Call 327-3800 for all general inquiries. Direct numbers for all staff are listed below and in the alphabetical list at right.
For e-mail, except for Grant Specialists, use each person's first initial and last name with the "at" sign and foundationbirmingham.org. Click here for general e-mail inquiries or if you are a member of the media.
 Kate Nielsen, President
327-3801
Kate Nielsen joined the staff as the first Development Officer in 1995 and was named President in 2000.
She is active in the community foundation field, completing a term on the National Community Foundation Leadership Team, and in the Birmingham community, where she serves on the Boards of Alabama Giving, the Eyesight Foundation and the Regions Charity Classic Foundation. In the past, she has been a member of the Board of the Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Birmingham International Festival.
A graduate of Leadership Birmingham and Leadership Alabama, she is a member of the Board of Leadership Alabama. She was honored as Fundraising Executive of the Year in 2002 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
A Birmingham native and an active member of the Cathedral Church of the Advent, Kate and her husband Claude have three children.
 Rhonda Carter, President's & Board's Assistant, Office Manager
327-3802
Rhonda C. Carter serves as Assistant to President Kate Nielsen and as Office Manager for the Community Foundation, a position she assumed in 2008.
She previously worked at South Trust Securities and most recently with Girl Scouts of Cahaba Council. She was Executive Director of West Central Alabama Heritage Society for two years and continues to volunteer with Girl Scouts, with Athletic Arts Center as the Irish Dance coordinator and with her church as youth mentor.
She and husband Robert have two children and live in Graysville.
 Jan Bell, Vice President Community Philanthropy
327-3804
Jan Bell brings experience on the local and national level to her work as Vice President Community Philanthropy. She served as national vice-president for field operations for the Arthritis Foundation and national major donor relations manager for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and before that as president/CEO of Habitat for Humanity Greater Birmingham and as executive director of the Alabama Kidney Foundation.
She has been honored as Alumnus of the Year for the UAB School of Public Health and received the Prism of Light Award for outstanding community leadership, as well as the W.C. Patton Service Award from JCCEO. A member of the board of the First Presbyterian Church Foundation and previously with the UAB National Alumni Board for the School of Public Health, she stays involved with the community.
She and her husband live in Homewood.
 Erin Kendrick Stephenson, Director of Gift Planning
327-3805
Erin K. Stephenson joined the staff in 2005 and became Director of Gift Planning in 2007. She also serves as the staff liaison for the Charitable Real Estate Foundation.
A Birmingham native, she worked for several community organizations in Birmingham and Statesboro, Georgia. Before graduation from Birmingham-Southern College, she was active in local, national and international service learning projects and worked for The Women's Fund, all of which helped shape her passion for the nonprofit community.
She serves on the board of directors of the Association of Fundraising Professionals – Alabama Chapter and on the YWCA Junior Board, and is a member of the Alabama Planned Giving Council, Catalyst and the Rotaract Club of Birmingham. She and her husband Scott live in Homewood.
 Kathryn Corey, Director of Donor Relations
327-3828
Kathryn Wilson Corey joined the Community Foundation as Director of Donor Relations in 2007. A graduate of the University of the South, she previously worked as Outreach Coordinator for Cathedral Church of the Advent.
She serves on the board of St. Martin's in the Pines and Success by Six and as a volunteer at Tuggle Elementary School where she is a tutor. She also has served as a member of Birmingham Youth Leadership Forum board and as a volunteer with the Sewanee Club. She and her husband Allen have three children and are members of Cathedral Church of the Advent, where Kathryn serves on the Vestry.
 Chad Gibbs, Advancement Assistant
327-3808
Chad Gibbs was named Advancement Assistant in 2007, bringing to his new position experience in prospect research and development that he gained through work with Auburn University and the University of West Florida. Most recently, he served as director of the Mobile Medical Museum, the Southeast's largest medical museum.
A native of Glencoe, Chad is a graduate of Auburn and a member of Auburn Alumni Association. He has been involved in community service work in Mobile and Auburn, prior to moving with his wife to Birmingham in 2007.
 Emily Jones Rushing, Director of Communications
327-3806
Emily Jones Rushing became the first Communications Officer in 2000 and was named Director of Communications in 2006. She has been active in the community foundation field, serving two terms on the steering committee for CommA, an organization of communications professionals.
An active alumna of Converse College in Spartanburg, S.C., she received its Distinguished Service Award in 1985 and now serves on the Board of Visitors and Alumnae Board. A native of Atlanta and longtime resident of Birmingham, she received her M.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
She served previously as chair of the Board of Management of the Downtown YMCA and is a member of its Youth Center committee. She was recognized as Outstanding Adult Volunteer for the Birmingham YMCA in 2002. She and her husband Hugh are members of Cahaba Valley Church, where she serves as an elder.
