The Carter Center's Philanthropy Council
Philanthropy Council Member Overview
The Carter Center's Philanthropy Council looks at long-term industry trends and provides a "testing ground" for concept implementation.
To that end, The Carter Center seeks up to 20 experts in various aspects of gift planning from attorneys, financial advisors, and legal academicians, to trust officers and CPAs.
Philanthropy Council members will meet twice each year to discuss and analyze the next gift planning paradigm, why that is likely, how will the not-for-profit and the for-profit communities prepare, what should local, state, and federal governments consider, and what recommendations should be forthcoming.
The Carter Center will publish the Council's findings and suggestions and distribute them to interested parties.
Philanthropy Council Members
Patricia M. Angus
Patricia M. Angus, JD, MIA, TEP, is the founder and CEO of Angus Advisory Group LLC, a philanthropy and family governance consulting and education firm, and an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University Business School. A thought leader in the field of family governance and multi-generational wealth, she works with select families with family businesses, trusts, and charitable foundations that last more than a generation. She helps families live and give more productively through strategic planning, critical analysis, and compassionate guidance. She is the author of the Building Bridges column on www.wealthmanagement.com.
For more than two decades Ms. Angus has worked exclusively with families of substantial wealth, as a lawyer, consultant, and wealth advisor. She practiced law at trusts and estates boutique Hughes and Whitaker (now Day Pitney), and Coudert Brothers international law firm (now Baker & McKenzie). She was a Principal and Chief Wealth Advisory Officer of Shelterwood Financial Services LLC, and Family Wealth Advisor at GenSpring and JP Morgan Private Bank.
Ms. Angus created and teaches the Family Enterprise and Wealth course at Columbia University Business School, and is an active speaker at industry and family events. She is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Trusts & Estates, the Planned Giving Advisory Council of the Carter Center, and several professional associations. She is the author of numerous articles on topics including family wealth, businesses, trusts, estate planning, and women's issues. She has been named as one of the "Top 50 Women in Wealth Management" by Wealth Manager; a member of the "Top 100 North American Wealth Advisers," "Leaders List" and "Power Women" by City Wealth; and a "Rising Star" by Private Asset Management. She received a B.A. cum laude from Amherst College, a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, and a J.D. from George Washington University Law School.
Melissa S. Brown
Melissa S. Brown helps charities turn knowledge into action. Consulting services range from literature reviews to survey design and analysis. Melissa is also a highly rated speaker. Her presentations qualify for CEUs for CFRE International.
She is a consultant to more than a dozen on-going clients. As part of her practice, she analyzes data from the Philanthropy Panel Study, a segment of the University of Michigan’s Panel Study of Income Dynamics, and surveys donors and non-donors about how they help others.
Melissa volunteers on the AFP Research Council and currently chairs the Association of Philanthropic Counsel. Before founding Melissa S. Brown & Associates in 2011, she worked at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, editing Giving USA (2001-2010) and researching charitable giving by individuals, corporations, and foundations. Prior to moving to research, she raised funds for Folger Shakespeare Library, the Arthritis Foundation, the Homeless Initiative Program, and Indiana University. Melissa has also worked as a financial analyst for a municipal bond firm in Philadelphia and in multiple roles in a law firm in Portland, Oregon.
Melissa studied at Reed College (B.A. in political science) and the University of Pennsylvania (Master of Governmental Administration). She and her family live near Portland, OR. Melissa enjoys gardening, bird watching, and travel.
Barbara Bruner is a southern California native and has lived in the greater Los Angeles area all of her life. After a 23-year career in pharmaceutical and medical product sales, she made the transition from a corporate employee to community service.
Recently she completed her second term on the Scripps College Board of Trustees. As an active alumna of the college, she is very proud to have established what we refer to as the Carter Center Executive Briefing Sponsorship. A student (in some instances two) is selected from a group of interested applicants to visit the Carter Center and learn about the vital work that the Center does. This opportunity has been made available for the past twelve years for at least 16 students.
Prior to that Barbara served two three-year terms on the California CASA Board of Directors. Their role is to support and strengthen local Court Appointed Special Advocate programs throughout the state. In addition she has been a CASA volunteer in L.A. County for over 20 years. A Child Advocate, as they are more familiarly known, speaks up on behalf of a child who may have been abused or neglected and ensures that their wishes are communicated to the court when decisions are made affecting their future.
