Ohio Prospect Research Network
Established 1987 - Apra Ohio Chapter

OPRN 2023 Annual Conference

Reconnect, Recharge, Refocus

 Thursday, May 4th 

 The Columbus Zoo & Aquarium – Africa Event Center, Columbus

The BI Blueprint: Building a Successful Business Intelligence Strategy

We will explore ways to energize your data consumers to show how BI can add value to an organization, including improving decision-making, increasing efficiency, and reducing costs. Building upon your business case, we will walk through the strategic steps for launching your BI initiative that include the exploration of your data sources, proper data preparation, data modeling, and implementation considerations.


Reed Tyler, BWF, Associate Managing Vice President, Business Intelligence

With over 15 years of experience in managing various aspects of operations, Reed Tyler found his passion in data, efficiency, and hospitality. At BWF, Reed specializes in transforming data into actionable insights. He assists clients in their ability to address complex business challenges and make data-driven decisions by utilizing platforms such as Tableau and Microsoft Power BI. He understands how philanthropy can transform lives; he is driven to further organizations’ goals to foster success.




Tim Bucher, BWF, Director of Systems and Operations

Tim has spent 15 years in nonprofit higher education, five of those years specifically in philanthropic technology and research. He’s a solutions architect with multiple years of system implementation and CRM administration and brings his expertise in prospect discovery, research, project management, process improvement, and IT Leadership to his role. At BWF, Tim’s work involves conducting assessments and providing recommendations about technology systems, business processes, team structure, and other related functions that support the fundraising process.



Philanthropy at the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium


Mayme Norman - Vice President of Philanthropy, Columbus Zoo & Aquarium

Since 2011, Mayme Norman has seen the wild side of fundraising at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and The Wilds. She leads the 7-member Philanthropy Team and the 2-member Corporate Partnership team in strategy, stewardship and relationship management efforts in her role as Vice President of Philanthropy. Her teams’ current directive is to raise $13 million by year end for operational support, to connect and further the missions and goals of local corporations with the Columbus Zoo, and to conclude a $40M goal for the redevelopment of the North America Region which begins later this year.

Mayme has 31 years of fundraising experience, serves on the All Life Foundation Board, was a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Ohio Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals for seven years, and enjoys giving back to the community through mentorships and volunteering. A native of Urbana, Ohio, Mayme resides in Dublin with her husband and their two teenage boys.


Managing Change: A Continuous Mindset

Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher said, “Change is the only constant in life.” The world is always changing and so are people. Not only is change always happening, but it is also unavoidable. Keeping pace with change often requires continuously evolving the business model, including its people, processes, and technology. This breakout session will discuss change management as a structured strategy towards the successful implementation of change and why it is important to maintain a growth mindset to overcome challenges and champion change.


Mandy Porcher, Change Management Consultant and Prosci Certified Change Practitioner

Mandy Porcher is an experienced change management consultant focused on planning, developing, and implementing organizational change management (OCM) strategies and activities for large- and small-scale programs and projects across a variety of industries.


Most recently, Mandy led the effort to build a new strategic framework and methodology to manage communications and change activities for internal business operations at American Electric Power (AEP). Prior joining AEP, Mandy served as a Chief of Staff for BeecherHill, a retained executive search firm, and was responsible for the firm’s communications, operations, and strategic growth.


Mandy earned an MA from The Ohio State University in Public Policy & Management, plus a BA in English. She is Prosci certified in change management and lives in Blacklick, OH with her husband, teenage daughter, and three friendly felines.



Jerica Preston, Organizational Change Leader

Jerica Preston is passionate about the people side of change. She has been an Organizational Change Leader for 15 years serving a variety of industries and organizations across central Ohio. She relishes in applying her experience uniquely to each transformation to ensure success.
Jerica lives in Columbus, Ohio and loves spending time with her family, traveling, and learning more about the science of change.






Panel - Prospect Development Best Practices


Emily M. Kelley, Associate Director, Prospect Development, The Ohio State University

Emily Kelley joined the Prospect Development team at the Ohio State University Foundation in January, 2013. She specializes in prospect management, training, and people management. Emily thrives on strategy sessions with development officers, brainstorming, and helping fundraisers navigate the huge OSU database. Emily holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from The Ohio State University and a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Kent State University. When not solving the world’s prospect management problems, Emily enjoys raising her son, Oliver, and Great Dane, George, gardening, reading, collecting albums, and playing volleyball and golf.



Kate Krouse, Prospect Development Analyst, Planned Parenthood

Kate is a prospect development analyst for Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio. Prior to joining Planned Parenthood in February 2023, Kate was a member of the prospect research and portfolio management team at Kent State University for 6 years. She has been a member of the OPRN Board of Trustees since January 2021.






Cheryll McCarty, Prospect Management Analyst, Cleveland State University

Cheryll McCarty is a prospect management analyst with 8+ years of fundraising experience specializing in prospect management, research and strategic planning at Cleveland State University. She is responsible for database management, prospect research, prospect pool assignments and analysis, and portfolio management.  She also provides support to University leadership and the CSU Foundation with analytical information that helps to further the University’s mission.


Candace Olley - Director of Prospect Development, University of Cincinnati Foundation

A native of Memphis, TN, Candace currently serves as the Director of Prospect Development for the University of Cincinnati Foundation. With almost a decade of experience in higher education fundraising, Candace has served alongside the incredible teams at both The Ohio State University and Cedarville University. Before finding her people in Prospect Development, Candace also worked in a variety of capacities including in Alumni Events and Annual Giving. She also brings her unique educational background in macro-level Social Work and community organizing to the field and continues to be excited by data and donor stories and how Prospect Development can help inform needed change. Outside of the office, you can find Candace exploring great music and food. Don’t hesitate to connect if you enjoy “dreaming and scheming” on all things Prospect Development… or if you have any great music or food recommendations!


Donor Advised Funds: Refuting Myths and Understanding Opportunities

This session will help nonprofits better understand Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs), including a brief history of DAFs, the various types of DAF sponsors, how to prospect and steward donors with DAFs, and opportunities available to organizations through these increasingly popular charitable vehicles.


Hilary Stone, MBA, CAP®

In her role as Senior Advisor for Donor Services at The Columbus Foundation, Hilary manages donor engagement and stewardship activities for the Donor Services team and works with donors to develop and execute philanthropic plans. She is a graduate of Susquehanna University with a bachelor’s degree in communication and Otterbein University with a master’s degree in business administration. Hilary earned the Chartered Advisor of Philanthropy® designation through The American College of Financial Services, and is an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Charitable Gift Planners of Central Ohio, and Philanthropy Ohio.




Questions?  Contact conference@oprn.org 


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