 Wendy Rodde, Chief Financial Officer
327-3815
Wendy Rodde joined the staff in 2004, bringing with her a broad-based experience in accounting and finance, including as director of accounting for the McWane Science Center. A graduate of Randolph-Macon Woman’s College with a B.A. in history, she also received a B.S. in accounting from Birmingham-Southern College. She earned her C.P.A. designation in 1989 and is a member of the Alabama Society of C.P.A.s.
A native of Birmingham and a graduate of Brooke Hill School (now Altamont), she is a member of the Junior League of Birmingham and formerly served on the board of Birmingham Festival Theatre and the Alumnae Board of Randolph-Macon. She and her husband Steve are members of Shades Valley Presbyterian Church.
 Susan Hancock, Accounting Manager
327-3814
Susan Hancock came to the Community Foundation in 2008 with varied experience in accounting and nonprofit work, most recently at the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Program in Fayetteville, Tenn., where she served as Executive Director. She also has worked for the U.S. government, private industry and small business.
After attending the University of Alabama in Huntsville and Auburn University, Susan graduated magna cum laude from the University of North Carolina in Wilmington with a B.S. degree in accounting and was a member of the national honor society Phi Kappa Phi. Actively involved in community service and honored for her achievements, she is currently a Rotarian and a member of St Mark United Methodist Church in Vestavia Hills.
 Jessica Holifield, Financial Assistant
327-3816
Jessica Holifield was named Financial Assistant in 2008, using her accounting skills for the first time in the nonprofit sector.
A native of Birmingham, she is a graduate of Jefferson State Junior College. As a Jehovah's Witness, she spends most of her free time volunteering for her church.
She lives in Alabaster.
 Brenda K. Howell, Director of Operations and Compliance
327-3807
Brenda Howell received her B.A. from Auburn University and her master's in public administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, receiving recognition as Student Administrator of the Year and membership in Phi Alpha Alpha MPA Honorary Society. She is a member and past president of the Greater Birmingham Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.
Brenda joined the Community Foundation staff in 1995 and became Director of Operations and Compliance in 2007. She and her husband William live in a historic Birmingham neighborhood, where she serves on the Design Review Committee.
 Karen Rolen, Vice President Community Investment
327-3811
Karen Rolen has spent her professional career in the nonprofit sector, working with organizations that include The Conservatory of Fine and Performing Arts at Birmingham-Southern College, The Children’s Hospital of Alabama, The Epilepsy Foundation of North and Central Alabama, the Birmingham International Festival and the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 1997, she became the first director of the Nonprofit Resource Center of Alabama, developing an array of services to strengthen Alabama’s nonprofit sector. She joined the Community Foundation staff in 2006.
Author of a booklet entitled, “How to Start and Manage a Nonprofit in Alabama,” she is a graduate of Leadership Birmingham and Leadership Vestavia Hills and serves on the board of Community Kitchens.
A native of Montgomery, she received a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Alabama and a master's in public and private management from Birmingham-Southern College, where she also has taught classes on nonprofit organizations. Karen and her husband Frazer have two children.
 Webb Lyons, Community Investment Manager
327-3817
Webb Lyons joined the staff in 2008 as Community Investment Manager, working with special initiatives and projects such as "Community Counts."
A native of Centre, Alabama, and a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College, he previously worked in Washington, D.C., as a Harry Truman Fellow at the Center for Law and Social Policy and then as the Assistant to the President at the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the nation’s largest homeless advocacy group.
He lives in the Highland Park neighborhood of Birmingham.
 James McCrary, Senior Program Officer
327-3812
James McCrary joined the staff as Senior Program Officer in 2008, but he was already well-known in the nonprofit community through his work at the Nonprofit Resource Center of Alabama. He previously was executive director of the Alabama Kidney Foundation, and has served on the board of Hand-In-Paw as a volunteer.
He has a B.S. degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and an M.B.A. from UAB, and served on the board of the Birmingham chapter of the American Society of Training and Development. He and his wife Rebecca have one child and live in Hoover.
 JohnQueta Bailey, Grants Administrator
327-3813
JohnQueta Bailey joined the Community Foundation as Grants Administrator in 2007. A native of Birmingham and a graduate of Miles College, she previously worked at two other nonprofit organizations, Boy Scouts of America and ClasTran Transportation.