Barbara’s other interests include travel, yoga, writing, reading (she is a long term member of at least two book clubs) and participation in church activities. She enjoys visiting public and private gardens the world over. Lastly she treasures her relationship with her son and young granddaughter.
Barbara’s goal in the middle of her 6th decade is to simultaneously enjoy life and be of service; to be a blessing as well as receive them.
Philip B. Cubeta, CLU, ChFC, MSFS, CAP
Phil is the Sallie B. and William B. Wallace Chair in Philanthropy at the American College of financial services. In that role, he develops curricula for the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP® ) designation. Prior to joining the American College, Phil was Chief of Staff for The Nautilus Group, a service of New York Life, located in Dallas, Texas, providing estate, business, and philanthropic strategies to affluent clients through 200 of the company's top agents.
Phil's original training was in English Literature, Williams College, BA; Philosophy and Psychology, Oxford University, MA; and English Language and Literature, Yale, MA, M.Phil.
Phil's essays on philanthropy have appeared in Tracy Gary's Inspired Legacies (Wiley and Sons: 2008); H. Peter Karoff, The World We Want (Altimira Press: 2007); and Amy Kass, Doing Well Doing Good: Readings for Thoughtful Philanthropists (Indiana University Press: 2008). Phil has been quoted, or been the subject of articles, in The New York Times, Lifestyles Magazine, Town and Country, The Journal of Gift Planning, Financial Planning, The Financial Times, and Nonprofit Quarterly.
Phil serves on the Board of Interfaith Worker Justice. A member of Partnership of Philanthropic Planning's Leadership Institute, he is a Past-President of the Dallas Council of PPP. He is the 2012 Power of the Purse (Advisor) for Dallas Women's Foundation. In 2012 he shared the Advisors in Philanthropy Fithian Leadership Award with Charles Collier, Senior Philanthropic Consultant at Harvard.
Dave Fowler has dedicated over 30 years in the leading edge of technology in one form or another. His passion for advanced software development has taken him to far off destinations in Asia and Europe. He has also spent time as an Adjunct Professor at NYU, helping Cancer Research facilities, and driving change at several fortune 500 companies. Founder of Smart Guard Academy, Dave has been able to provide education and training for middle to lower income candidates to become certified security guards and in some cases restart their lives. Dave is also founder of The ArtisTech Group, Inc., which provides for paid and non-profit software and graphic arts development for community events, outreach and instructive learning.
Dave also works very closely with his family business, New York Food and Drink Popeyes, Inc. with locations spanning Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. It is through these collection of franchises that he has been able to serve communities most, including the recent COVID pandemic where feeding the police and fire departments, EMT, hospital and essential workers continues to be our priority.
Charitable and educational work, has led to the involvement of several donations, and steady involvement in water.org, dosomething.org, asha-india.org, City Harvest, BlackGirlsCode, Hole in the wall Gang, St. Bernard Project, Fathers Heart Ministry, and many others. Dave has also been a keynote speaker at inner city schools with an emphasis on technology and mathematics, and to also help lead and guide students to consider higher learning opportunities and careers.
Dave studied at Fordham University (Rosehill), with an interest in Advanced Computer Science, and at the College of New Rochelle with an interest in Mathematics and Science.
Roger C. Gibson, CFA
Roger C. Gibson, CFA is best known as the author of the investment classic, Asset Allocation: Balancing Financial Risk (McGraw-Hill). Currently available in its fifth edition, the book has been a best-selling book on asset allocation for over 30 years. Investment Advisor magazine awarded Gibson the Dow Jones Portfolio Management Award in the category of book publication for this work. The award is given to individuals who have "contributed significantly to the art and science of portfolio management." The book has been published in German, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Indian, and Russian editions.
Gibson was a frequent speaker at national and international conferences for investment professionals for 30 years. Financial Planning magazine recognized him as one of the "movers and shakers" of the financial services industry and both Money magazine and Worth magazine named him one of the top financial advisors in America. He is a steering group member and a past Chairman of the Committee for the Fiduciary Standard, a group of leading financial advisors working to uphold stricter standards for all of those who provide investment advice.
In 1999, Gibson co-founded and became the co-director of Fi360. Fi360 helps financial intermediaries use prudent fiduciary practices to profitably gather, grow and protect investors' assets. Since its founding, Fi360 has been providing innovative solutions to financial services providers, including the AIF® and AIFA® Designation programs, the Fi360 Toolkit™ software and the Fi360 Fiduciary Score®. Today the Fi360 community has grown to over 10,000 active designees. In 2019, Fi360 was acquired by Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR), a global Fintech leader and part of the S&P 500® Index.
