Who We Are
Our mission is to promote stewardship, growth and service through communication.
Mark Goldstein, CFRE
President and CEO
Mark is most sought after as an expert proposal writer and project strategist. In 2019, he was selected by his peers at AFP as the region’s Outstanding Fundraising Executive. He is the creator of the Open Communication Fundraising Model, a system that enables all nonprofit agency stakeholders to effectively work together toward organizational and fundraising goals. Mark has consistently served nonprofits as a staff member, board member or consultant since 1991.
Mark has raised more than $65 million for his clients and employers by obtaining grants for organizations of all types, sizes and locales, particularly for health, human service, community development and technology needs He is an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Western NC and the Grant Professionals Association. He has served as a founding board member for a public access television station and for Carolina Public Press.
Mark has provided training sessions through a number of venues, including WNC Nonprofit Pathways, the Duke University Continuing Studies Nonprofit Management program, and Alliance for Better Nonprofits.
Terri Morrin
Director of Flow
Terri grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She spent her summers as a child at her grandparent’s home in rural Minnesota. Her mid-western roots are evident when she says "pants" or "bag." Terri received her BA in Business Management & Marketing from Michigan State University.
Terri’s career has taken her to Wisconsin, Georgia, South Carolina, and now Western North Carolina. As Director of Flow at Communication Mark, Terri stewards Marketing, Human Resources and Business Management.
On a personal note, Terri lives in an intentional community at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Ask her about it - she loves to share that part of her life.
Jason Blazs
Grant Strategist / Project Manager
Jason has been working with grants and foundations in the nonprofit sector for over 12 years. A native of Detroit, he completed his undergraduate studies in Chicago in 2005 and Master’s degree in New York City in 2012. His educational focus was religious studies in Christianity and Judaism, and eventually Public Administration and Nonprofit Management.
Jason began working in fundraising as a grant writer, eventually managing entire development teams. In 2014, he moved to Charlotte, NC and joined the Billy Graham Association, leading the grants program as Director of Foundations. Then in 2019 he joined the largest hospital network in NC, Atrium Health, as a Director of Fund Development. His fundraising experience also includes developing major donor programs, direct mail prospecting, multichannel communication, donor events and sponsorships, capital campaigns, and capacity building programs.
He is most passionate in working with grants and foundations, helping nonprofits achieve their mission, working hard to understand their needs, while providing helpful and profitable returns. In his personal time, he enjoys nature, reading, and spending quality time with his wife and five children.
Kathy Brown
Consultant
Kathy brings her passion for community, expansion, and partnership to Communication Mark. She is a former Assistant Provost and has held several teaching and administrative roles with non-profit higher education institutions where she has extensive experience in proposal writing, program implementation and project planning.
Kathy was born and raised in Miami Beach, Florida. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Barry University and conducted graduate research in biochemistry and molecular biology at Emory University School of Medicine. She graduated from Converse College with a master’s degree in Education of Natural Sciences.
Kathy currently lives in an intentional community focused on health and healing in Columbus, North Carolina. She is interested in organic gardening and bee-keeping and is a highly experienced chocolatier.
Tina Jones
Consultant
Tina began her nonprofit career over twenty-five years ago as an AmeriCorps member with City Year in Boston. Over the years, her passion for helping others led to a lifetime career as a nonprofit professional. As a staff member and consultant, she has served as a campaign manager, development director, program specialist, grant writer, and reviewer. Tina has experience working with a wide variety of nonprofit organizations focused on areas such as education, homelessness, health, youth development, and the arts.
Tina is a former board member for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Atlanta Chapter, where she served in several roles, most notably as Vice President of Diversity when she implemented the award-winning and nationally recognized Diversity Fellows Program. In addition, she was a faculty member with the Georgia Center for Nonprofits Non-Profit University, teaching grant writing classes.
Tina currently serves as the President of the Georgia Grant Professionals Association (GPA), has a degree in Business Administration, and enjoys spending time with her son and fur baby, and volunteering at the Atlanta Fox Theatre and in walkathons.
Susannah Barry
Grant Writer
Susannah’s interest in global development and international relations introduced her to the world of nonprofit grant writing during her undergraduate studies. She received her BS in Global Studies & Cultural Geography and her MA in International Affairs & Development from Middle Tennessee State University. Her time interning with the Nashville International Center for Empowerment allowed her to work in refugee resettlement development. This solidified her passion for nonprofit development work and led her to pursue a career focusing on grant research and writing.
Grant writing has allowed Susannah to work with displaced families attempting to build new lives in a foreign country, vulnerable children in the inner cities, and groups working abroad to bring healthcare and education to underdeveloped countries.
Whether addressing neglected tropical disease across the globe or focusing on local needs throughout Middle Tennessee, Susannah values any time spent with empathetic and passionate people working together to create positive change.
Susannah nurtures a love for piano and can be heard playing for churches in her hometown of Clarksville, Tennessee, every Sunday. When not making music, she collaborates on art pieces for a local graphic design studio.
Dianne Timberlake
Grant Writer
Dianne’s lived experiences, both personal and professional, make it a joy for her to assemble narratives that change lives. She brings public and private sector leadership expertise to Communication Mark from more than a decade in Polk County, NC, government administration and years of organizational consulting and brand ambassadorship.
Dianne has written successful grant applications to expand rural transportation for seniors, people with disabilities, and residents with low wealth; preserved and protected cultural heritage with Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership; and supported tourism and economic development in craft and music venues. Through government assignments she was the steward of millions in federal grants. She has also provided coaching and grants management support to small businesses and nonprofits.
Dianne’s love of collaborative synergies and ability to listen and synthesize information provides a grounded approach that achieves desired outcomes. In her personal life, Dianne makes a difference through cherished expressions of unity in an intentional community in Western North Carolina.
Valerie Munei
Grant Writer
Valerie brings a variety of experiences to her primary role of writing proposals and researching potential grant opportunities for Communication Mark’s diverse clientele. She grew up in Hawaii, received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Chicago in Germanic Languages and Literature, and began her career in publishing with positions at Encyclopaedia Britannica and the Joint Commission. Valerie then moved into marketing communications and to the Carolinas, working for both forprofit and nonprofit organizations.
Valerie’s nonprofit experience includes volunteer service as the Lake Wylie Lakekeeper, and as a board member of the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation and the Association of Fundraising Professionals Western North Carolina Chapter. Valerie currently volunteers with Mountain True/French Broad Riverkeeper.
Alice Sabo
Administrator
Alice grew up in suburban New Jersey, where she developed a bad case of wanderlust. After attending college in New Jersey and Massachusetts, she finished her Bachelors in Fine Arts at the University of New Mexico. Since that time, she has worked in a variety of jobs, from managing a quick print store to freelancing as a scenic artist.
During her travels Alice has honed her administrative skills, and has now alighted in Asheville. She still pursues painting and writing in her spare time.
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