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Matt Kouri - President and Executive Director

Matt Kouri (@matthewkouri) is the President and Executive Director of Greenlights for Nonprofit Success where he leads the organization’s efforts to strengthen nonprofits through extraordinary performance and impact, consults directly with several nonprofits, and develops leading-edge research and best practices in nonprofit management. Matt’s expertise spans a number of areas, including board governance, organizational development, strategic planning and execution, financial and operational management, and leadership development. He writes and speaks regularly on innovative nonprofit practices, enhanced community engagement, nonprofit board service, and other topics.

Prior to joining Greenlights in 2007, Matt worked as a Senior Manager with Deloitte Consulting’s Austin office where he provided management consulting services to nonprofit and government clients. While with Deloitte, he launched a K-12 education nonprofit in Dallas, oversaw transformations of two state Medicaid programs, and guided the largest government agency consolidation in Texas history. Prior to Deloitte, Matt worked on educational policy issues for the Chicago Public School System and was an intelligence analyst with the Central Intelligence Agency.

Matt is personally passionate about orphans and adoption. He was appointed in 2010 by Governor Rick Perry to chair the Texas Adoption Review Committee, a group that has worked to remove obstacles to finding permanent families for Texas foster children. He also leads an orphan and adoption ministry and serves as a youth group leader with Grace Covenant Church. Matt is the past board president of Austin LifeCare, served on the advisory board of Austin’s Campaign for Philanthropy, and regularly works with the Kiwanis youth leadership development program.

Matt was named a finalist for the 2011 Austin Under 40 awards and the 2011 Ethics in Business awards. He was also one of two 2011 inductees into his alma mater Westmoore High School’s Hall of Honor. 

Matt holds an MBA and a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Chicago and an undergraduate degree in economics from Oklahoma State University. Matt and his wife Julie have two young boys.

Read Matt's posts on Greenlights' blog.

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Katy Bourgeois - Senior Consultant

Katy Bourgeois is excited to be a member of the Greenlights team! As a Senior Consultant, Katy brings to her work a thorough knowledge in budgeting, program development & implementation, staffing and resource management.

Prior to joining Greenlights, Katy operated her own consulting firm, focusing on program and fund development for nonprofit organizations and government agencies. In this role, she assisted organizations in grant writing and proposal development, and facilitated the development of collaborative efforts to expand service delivery.

Katy facilitated the development, growth and ongoing administration of the Austin Collaboration for Transitional Services – a collaboration of nonprofit organizations dedicated to assisting young adults transition out of foster care into independent living situations. The collaboration served as a model for other communities and states as they strived to develop similar wrap-around safety-net services for youth.

In addition, Katy was instrumental in accessing financial and service delivery partners to allow for expanded patient capacity at the Round Rock Health Clinic; worked extensively with Interfaith Action of Central Texas (formerly Austin Area Interreligious Ministries) to assess organizational capacity, recommend practice and policy improvements, and expand development activities. Katy also worked with the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services to oversee a study of services to adults with autism in Texas and review recommendations for pilot projects to address gaps in services.

From 1989-1999, Katy worked within Texas state government to oversee and recommend improvements to agency programs. Katy conducted program evaluations for the Legislative Budget Board, provided fiscal policy analysis to the Governor of Texas, and managed activities related to federal fund development and strategic planning for the Texas Department of Protective & Regulatory Services.

Katy received an MSSW from The University of Texas where she was named a University Fellow and received her undergraduate degree from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts.

Read Katy's posts on Greenlights' blog.

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Alanna Fraase - Services Coordinator

Alanna Fraase (@alannafraase) joined Greenlights for Nonprofit Success in October 2011 as the Services Coordinator and is excited to be involved in educational programs for Central Texas nonprofits. In addition to supporting Greenlights’ education department, Alanna will serve as the main contact for all referrals and information requests, workshop registration and logistics, membership job and event postings, and meeting space reservations.

Alanna has a background in corporate learning and development along with more than four years of event planning experience. She is a graduate of St. Edward’s University with a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design. During college, Alanna founded two campus-wide spiritual groups, one of which has been in formation since 2005, worked as a Resident Assistant and Vice-President of the Graphic Design Club, and created a student-led concert series.

Since graduation, Alanna became further invested in the nonprofit sector, serving as Event Chair for Big Hearts for Brave Hearts, and on the Lutheran Social Services and Austin Children’s Museum Gala committees. In her spare time, Alanna enjoys home décor, hiking, and spending time with her husband Keith and their two 45+ pound lap dogs!  