Gibson is a member of the Carter Center Philanthropy Council. Guided by President Jimmy Carter's values and his desire to broaden philanthropy and its positive impact on society, the Carter Center Philanthropy Council exists to promote public policy through not-for-profit organizations based on the values of justice, equality, simplicity, and responsibility.
Gibson earned his MBA from Carnegie Mellon University where he also served as an Instructor for the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) certification program. He is Co-chairman of Gibson Capital, LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor serving high net worth individuals and institutional clients nationwide.
Donald J. Greene
Donald J. Greene is the National Strategy & Product Executive with Bank of America's Institutional Investment & Philanthropic Services group. Mr. Greene brings more than 20 years of philanthropic and nonprofit management experience to the Bank's philanthropic team. Mr. Greene's experience includes work with public charities as well as independent, corporate, community and family foundations. His experience also includes conducting grant making for several public charities as well as directing grant making for Massachusetts' regional association of grant makers. A social entrepreneur, Mr. Greene has directed the start-up of several successful not for profit and for profit enterprises in the fields of community development, healthcare, and education.
Mr. Greene holds a graduate degree from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management in Nonprofit Management, and an undergraduate degree in Celtic Studies from Harvard University.
In addition, Mr. Greene currently serves on a variety of public charity boards and serves as president of the Clipper Ship Foundation. He currently resides in Massachusetts with his wife, son and daughter.
Jane Beaumont Hall
As an attorney in private practice in Santa Monica, with an emphasis on Estate planning, Wills, Trusts and Mediation, Jane has over 30 years experience as an attorney & mediator. Dedicated to the highest level of service to her clients, she brings experience as a business and a "high asset" family law litigator to her estate planning practice. She handles a variety of complex estate planning issues. As a mediator, having handled hundreds of mediations, her negotiation skills assist families to settle their estate and asset issues.
Licensed to practice in CA, OR, HI and the US Supreme Court, she is a member of Wealth Counsel, Pepnet, Santa Monica Rotary, and Malibu Chamber of Commerce and is a Board Member of the Santa Monica Red Cross.
Steve Hartnett
Steve brings a broad range of educational and professional experiences to the Carter Center's Planned Giving Advisory Council. Steve has practiced estate planning in a large law firm, managed a closely-held business, and taught law in both academic and professional settings. Currently, he applies this breadth and depth of understanding in mentoring member attorneys of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys as its Director of Education. Steve has presented on dozens of topics related to Planned Giving, Estate Planning, and Elder Law at national conferences. Steve has been quoted widely on matters relating to Estate Planning in Money, Smart Money, the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, CNNMoney.com, MarketWatch.com, and other publications and media. Steve has been published in Estate Planning magazine, the Journal of Practical Estate Planning, and other professional publications.
Steve served as law clerk to Judge Warren Welliver of the Supreme Court of Missouri. He managed a closely-held family business for a number of years, gaining first-hand experience and understanding of the difficulties and needs of family businesses and their succession issues.
Immediately prior to joining the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Steve practiced in a large law firm where he counseled individuals and formulated and implemented estate & gift, generation-skipping, and income tax plans. This counsel included Planned Giving and advanced planning such as charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, private foundations, family limited partnerships, and other specialized planning.
Steve has taught law courses at Saint Louis University and business management courses at Maryville University. Steve is admitted to practice in California, Illinois, Missouri, and the District of Columbia and is a California Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law.
Steve Hartnett earned a Bachelors of Arts degree from Grinnell College and a Juris Doctorate from the Catholic University of America, where he was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award in Estate Planning. Steve earned his Masters of Laws (LL.M.) in Taxation from New York University.
Larry C. Johnson
Larry believes in the power of relationships, in the power of philanthropy, to create a better place and transform lives. His mission is to give nonprofits and philanthropists alike the opportunity to achieve their shared visions.
Larry knows that financial sustainability and scalability is possible for any nonprofit organization or charitable cause and is dependent neither on size or resources but instead with the commitment to create a shared vision.
Larry is the author of the award-wining book, The Eight Principles of Sustainable Fundraising. He was selected Outstanding Development Executive by the Association of Fundraising Professionals in 2010. The Wall Street Business Network ranks him in the Top 15 Fundraising Consultants in the United States. He holds the CFRE distinction.
