Meet NTEN's Staff

Holly Ross, Executive Director

Holly has spent more than seven years at NTEN, working with community members to identify the technology trends that will reshape the nonprofit sector. From ubiquitous access to technology leadership to social media, Holly brings the wisdom of the NTEN crowd to the nonprofit sector. Holly has been recognized as one of the Nonprofit Times Power and Influence Top 50 three times, in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Holly is also editor of "Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission: A Strategic Guide for Nonprofit Leaders" and has written a chapter in "Nonprofit Management 101: A Complete and Practical Guide for Leaders and Professionals," both available from Jossey-Bass 

Holly came to nonprofit technology after working for social change at CALPIRG and during her college days at UC Berkeley. In between meetings and emailing, Holly tries to raise her 5 year old daughter and occasionally pays attention to her fabulous husband.

Download a hi-resolution photo of Holly.

 

Amy Sample Ward, Membership Director

Amy's dedication to educating and supporting nonprofit and community organizations in using technology to make lasting change brought her to NTEN as the Membership Director. Whether it is by connecting individuals, organizations, campaigns, or possibilities, Amy hopes to facilitate the nonprofit technology sector transtioning into a movement-based force for positive change.

She is also a blogger, facilitator and trainer having worked with groups and spoken at events in the US, UK and around the world. In 2009, she co-authored Social by Social, a handbook in using social technologies for social impact, and has contributed to various other publications about social media. She is a conversation-starter and thought-leader, writing about strategic uses of new technologies for communities and organizations on her blog and the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Previously, she served as Community Development Manager for a program area at TechSoup Global called Community-Driven Innovation, where, among other things, she managed the NetSquared program.

 

Anna Richter, Program Director

As NTEN's Program Director, Anna is able to fulfill her desire to help the good causes of the world through better use of technology. She makes a direct and profound impact by coordinating NTEN's online trainings, webinars, and the Nonprofit Technology Conference.

Prior to her work in the nonprofit technology community, Anna lived and worked for three years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras. She used her engineering skills to design gravity-fed water systems and honed her tech-for-good skills as the director of a local nonprofit, Guaruma, which focuses on environmental education through computer and photography training. By using technology to help meet her mission inthe developing world, Anna gained a true appreciation for its power when used for good.

Anna graduated from Michigan State University with a BS in Applied Engineering Science. She also serves on the board of Focus the Nation, a nonprofit empowering a generation to power the nation. When she's not changing the world through nonprofit technology, Anna may be found implementing low-tech methods for a more sustainable planet in her garden with her chickens, on her yoga mat, or pedaling her bicycle.

 

Annaliese Hoehling, Publications Director

Annaliese has been with NTEN since 2006, working to connect NTEN members with each other and with the information and resources that will help make their jobs a little (or a lot!) easier. As Publications Director, Annaliese is working to develop NTEN's research and publications that document the transformational power of technology in the nonprofit sector.

Annaliese came to NTEN from a literary background, with an MFA in Literary Translation (go ahead and ask her what that is, everyone else does) and an MA in English. Though she's spent plenty of time in libraries and in front of classrooms, before she came to NTEN she also found the time to co-direct a small arts-in-education program associated with the University of Arkansas in order to bring poetry and creative writing workshops to students throughout the state and co-found and edit an online journal of international literature in English translation. Both of these experiences have fostered in Annaliese an appreciation for the role of technology in social change, cultural enrichment, and free information endeavors.

 

Brett Meyer, Communications Director

Brett joined NTEN in 2007 after 2 years working at a radio station in West Africa with the Peace Corps. As Communications Director, he shapes NTEN's collective voice to keep us focused on our mission of helping you make the world a better place – with occasional forays into cat video curation.

Prior to the Peace Corps, Brett's liberal arts degrees led him to work as a freelance writer, programmer, and graphic designer after a series of jobs with technology start-up companies. He wrote an entire CMS in Perl from scratch, and while he's happy it's still running dozens of sites, he's even happier his techie background can simply inform his work at NTEN instead of inspiring object-oriented dreams.