Read Alanna's posts on Greenlights' blog.

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Tara Kirkland - Director of Consulting Services

Tara Kirkland (M.P.A. from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University) loves her work as the Director of Consulting Services. Tara brings to Greenlights and our consulting clients the experience she has gained from building the capacity of people, organizations and communities in diverse nonprofit, government and for-profit settings over the past sixteen years.

An Austin native, Tara returned to Central Texas in the fall of 2004 after spending several years in the northeast - including two years as a Presidential Management Fellow for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's Southwest Border Initiative in Washington, DC. She joined the Greenlights team in 2005.

Tara is a proud graduate of both the Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs of Syracuse University and the Plan II Liberal Arts Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin. A recipient of the John Ben Snow Fellowship in Nonprofit Management from the Maxwell School, Tara focused her Master of Public Administration work on executive leadership transitions and board governance.

Tara’s Austin area nonprofit experience includes designing, managing and evaluating programs and projects with Family Forward and the Charles A. Dana Center at UT Austin, grassroots institution-based organizing with Austin Interfaith, and leadership and team development consulting with Highest Vision, Inc., where she became certified to administer and interpret the DISC Behavior Profile. Tara is a graduate of the 2009 Leadership Austin Essentials class.

Read Tara's posts on Greenlights' blog .

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Tara Levy - Senior Consultant

Tara Levy serves as Senior Consultant at Greenlights for Nonprofit Success. Prior to joining Greenlights, Tara served as the Executive Director for YouthLaunch from 2003 to 2005, during which time she managed all aspects of the youth empowerment nonprofit, including supervision of multiple youth service programs throughout Texas.

From 2005–2006, Tara served as Director of Human Resources for Enspire Learning, where she developed, implemented and managed recruitment, orientation, personnel strategies, and performance review systems for one of the fastest growing companies in Central Texas. She also served as the Interim Executive Director of CASA of Travis County for more than seven months; she brings that experience to her practice specialization on executive transitions and organizational development.

Tara holds a JD from the University of Texas at Austin, and a B.A. with Special Honors from the University of Texas at Austin’s Plan II Honors Program. Tara is a graduate of the Leadership Austin class of 2005 and served on the organization’s Board of Directors.

Read Tara's posts on Greenlights' blog .

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Monica Maher - Finance and Office Administrator

Monica Maher joined Greenlights in September of 2009 as the part-time Office Administrator.  After discovering her passion for the accounting field, she enrolled in and completed Austin Community College’s Accounting/Bookkeeping series.  She is now a full-time employee and very proud to serve as the Finance & Office Administrator for Greenlights.

Monica comes to us with over 13 years experience of providing administrative support to nonprofit organizations.  Prior to joining Greenlights, she worked from 2006 to 2009 as the Operations Manager for Conspirare, a professional, five-time Grammy Nominated vocal ensemble based here in Austin.

From 1997 to 2006, Monica was employed by Workers Assistance Program and The Texas HIV Connection, a nonprofit organization that offers statewide HIV and substance abuse prevention trainings for healthcare professionals. She served as the Events Director and Support Services Manager, overseeing four national conferences annually and supervising the administrative support team.

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Taylor Overstreet - Consultant

Taylor Overstreet (@tayover) recently completed a two-year consulting fellowship with Greenlights and currently serves as a Consultant. In addition to providing direct consulting to nonprofit and public sector clients, she coordinates the business development, tracking and evaluation functions of Greenlights consulting.

Taylor is a graduate of the Master of Science in Social Work program at The University of Texas at Austin and the Portfolio Program in Nonprofit Studies at the RGK Center for Philanthropy & Community Service. During that time, Taylor interned with the Downtown Austin Community Court, the ACLU of Texas, and Psychology Beyond Borders. Prior to that, Taylor completed a dual B.A. in International Studies and French from Texas A&M University.

Taylor is personally passionate about social justice issues, particularly around fair trade. She is a recent past board member and current Outreach & Education committee member at Ten Thousand Villages of Austin and was recently elected to the National Contract Store Council for Ten Thousand Villages US.

When she’s not living the dream at Greenlights, Taylor enjoys reading, foreign languages, her plants, National Geographic, improvising at The Institution Theater and performing with her sketch comedy troupe, There’s Waldo.

Read Taylor's posts on Greenlights' blog.

