People give because they want to make a difference. Whether it’s a donor supporting an issue they personally relate to or just want to invest in pioneering research, I connect them with organizations that step back, look at the foundational science, break down silos and say “We can do better.” Like the Food Allergy Science Initiative (FASI).Philanthropy should be a joyful process. As FASI’s Director of Development, it’s important to me that donors large and small realize the impact, urgency and hope of supporting our mission to end food allergies; that they see themselves in the work we do. I excel at taking a message and pivoting to present it in a way that resonates with philanthropists. This speaks to my deep experience with board engagement and success in raising funds where no built-in constituency exists, such as during my tenure at the Perkins School for the Blind. I transformed their fundraising landscape through an entrepreneurial approach by establishing a nationwide, grassroots, direct marketing campaign and expanding the international funding program - stressing how access to education is a human right. In the last three years we raised more than $30million.I am driven to this line of work because it gives me the opportunity to make a tangible impact. At FASI that means new research models, incorporating the new field of translational science, and developing a possible cure for the food allergies so many children and their families have to deal with. I love working for organizations that shake up the paradigm!