With three decades of experience in charitable fundraising and philanthropy, Larry’s career spans Fortune 100 project management, service to four colleges and universities as chief advancement officer and as coach to hundreds of staff members, board members and volunteers of nonprofit organizations. He is a graduate of Yale University.
Larry and his wife, Connie, live near Boise Idaho. They enjoy hiking, backcountry horseback riding, and Nordic skiing in the Rockies. He hits the open road on his Harley as often as time permits and is an amateur photographer of the West. You can also find him in his tree house at home simply reading a good book.
Stephen P. Johnson, Esq.
For the last 20 years Steve has brought his practical idealism to roles as executive, board member, and advisor to foundations, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropic families and individuals. His skill set includes governance, succession, “next gen” education, foundation start-ups, program design and implementation, strategy and board development, planning, grantmaking, and evaluation.
From 2012 through 2016, he served as the Executive Director of the Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport Foundation, prior to which he spent 12 years with The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI), working with families, foundations and corporations worldwide to define and achieve their philanthropic objectives. He also led TPI’s practice aimed at equipping legal and financial advisors with the skills and tools needed to better support their clients’ philanthropic goals, training countless relationship managers at some of the nation’s leading financial institutions. He was a principal author of the Code of Ethics for U.S. philanthropy advisors, and has authored many other publications.
Today Steve serves as a Senior Advisor at The Philanthropic Initiative, Inc. (TPI) and to the Howard P. Colhoun Family Foundation. He serves on the boards of the Opus Prize Foundation and The Kelsey Trust, his own family’s foundation (Managing Trustee, 1998–present). His interest in improving the field of philanthropy is ongoing.
Prior to his career in philanthropy, he spent 20 years in public policy and the law. He clerked in the federal courts, worked in private practice, and served as committee counsel in the U.S. Senate. He spent a decade directing and consulting on planning projects for the state and federal courts and the American Bar Association. He has taught both undergraduate and law students, and has written and spoken widely on public policy and the future of the justice system and the legal profession.
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (BA, magna cum laude, 1974) and the University of Virginia School of Law (JD, 1979), Steve and his wife Paula — also a philanthropy professional, most recently at Harvard’s Kennedy School — live in Lincoln, Massachusetts. They have three grown children.
Emily Karr
Emily Karr is a partner at Stoel Rives LLP and head of the Benefits, Tax or Private Client Group at Stoel Rives. She practices in the areas of estate planning, international tax planning and the administration of estates and trusts. Her practice includes advice related to estate and gift taxes, the income taxation of estates, trusts and beneficiaries, business succession planning and issues concerning charitable giving and tax exempt organizations.
Emily is a Fellow of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, a past president of the Estate Planning Council of Portland and a frequent speaker on estate planning and administration and international tax topics.
Emily currently serves as Chair of the Board of Oregon Humanities. Her past board service includes The Library Foundation, Northwest Academy, Business for Culture and the Arts, Oregon Ballet Theatre and Northwest Earth Institute. She is a graduate of Duke University School of Law and Northwestern University. Emily and her husband, Townsend Hyatt, live in Northeast Portland. Their sons Pearce and Philip are in college.
Kenneth Ross Kilroy
Mr. Kenneth Ross Kilroy is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Unity Investment Partners, LLC, which specializes in connecting high net worth family investors with private middle-market direct investment opportunities. Mr. Kilroy is also the Chief Executive Officer of Trailhead Advisors, Inc., which provides family office consulting services to high net worth families. Mr. Kilroy was with Marvin Davis from 1982 to 2006, serving as the head of the family office and President of Davis Companies.
Ken was ranked as the #13 most influential person in the wealth management industry by Private Asset Management magazine in 2012. Mr. Kilroy has notable advisory and investment experience which includes transactions such as Twentieth Century Fox, Fox Plaza, Aspen Skiing Company, the Pebble Beach Company, Wetzel's Pretzels, the Beverly Hills Hotel, Red Mango, Spyglass Hill, Spanish Bay, Davis Petroleum, Davis Entertainment, the Sports Club/LA, WebTV, Pasta Pomodoro, United Airlines, Northwest Airlines, and many other trophy real estate transactions.