She is a member of the Powderly Elementary School PTA, where her son attends pre-school, and of Mason Chapel United Methodist Church.
 Kim Rogers, Grants Specialist
Kim Rogers became a Grants Specialist in 2003. Her community experience includes service on a number of boards, including Oasis, Service Guild of Birmingham, YWCA, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Mountain Brook PTA Council and the Junior League of Birmingham. In 2006, she served as president of the Birmingham Women's Softcourt Tennis League.
A native of Birmingham, she grew up in Atlanta and graduated from Vanderbilt University. She and her husband have two children and are members of Canterbury United Methodist Church.
 Duke Terrell, Grants Specialist
Duke Terrell has more than 30 years of experience in for-profit and nonprofit management, including as executive director of The Executive Service Corp. and on the staff of the Nonprofit Resource Center following the organization's merger in 1998. Today, he provides consulting services personnel searches and organizational assessments for nonprofits.
A graduate of Washington and Lee and a volunteer for many nonprofit organizations in the community, he became a Grants Specialist in 2004. He also is an active member of All Saint's Episcopal Church.
Rachel Estes, Grants Specialist
Rachel Estes became a grant specialist in 2007 while completing her Masters in Library Science at the University of Alabama. Prior community work includes Discovery 2000, as a teacher at Carver High School, Director of Service-Learning at Birmingham-Southern College, the YouthServe Philanthropy Council and Youth Leadership Forum.
Volunteer commitments have included the Junior League of Birmingham, Meals on Wheels, the YWCA Junior Board and Highlands Community Ministries. She currently serves as Director of Outreach at Canterbury UMC. Rachel and her husband and three daughters live in Homewood and attend Avondale UMC.
Patti Whitt, Grants Specialist
Patti Whitt retired as Senior Program Officer of the Community Foundation in 2007, but returned as a Grants Specialist in 2008.
She previously worked as Grants Officer for The Women’s Fund, a component fund of The Community Foundation, where she helped establish "Cut It Out," a program designed to educate hairdressers to recognize the signs of domestic violence.
Before moving to Birmingham in 1997, she was Executive Director of the Central New York Arts Council. She also served as a peer review panelist for the New York State Council on the Arts.
Patti currently serves on the Members Board of the Birmingham Museum of Art and is a member of the Cathedral Church of the Advent.
Koko McCall, Scholarship Manager
327-3809
Koko McCall was named Scholarship Manager in 2007,and brings to this work a wealth of marketing and organizational experience as well as a commitment to community needs through previous work on the board of Girl Scouts Cahaba Council and other local organizations.
A graduate of Georgia Tech with an MBA from UAB, she serves on the boards of Youth Serve/First Look and the Children's Fresh Air Farm and is an elder at Independent Presbyterian Church. She previously worked in marketing for Birmingham Transit Authority and Birmingham Cable and as owner of Apartment Finders and editor of Birmingham Commercial Property Directory.
She and her husband Tom McEwen have three children and are longtime residents of Forest Park in Birmingham.
205-327-3820
The Women’s Fund is dedicated to improving the status and quality of life for women and girls in the greater Birmingham area through purposeful philanthropy and the establishment of a permanent endowment. For more information on this component fund of The Community Foundation, including its board members, grantmaking policies and special events, go to www.thewomensfundbham.org.
 Virginia Sweet, Director
327-3821
Virginia K. Sweet became Director of The Women's Fund in 2003, following work as a Senior Program Associate at United Way of Central Alabama and as director of the baccalaureate social work program at UAB. A graduate of Louisiana State University with a bachelor's degree in sociology and a master's in social work, she received her doctorate in public administration and public affairs from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
She is active in Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform, National Association of Social Workers and The Women’s Network. She is a member of Christ Church United Methodist, where she teaches a seminar on discovering one’s spiritual gifts and coordinates the “Mugging Ministry.” She and her husband, Bill, have two adult daughters.
 Holly Jaap Hilton, Administrator
327-3822
Holly Jaap Hilton joined The Women's Fund staff in 2005, but has been involved with issues of importance to women since 1995. She received her master’s degree in women’s studies at the University of Alabama and continued that commitment through work at the Family Violence Center in Birmingham. She also worked at the YWCA Domestic Violence Services in Blount and St. Clair counties and in Birmingham, where her job included implementation of the first year of the Cut It Out program.
A native of Huntsville, she received her B.A. from Mississippi State University. Holly and her husband Reed have one son and are members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham.
Wanda Couts, Administrative Assistant
327-3810
In Memoriam Aeternam: Peggy Spain McDonald |