Brett has lived on 3 continents and traveled in more than 20 countries. He spends much of his free time playing soccer, but also escapes into the wilderness on frequent backpacking trips, where he and his wife Melissa continue to work on their photography portfolio.

 

Karl Hedstrom, IT Director

Karl joined the NTEN team back in 2006 as an AmeriCorps CTC VISTA Volunteer, and then stayed on after accepting a position as NTEN's Data and Systems Manager. After working remotely from Chicago for 3 years, he moved to Seattle in 2011 and took on a more strategic role as IT Manager.

Before NTEN, Karl served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Niger, West Africa. His focus was on community development, but he also worked in several other fields including AIDS awareness, environmental education, and small income generation. This experience allowed him to see first hand the huge impact technology can have in the nonprofit and development fields.

Karl graduated from Pomona College in 2002 with a BA in Physics, and this technical background nicely complements his development experience in his role at NTEN.

Outside of work, Karl keeps himself occupied with a variety of intramural sports leagues and video games, but also jumps at any chance to escape into the wilderness with his wife Anna and their yellow lab Nali.

 

Sarah Janczak Corona, Community Manager

Sarah very happily joins the NTEN team from a background in education. In her previous position, she worked as an enrollment coach with InsideTrack, helping adult continuing education students from Northeastern University find an academic program that fit their needs. Working from Portland OR with students located in Boston MA, Sarah was pushed into using technology to create bonds with her students when face to face contact was just not possible. From this position, she gained an appreciation for the role technology can play in creating and sustaining community.

Sarah works Monday through Thursday for NTEN and spends the other part of her time writing, reading, and entertaining the thought of an MFA. She graduated form Sarah Lawrence College in 2004 with a focus in poetry. When not working or writing, Sarah enjoys throwing dinner parties, swimming, and taking advantage of Portland's many parks with her dog.

 

Kim Conner, Operations Manager

As NTEN's Operations Manager, Kim brings her knowledge of organizational development and strategic planning to the team. Kim's background is in working with nonprofits and small businesses around building the core of their organization so that they can better serve their communities.

Kim's passion for social justice issues started on the playground when she continuously found herself in the middle of advocating for her classmates – telling the mean people to stop it or else. She continued to hone her knowledge and understanding of justice issues with a BA in Social Science and began her career with the Women's Foundation of Oregon.

When not thinking about how to better tweak an operational system – and how that affects the bigger picture –Kim enjoys traveling, teaching, and firewalking with her husband, Kevin.

 

Brendan Blaine, Program Coordinator

Since joining NTEN in August, 2010 Brendan has been learning everything he can about the nonprofit sector. While new to the NPTech community, he has been assembling and disassembling (much to his parents' trepidation) electronics since he was a child. He brings that love of technology with him to NTEN, where he helps connect people with the programs that will help them to learn how to use technology to further their missions and change the world.

When not working Brendan can be found wearing his ridiculously oversized headphones playing video games on his custom built PC, skateboarding with friends, reading , experimenting with photography or relaxing with his fiance and their two cats.

 

Mimi Cook, Program Coordinator

Mimi joins NTEN after graduating from Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA. She is delighted to be working with the wonderful people at NTEN and in the nonprofit community. In addition, Mimi is very happy to once again be enjoying the rainy weather, good food, and great arts scene of her native Portland.

If she isn't at the NTEN office, Mimi is probably writing, reading, cooking, blogging about cooking, dancing, or walking her dog, Lucy. Someday, Mimi would love to earn an MFA in Creative Writing, but for now she is focusing on practicing for her Beginner's Karate class.

 

Amanda Jones, Membership & Fundraising Coordinator

Amanda joins NTEN after graduating from the College of Charleston. This position is a great fit for Amanda because she can apply her economics coursework to assist in fundraising projects, and use her experience in customer service to support the NTEN community. She is also excited to dive into the dynamic technology community and learn as much as possible.

When not helping NTEN, Amanda enjoys working in her garden, cooking, running and generally enjoying all that Portland has to offer. A native of upstate New York, Amanda is no stranger to the clouds but is excited to spent time in the much milder Portland climate.

 

Meet NTEN's Board of Directors >