Mr. Kilroy has served as a board member of Davis Petroleum Corporation, Vatican Observatory Foundation, Los Angeles Food Bank, Marymount High School, and the St. Paul the Apostle School Foundation. He holds a J.D. from the University of Akron, Law School and a B.S. from the University of Akron. Mr. Kilroy has been licensed to practice law for 39 years.
Diane M. Manuel is proudly and happily focused on helping women live their best lives. She is committed through her work and philanthropy to ensuring that women’s lives can be as wonderful as they can imagine.
In her role as Financial Advisor at Urban Wealth Management, and as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, Diane is committed to building a movement of women who are comfortable and confident about their wealth. She is passionately dedicated to women creating opportunities to live their dreams.
A major part of Diane’s life is her philanthropic work. As part of this work, Diane is currently the Board Chair of the Women’s Foundation of California. She is proud to be in this position as the Foundation begins the celebration of its 40th anniversary.
She is also a participant and founding member of Angelenos for Los Angeles — a giving circle that supports nonprofits focused on the local African American community. She previously served on the Board of Governors for the USC Alumni Association and Trojan Encore. She is a past advisory board member to WriteGirl and the Los Angeles Chapter of the Financial Planning Association.
As a writer, Diane has had multiple articles published in Investopedia and MarketWatch focused on finance, women and philanthropy.
A native of Los Angeles, Diane enjoys 5K runs, the beach, wine tasting, photography, and walking with friends. She received her B.S. from the University of Southern California (Go Trojans!), and a Ph.D. and M.B.A. from Claremont Graduate University.
Jane Moretz Edmisten
Ms. Edmisten practices in the estate planning field in Washington, DC. She is a member of the North Carolina, Washington, D.C., and Maryland Bars.
Prior to entering private practice in 1981, Ms. Edmisten was an appellate litigator in the Tax Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, where she represented the government in a variety of tax cases in every circuit, as well as being a counsel of record in one case on the merits in the U.S. Supreme Court; she was counsel to the Government National Mortgage Association at the Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1977-1979; and served as deputy general counsel to the Merit Systems Protection Board at its inception, having been asked to structure that agency's litigation process after the major reforms of 1980 went into effect.
She is the author of a Bureau of National Affairs Portfolio on the Taxation of Trusts and Estates and was the 1980 winner of the Tom C. Clark Award for Outstanding Career Federal Service.
Steven L. Meyers, PhD
Even before founding the Center for Personalized Philanthropy at the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science, Steven Meyers had achieved national recognition as a pioneer and champion of a new kind of gift practice that goes beyond planned giving: donor-focused giving built upon the mantra, "the right gift, at the right time, for the right purpose, for the right donor."
Now, Steve is bringing Personalized Philanthropy coaching and consulting to a wider audience — including gift officers and advisors, as well as the professionals, board members and thought leaders who support charitable organizations and, especially, donors themselves. Previously, Steve served as a vice president and member of the management team at the Weizmann Institute’s American Committee for 21 years. He holds a Masters Degree in Organization and Management from Antioch University and a Ph.D. from the University of Buffalo.
With field-tested and proven models of Personalized Philanthropy, Steve shows you how donors and advisors are creating lasting legacies — but these are legacies with a difference. These are “grail” gifts where impact and recognition begin right now. Beyond merely "servicing" institutional campaigns with contributions, donors can mesh their most compelling interests with the most compelling needs. They can truly serve the organizations they care most about. This is philanthropy to create a gift of moment.
If you are a gift officer, estate or financial advisor or a philanthropist, Steve’s book, "Personalized Philanthropy: Crash the Fundraising Matrix" can help you refocus and rebalance your practice. Your ROI is a powerful and valuable collaborative skill set — to help donors and advisors create larger gifts with greater impact sooner. Perhaps even more important, Personalized Philanthropy can bring restored creativity, effectiveness — and even joy — to your life of practice.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy cited Personalized Philanthropy, comparing it to personalized medicine, in a major article about Weizmann’s sustainable fundraising. Steve’s work has also been published in The Journal of Gift Planning, Advancing Philanthropy and Investments and Wealth Monitor of the Investment Consultants Management Association (IMCA). He speaks frequently on donor-focused topics and planned giving in the big picture for national and regional councils and for estate and financial professionals, including the National Conference on Philanthropic Planning (PPP), Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), and the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA). He is a contributing author for the Planned Giving Design Center, as well as for the Elite Advisor Forum of CEG Worldwide. He’s served on philanthropy councils in New York and Connecticut, as well as on two major national task forces recommending guidelines for counting and reporting charitable gifts and metrics of fundraising effectiveness.
