Staff

Keith is Executive Director/CEO at Support Center, and leads efforts to develop and promote an integrated and collaborative approach to capacity building for nonprofit organizations and social enterprises. Prior to joining Support Center/Partnership in Philanthropy, Keith was the Director & CEO with Build with Purpose, a nonprofit real estate development organization. Keith brings over fifteen years of experience in community development including: involvement in educational reform issues with The Center for Collaborative Education in New York City; experience in leadership development and management programs as the former President of the Leader to Leader Institute (formerly the Peter F. Drucker Foundation); and exposure to policy and community development approaches across the country during his time with Living Cities: The National Community Development Initiative. Keith has a Bachelor’s degree in History and Russian from Rutgers University and a Master in Business Administration from Columbia University.

Carolyn oversees consulting and Support Center’s “community of practice,” managing contracts and projects as well as client and funder relationships. Prior to joining Support Center, she developed and directed programs focused on education, leadership development and sustainability at the Philip Evans Scholarship Foundation, a division of The Kohlberg Foundation in Mount Kisco, NY. From 1998 – 2007 she was instrumental in launching and running the Social Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School to educate MBA students and professionals in nonprofit management, social entrepreneurship and corporate citizenship. She began her career as a research assistant and administrator at Metis Associates, Inc., a national consulting firm based in NYC, where she evaluated education programs in NYC schools and managed the firm’s operations. Carolyn has a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Allegheny College and a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Pittsburgh.

Crystal leads Support Center’s operations and finance functions, managing the administration of consulting, coaching and training agreements and assisting in data management and IT coordination. She brings a range of administrative, human resources and financial expertise to Support Center from previous experiences in the corporate and nonprofit sectors. Most recently she handled administration, IT and budgeting for the NYC Build It Back program, and previously, with other nonprofit organizations.

Xander is the Director of Programs at Support Center, where he oversees the Executive Search practice and Interim Executive Director training and placement programs. He also manages Support Center’s impact economy initiatives, which support social enterprises, revenue-generating nonprofits, and impact investors and funders. Xander has worked at Support Center in several capacities since the fall of 2015, when he joined the organization as a Board Fellow while in graduate school. There his studies centered on philanthropy and impact investing, nonprofit management, social enterprise development, and leadership in education. Prior to graduate school and working at Support Center, Xander was an educator focusing on experiential and service learning, as well as a middle and high school Latin teacher, college counselor, and varsity coach. He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, an MA in school leadership from Teachers College, Columbia, and a BA in Latin and Greek from Haverford College.

Lakimja is the Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships and Learning at Support Center. She oversees the Professional Development Course Catalogue which includes the Executive Leadership and Leadership & Supervision Certificate Programs. Prior to joining Support Center, Lakimja spent eight years in youth and staff development with a focus on youth leadership through service learning, college preparedness and access, work readiness, situational leadership and coaching. Lakimja completed The Coaching Mindset training program at the Nonprofit Help Desk and the Leadership Caucus program at the Community Resource Exchange (CRE). She also possesses a Master’s in Public Administration with a focus in Non Profit Management from Baruch College, loves to volunteer in the area of College Access and holds Alumni Leadership roles with her beloved alma mater, Temple University.

Zachary Litif is Associate Director of Data and Analytics with Support Center. Since joining Support Center in 2018, Zach has led the launch of the Organizational Navigator Program and has spearheaded the Salesforce and third-party app implementation process, significantly improving Support Center’s data collection and reporting capacity. Over the past three years, Zach has transitioned his career from intellectual property litigation, at Pepper Hamilton LLP, in Boston, MA, to focus on capacity building and program development within the nonprofit and government sectors. In that period, Zach has worked with the Department of Design and Construction to build a Virtual Reality Program for the STEAM High School Summer Internship Program; worked with Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York to reestablish the One Fair Wage Coalition and aided research into after-hours childcare; and designed an automated resource directory for Leadership Development programs available to New Yorkers for the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation. Zach is a Coro Fellow (2018) and holds a B.A. in Philosophy, with a concentration in logic and cognitive science, from Hofstra University.

Justine is a Program Manager at Support Center, working across the organization’s portfolio of consulting clients to assist with intake processes, contract management, and proposal development. She has worked in program administration at non-profit organizations since 2008, including seven years at the educational professional development organization Facing History and Ourselves in New York. Justine holds a B.A. in Urban Studies from Vassar College, and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Urban Policy and Leadership at CUNY—Hunter College.

Gaby coordinates all Support Center workshops, customized trainings, and special events and supports logistics for multi-day and multi-organization programming. Prior to joining Support Center, Gaby interned at Seldat Distribution and the New Jersey Office of Faith-Based Initiatives (NJOFBI) at the Department of State in Trenton, NJ. Gaby earned a B.A. in Business Administration from the College of Saint Elizabeth in May 2017.

Prior to becoming a Senior Fellow in January 2016, Don led Support Center as its CEO from 1998 to 2015, working closely with grantmaker partners to address the needs of our nonprofit communities. He has more than 25 years experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors and is nationally recognized as a leader in the areas of leadership and executive transitions, board performance, and nonprofit/foundation effectiveness. Don was formerly an associate consultant for BoardSource in Washington, D.C. and is a trained practitioner for their self-assessment process. A small sampling of the foundations and corporate foundations Don has worked with include the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the Princeton Area Community Foundation, The Clark Foundation, the Prudential Foundation, PSE&G, and the JPMorgan Chase Foundation.

Don holds an M.S. in Leadership and Strategic Management from Manhattanville College, and a B.A. in Psychology and Education from Queens College of CUNY. He has served a Selection Committee member for the New York Times Nonprofit Excellence Awards and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) in Washington, D.C. Don is an adjunct professor in the graduate division of New York University’s Heyman Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising in New York City.

Laura is a Program Associate at Support Center and supports our growing portfolio of consulting projects, focusing on executive transition. Laura has worked and volunteered with several nonprofit organizations over the past four years. She served as an AmeriCorps volunteer, directing a reading program for elementary school students, and most recently worked as an Enrollment Coordinator at Utah Health Policy Project, a small health policy and healthcare access nonprofit. Laura holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and Management from St. Olaf College.