in reimagining their changing roles. These panel presenters will provide information and insight from their own experiences in hiring grant professionals and in scaling up their businesses.

The session will: 1) examine the growth mindset that consultants need to have in order to step into their expanding businesses; 2) discuss the steps to hiring, interviewing, and selecting consultants to support grant development work; and 3) explore how mentorship can help you to support and solidify your working relationships once you have your people on board. 

This session will allow grant professionals the opportunity to explore how to expand their businesses and to learn from others about how to avoid the pitfalls and enjoy the benefits that accompany such growth. 

Presenter:

LaKeesha Morris-Moreau founded BellTower Consulting Group in 2009 and has more than 20 years of expertise in proposal research and writing. In 2016, LaKeesha earned the Grant Professional Certified credential. She is an active member of the GPA, serving as Vice President of the South Florida Chapter. She also sits on the National Board of Directors for the Grant Professionals Certification Institute.  Most importantly, LaKeesha is a wife and mother of two budding Grant Assistants ages 7 and 5.

Lesa-Kaye Holtham, MPH, GPC, has over a decade of experience working with community-based health nonprofits, national public health organizations, and higher education institutions. She currently serves as the Senior Associate Director for Institutional Partners at The Catholic University of America. Lesa-Kaye also offers grant training workshops to community-based groups and nonprofits. She currently serves as the Vice President of the GPA DC Metro chapter.

Valerie A. Grant has worked as a grant professional since 1998. She specializes in grant development which includes strategic planning, grant proposal writing, and funding research. Valerie is the principal owner of Grant Consulting Services, LLC. a fundraising consulting firm. Funding has been secured for clients in the youth development, education, and human services fields from government, corporate, and foundation funding sources. Grant Consulting Services, LLC also works with business

Laura Bonnett, Ph.D., has three decades of experience working with non-profits, charities and the federal government in the areas of social services, post-secondary education, and human rights in Canada. She is the founder and CEO of YellowTree Grant Writing Services, where she leads a team of four passionate grant professionals and works with charities, non-profits, social enterprises and socially-minded businesses in all aspects of the granting cycle. Laura is also a member of AFP and APRA.

Skill Level:
Mid-Career
Advanced-Career

Learning Path: 
Consulting

GPC Competencies:
Practices and services that raise the level of professionalism of grant developers