Steve strongly believes in building a culture of teamwork and collaboration and is passionate about helping donors make miracles happen at the organizations closest to their hearts. He is the author of the book, Personalized Philanthropy: Crash the Fundraising Matrix, and its companion for donors, Personalized Philanthropy and the Four Donors: Parables for Radically Rethinking Your Philanthropy: A New Conversation for donors, gift officers, and advisors.
Martin O'Toole
Jeffrey Pennell
Professor Pennell is the Richard H. Clark Professor of Law at Emory University School of Law in Atlanta. A member of the American Law Institute, he was an Adviser for the Restatements (Third) of Property (Wills and Other Donative Transfers), and the Restatement (Third) of Trusts, a former member of the Council of the Real Property, Trust & Estate Section of the American Bar Association, an Academic Fellow and Former Regent of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, and an Academician of The International Academy of Estate and Trust Law. His various publications include student and practitioner texts, Tax Management portfolios, articles, institute chapters, and he is the successor author of Casner & Pennell on Estate Planning (8th ed.).
Debra Rahmin Silberstein
Attorney Silberstein specializes in trusts and estates, tax related matters and elder law. Ms. Silberstein is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Syracuse University (B.A., Economics, 1981). She obtained her J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law in 1984 after studying at both Boston University School of Law and Hofstra University School of Law. Ms. Silberstein obtained a Ph.D. in Social Policy from the Heller School, Brandeis University in August 2009. She brings over twenty-five (25) years of legal experience to her practice and great pride in the individualized attention she is able to provide to her clients. Ms. Silberstein is an active member of the Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA), currently serving as a Probate Law Section Council member. Ms. Silberstein is also a well-known member of her local bar, the Lawrence Bar Association, and the National Association of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA). In January 2011, Ms. Silberstein attended the Heckerling Institute, the premiere national estate planning conference well-attended by prominent estate planning attorneys.
Ms. Silberstein is a trustee of the Lawrence General Hospital, currently serving as Chair of the Development Committee. A long-time advocate for public education, Ms. Silberstein is a trustee of ACE (Andover's Coalition for Education), Ms. Silberstein is a Director of TAVAH, a 501(c)(3) organization providing support for senior citizens to stay in their homes. She is also a member of the Advisory Council, a local education foundation for Bipolar Research at the Massachusetts General Hospital, a consultant to the Sillerman Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy at the Heller School, Brandeis University, a member of the New England Regional Board for the Anti-Defamation League, and a member of the Latino-Jewish roundtable. Ms. Silberstein was recently elected to the Heller School Alumni Board.
In March 2010, Ms. Silberstein completed her second three-year term, serving half the time as Chair of the Andover School Committee. Ms. Silberstein has served as a director of Shed Inc. (1994-2000), Vice-chair of the Merrimack Valley Community Foundation (2001-2004), member of the Andover Finance Committee (2000-2004), a Trustee of Essex County Community Foundation (2004-2008), the Long-Term Financial Planning Subcommittee for Governor Deval Patrick's Education Readiness Project. She is a past director of the Legal Access Project of the Women's Resource Center, which provided legal services to victims of domestic violence. In 2010, Ms. Silberstein was a candidate fin the Democratic Party for the 2nd Essex/Middlesex Senate Seat.
Ms. Silberstein has written and published on estate planning and tax policy matters, namely; "Conceptions of Fair Tax Policy", Brandeis University Graduate Student Journal, 2004; "Reform, Don't Appeal the Estate Tax", NAELA News, Vol 15, issue 2, March, 2003; and "History of the Death Tax", American Bar Association Probate and Property Journal , Vol 17, No. 3, May/June 2003. Ms. Silberstein also served as a research fellow to Professor Anita Hill, Brandeis University, on a project assessing education "adequacy" litigation. (2003-2005). In 2009, Ms. Silberstein successfully completed her dissertation study, The Changing Nature of Philanthropy: A Study of Giving Between Generations within Jewish American Families.
Neeli Shah
Ms. Shah focuses her practice in the areas of estate planning and wealth protection, including personal tax planning for highly compensated individuals, all aspects of estate administration and corporate matters for publicly and privately held companies. Prior to joining Smith, Gambrell & Russell, Ms. Shah was a Tax Associate at Adams & Reese LLP in Birmingham, Alabama. Ms. Shah also worked in the banking industry as a Credit Analyst for BBVA Compass in Birmingham, Alabama prior to going to law school.
