We bring you a world of experience

Supporters of CAFAmerica benefit from the extensive and specialized expertise and experience of its staff and Board.

Meet the staff
The CAFAmerica team has more than 40 years of combined experience in international grant making, program design and financial services. We welcome the chance to discuss your international philanthropic goals and are always available to take your call. We take special care to explain and clarify our cost structure since there are higher levels of due diligence required for global philanthropy from the US.

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	David Venne, Interim CEO & Director of Finance     With more than 18 years working in the sector and managing over $30 million in donations annually, David brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this position. He has strong leadership skills and an understanding of both charitable giving and international grantmaking.    Before joining CAFAmerica in 2008, David worked as a consultant to the United States Department of State, Bureau of Resource Management. He oversaw the world-wide rollout of a custom-built federal budgeting, financial planning and funds control software to each US Embassy and Consulate. Prior to that, he spent 4 years as Director of Finance and Administration managing annual donations of $22 million at Christian Service Charities, which represented 130 national and international charities in federal, state, local and private sector workplace giving campaigns.    David’s initial foray in the sector was at a relief and development agency that provided affordable housing and development support to communities across the US and overseas - including Appalachia, the Native American Nations, the Baltics and East Africa.      David has a B.A. in Accounting from Luther College, Decorah, IA.
	Denise Simpson, Director of Donor Advised Giving Denise is responsible for CAFAmerica’s business development and donor relationship management. She has more than 14 years of experience in the philanthropic and corporate arenas. Prior to joining CAFAmerica in 2007, Denise was Business Planning and Development Manager for CAF in the UK and worked in Product Management for Fidelity’s Charitable Gift Fund. Denise holds an MBA from Babson College and B.A.s in International Regional Studies and German Language and Culture from the University of the Pacific.
	Kwame Johnson, Senior Manager-Grants and Donor Relations   Kwame recently joined CAFAmerica in February 2011. He has served in the not-for-profit sector for over 8 years. He holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland. He is a seasoned professional with a strong background in fund development, grants administration, and program development.
	Tyler Kalogeros-Treschuk, Corporate Giving Officer   Tyler has joined CAFAmerica in December 2010 as its Corporate Giving Officer. In this capacity, he works with corporations and their foundations to implement solutions that create globally impactful giving.  Tyler has worked with a variety nonprofit organizations in both a professional and volunteer capacity helping to devise and execute their annual, major gift, and corporate fundraising strategies.
	Katherine A Tanham, Grants Officer   Katherine joined CAFAmerica as Program Officer in January 1998. She has experience in international grantmaking program management, the administration of various types of client accounts, and membership and fund development. Katherine has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Guilford College.
	Erik Josephson, Grants Officer   Erik works with the grants team and responds to applicant inquiries. He joined CAFAmerica in June 2008. Before joining CAFAmerica, he worked with community foundations at the Council on Foundations. Erik holds a B.S. in International Studies from Minnesota State University Moorhead.
	Linda Kim, Grants Officer   Linda joined the CAFAmerica grants team in January 2010. She has been in the not-for-profit sector for over 15 years and holds a Bachelor Degree in Human Service Studies and a Masters Degree in Education. Prior to joining CAFAmerica, she served in various roles towards improving the quality of education for underserved populations in the U.S. as well as abroad.
	Susan Jed, Grants Officer   Susan joined CAFAmerica in August 2010 after three years on Capitol Hill working for a U.S. senator.  As part of our grants team, she assists donors and nonprofits with their requests and inquiries.  Susan holds a Master's Degree in Social/Public Policy from Georgetown University, and possesses broad experience with client and constituent relations in both the private and public sectors.
	Jaime Russell, Grants Assistant   Jaime joined CAFAmerica in July 2010. She lived in Argentina for thirteen years, has a university degree in Business Administration and previous work experience with microenterprise development and public works projects issues for rural towns. She has also worked as a freelance Spanish>English translator for several years.
	Kimberly Muse, Executive Assistant   Kimberly began with CAFAmerica in July 2008. She has over ten years of experience managing business relations and administrative support at a senior management level. Prior to joining CAFAmerica, Kimberly worked for a meeting management and event planning company in Arlington, VA for eight years.
	Kerry Fore, Grants Assistant   Kerry joined the CAFAmerica grants team in September 2011 after graduating from The George Washington University. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Affairs and Political Science and spent an academic year abroad at The London School of Economics. Kerry has experience in the nonprofit sector, where she worked to help state legislators develop policy for a variety of issue areas.
	Jessie Krafft, Grants Assistant   Jessie joined CAFAmerica in September 2011. Prior to joining our team, she lived and volunteered for a year and half at an orphanage in Honduras where she taught Spanish and Math and worked with visitors. She is a certified Spanish translator and she holds a B.A. in Spanish and a B.S. in Anthropology.

Meet the board

	Janet C. Boyd, ESQ., President For more than 18 years, Janet has provided legal counsel to a number of tax-exempt organizations. She has served as a CAFAmerica board member since 1999, and as president of CAFAmerica since 2002. Janet currently works for the Dow Chemical Company in Washington, D.C., providing legal and policy advice on tax, corporate governance, and employee benefits issues. Before joining Dow, she was a partner in the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer and Feld, L.L.P. Janet received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas-Austin and a law degree from the George Washington University National Law Center. She is a member of the Bar in the District of Columbia and a member of the American Bar Association’s Tax Section. She also serves on the board of the Tax Council.
	Rob Buchanan Rob Buchanan is President of the El-Hibri Charitable Foundation in Washington, DC. Previously, he served as Managing Director of International Programs at the Council on Foundations and as Program Director for the Horn of Africa at Oxfam America. In addition, he served on the staffs of the United States Senate and House of Representatives. He is co-author of Making a Difference in Africa: Advice from Experienced Grantmakers and serves on the boards of the Asia Pacific Philanthropy Consortium and Partners of Tanzania’s Relief & Development. Rob is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and earned an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins Schools of Advanced International Studies.
	Jeff Doyon Jeff Doyon joined CAFAmerica as Treasurer of the Board in March 2008. His responsibilities include financial management and compliance. He brings to CAFAmerica more than 20 years experience that includes leadership roles with Fortune 500 companies, not-for-profit organizations, and experience in public accounting. Jeff holds a B.A. degree in Economics from the College of William & Mary, an M.S. degree in Accounting from the University of Virginia, and is a Certified Public Accountant.
	John Low Prior to joining CAF as the Chief Executive in 2007, John Low was Chief Executive with RNID. He is Chairman of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO). After completing a PhD in Bio-Medical Physics specialising in speech and auditory feedback, he pursued a 20 year career in the technological industry, serving both western and developing markets, before moving to the voluntary sector. He is a Chartered Engineer, Companion of the Institute of Management and a fellow of the RSA.