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Amy Silvey - Development Director

Amy Silvey (@Amy_Silvey) is proud to serve as Development Director of Greenlights for Nonprofit Success where she leads the organization’s fundraising efforts. Joining the Greenlights team in July 2010, Amy brings more than a decade of experience working in the nonprofit sector.

Prior to Greenlights, Amy spent nearly five years with the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas. As the Senior Director of Development, Amy oversaw the daily operations and long-range planning for the Capital Area Food Bank’s fund development team. She led an overall staff of seven who managed major gifts, grants, community events and the donor database.

Before entering fundraising, Amy worked for the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation in Los Angeles, California. As the Coordinator of Museum Programs, Amy worked with the Foundation’s renowned collection of works by the French sculptor, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). In addition to creating educational materials and speaking about the collection, Amy curated the exhibition, Rodin: In His Own Words, which traveled to museums across the country from 2004-2009.

Amy holds a Master of Arts in Museum Studies from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor of Arts in the History of Art and Visual Culture from the University of California at Santa Cruz. Amy is personally passionate about the visual arts and has exhibited her collages at galleries and retail spaces in Austin and Round Rock. She is a member of the Austin chapter of the Association for Fundraising Professionals.

Read Amy's posts on Greenlights' blog.

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Kate Smallwood - Development and Membership Manager

Kate Smallwood (@katesmallwood) serves as Development and Membership Manager for Greenlights for Nonprofit Success where she works to advance the organization through fundraising, membership and business partner relations.

Prior to joining Greenlights in November of 2011, Kate worked in development and external relations for the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. As Senior Program Coordinator of Advancement Services, Kate led the fundraising events team through strategy and production of cultivation and stewardship events in partnership with the offices of major gifts, corporate and foundation relations, annual giving and alumni relations. Also responsible for the school’s Advisory Council, she managed the engagement of its 120 person membership of business leaders, business education stakeholders and major donors.

Prior to her tenure in higher education advancement, Kate was Community Events Manager for Development and External Relations at the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas where she managed sponsored events, cause-marketing campaigns and food and fund drives in an effort to engage the public in hunger and food-insecurity education through philanthropic activity.

Kate received her bachelor’s in American Studies from The University of Texas at Austin, a historical and contemporary study of cultural, social, political and intellectual life of the United States. Kate is proud to be a part of the Greenlights team and is energized by the amazing work Central Texas nonprofits do to improve the lives of so many in our communities.

Read Kate’s posts on Greenlights’ blog.

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Ann Starr - Director of Education

Ann Starr has served Greenlights since 2004, as a member of the educational staff until 2005 and later as a frequent workshop presenter, volunteer and member of the Development Committee. She rejoined the Greenlights staff in 2009 to lead the organization's educational and membership programs and to serve as a member of the consulting team, specializing in fundraising.

In 2007 and 2008, Ann served as Director of Development for Texas Appleseed, a public interest law center addressing systemic injustice, where she launched the organization's first individual giving program and more than double grant funding. For nearly six years, she managed The St. Edward's Fund at St. Edward's University, where she raised $1 million annually and was a key member of university's successful $65 million comprehensive campaign. Ann's expertise in educational programs comes from more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector as a trainer, curriculum developer, and adjunct professor for St. Edward's New College.

Ann is the Development Chair of the SIMS Foundation Board of Directors. She holds a bachelor's degree in education from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio and a Master of Arts in Human Services from St. Edward's University.

Read Ann's posts on Greenlights' blog.

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Haila Yates - Communications and Outreach Manager

Haila Yates (@hailayates) joined Greenlights in October of 2009, bringing with her a five-year history of professional communications experience from two Austin nonprofits: Helping the Aging, Needy and Disabled, Inc. (HAND) and Girl Scouts of Central Texas. At HAND, Haila served as the Outreach Coordinator, creating and implementing the agency’s first marketing and fundraising plans. She launched new marketing, outreach, volunteerism and fundraising activities to increase the visibility and capacity of the organization.

At Girl Scouts of Central Texas, Haila served as the Communications Director, in which she managed all marketing and communication activities for an organization serving more than 30,000 members across 46 Central Texas counties. She also participated as a member of their executive team, assisting with the development of organizational goals and strategy, and addressing challenges.

Haila is a former board member of TreeFolks. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication–Advertising from Texas State University, graduating with Cum Laude honors.

Read Haila's posts on Greenlights' blog.