Ms. Shah received her B.A. in Economics from Vanderbilt University in 2003. She earned her J.D. from Cumberland School of Law, Samford University in 2008 and received her LL.M in Taxation from University of Florida Levine College of Law in 2009. Ms. Shah is a member of the Alabama and the Georgia Bars. She is fluent in Hindi and Gujarati.
Calder Sinclair
Calder P. Sinclair is founder and president of the Atlanta-based fund raising consulting firm Sinclair, Townes & Company. With more than thirty years of fund raising experience, he has consulted with non-profit institutions and organizations throughout the country on capital campaigns, planned giving, annual giving, and comprehensive development counseling.
As both an attorney and as the former Director of the Estate Planning Program for Emory University, Calder has extensive "hands-on" experience in major gifts and planned giving. He was directly involved in The Campaign for Emory which raised more than $220 million for the university in the early 1980's. Calder's background also includes serving as a Trust Officer for The First National Bank of Atlanta (now Wells Fargo).
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Emory University, Calder received his J.D. from the Emory Law School. He is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and The Florida Bar.
An Atlanta resident since 1968, Calder most recently served as national president for the Omicron Delta Kappa Foundation, the college and university leadership honorary. He also serves on the Board of Councilors for The Carter Center and the Advisory Board of the Cobb Community Foundation.
John Warnick
John ("John A") Warnick is the founder of the Purposeful Planning Institute and Family Wealth Transitions & Solutions
John A balances his enthusiasm for tax savings with in-depth discovery and purposeful questions to ensure the planning is congruent with his client's core values. He delivers workshops across the nation for estate planning attorneys and financial planners sharing the six paradigms of Purposeful Planning and the Seven Keys of the Purposeful Trust.
He spends a considerable amount of his time facilitating family retreats and providing wealth counseling, fiduciary and philanthropic consulting services. He finds immense fulfillment in educating and training children, adolescents and emerging adults in financial literacy, philanthropic service, and holistic family wealth principles.
He was the author of two BNA (Bureau of National Affairs) Tax Management portfolios. He co-authored "Selecting a Trust Situs in the 21st Century" which was published in the March/April 2002 issue of Probate and Property. He is currently serving as co-editor of a book on best practices for trusts and is also working on two other books entitled The Gift of You and The Purposeful Trust Handbook.
Mr. Warnick received a BA magna cum laude from Brigham Young University and his JD from George Washington University with honors.
Prior to launching his own business, John A was a partner in the Denver office of Holme Roberts & Owen LLP for almost eleven years after practicing in Nevada and Wyoming previously.
Barbara Yeager
Barbara Yeager is Director of Education and Programs for the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners (CGP), a professional organization for people who advise the generous donors of planned and complex charitable gifts. CGP is a standard-setting organization, and Barbara has worked with volunteer task forces to create the National Standards for Gift Planning Success, the Guidelines for Reporting and Counting Charitable Gifts and the Valuation Standards for Charitable Planned Gifts. She also directs research projects for CGP and serves as an advisor for projects of other organizations, including the Giving USA Foundation and the Nonprofit Research Collaborative.
As a creator and curator of professional resources for gift planners, Barbara developed the Essential Assets collection of resources on gifts of noncash assets. Each year she manages the education program for the national CGP Conference and supports community-building and peer learning programs to help gift planners across the country share tools and strategies that increase the impact of donors’ philanthropy.
In addition to her work on the national level, Barbara is a board member for CGP’s Indiana chapter and a long-time volunteer for Girl Scouts. She holds the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy designation and a masters degree in library and information science.
Information contained herein was accurate at the time of posting. The information on this website is not intended as legal or tax advice. For such advice, please consult an attorney or tax advisor. Figures cited in any examples are for illustrative purposes only. References to tax rates include federal taxes only and are subject to change. State law may further impact your individual results. California residents: Annuities are subject to regulation by the State of California. Payments under such agreements, however, are not protected or otherwise guaranteed by any government agency or the California Life and Health Insurance Guarantee Association. Oklahoma residents: A charitable gift annuity is not regulated by the Oklahoma Insurance Department and is not protected by a guaranty association affiliated with the Oklahoma Insurance Department. South Dakota residents: Charitable gift annuities are not regulated by and are not under the jurisdiction of the South Dakota Division of Insurance.