Standards for Excellence Institute

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Introducing: Standards for Excellence Institute® Licensed Consultant Class of November 2024

For Immediate Release

Contact: Amy Coates Madsen
Director, Standards for Excellence Institute®
acmadsen@standardsforexcellence.org
443-438-2314

Introducing: Standards for Excellence Institute® Licensed Consultant Class of November 2024

Baltimore, MD – December 11, 2024 – The Standards for Excellence Institute, an initiative dedicated to promoting the highest standards of nonprofit ethics and accountability, announces its 2024 Class of Licensed Consultants.

Thirty highly experienced nonprofit professionals completed the intensive three-day training and are now equipped to provide organizational assessments and expert assistance to nonprofits nationwide. The members of the 2024 class represent organizations from states across the country, including Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Standards for Excellence Licensed Consultants use their extensive knowledge of the Standards for Excellence to help nonprofits strengthen their governance practices and build capacity, accountability, and sustainability in their organizations. Licensed Consultants provide nonprofits with organizational assessments, consulting, and training, and help them earn national Standards for Excellence accreditation.

Some Licensed Consultants work with Standards for Excellence replication partners (which are organizations licensed and trained to use the Institute’s program materials and resources to support other nonprofits in a specific geographic area or in a specific mission area).

The Licensed Consultant Program has continued to grow each year since its inception in 2006. See the complete list of current Licensed Consultants. Anyone interested in becoming a Licensed Consultant should consider joining the 2025 training – learn more and sign up to be notified when applications are available.

Participant Testimonials:

Laura Edwards, State Director of Maryland CASA, spoke about the training: “I spent three days in Baltimore with an amazing group of other executives, all working toward the same goal! Our cohort of 30 joined the hundreds of already licensed professionals, all of whom are dedicated to ensuring every organization has the ability to achieve greatness using best practices, Standards for Excellence Institute tools, programs, clinics and workshops! I am ready to partner with organizations to strengthen their governance, accountability, and operational excellence.”

Tiana Massaquoi, Co-founder and Co-Board Chair of the Keep Still Cares Foundation, describes the Licensed Consultant Training: “This has been one of the best learning experiences I’ve had, and I’m truly honored to be a part of such an incredible class of professionals, practitioners, and servants.”

Henry W. Saxon, Managing Partner of Saxon Advisors LLC, states: This Standards for Excellence program is a vital framework that empowers nonprofit organizations to uphold high governance standards, transparency, and best practices. I am now positioned to offer tailored support to my nonprofit clients, helping them navigate the complexities of their missions while fostering a culture of integrity and excellence.

Standards for Excellence® Licensed Consultant Class of 2024

Introducing the Members of the Standards for Excellence Institute® Licensed Consultant Class of November 2024:

(*Participated as a member of a replication partner organization)

Nico Amador
Vermont

Crystal Baze-Barney, CPA
Gwynn Oak, MD

Holly Beadle
Springfield, MO

Jennifer Broderick
Columbia, MD

Chelsea Brown
Baltimore, MD

LaTisha Carter
Columbia, MD

Madison Darling
Marinette, WI

Laura Edwards
Westminster, MD

Michael Feinstein
Rockville, MD

Tyryn Goodson-Seck*
Baltimore, MD

Lynda Hyatt
Richmond, VA

Natalie Jones*
Memphis, TN

Amanda Keeter*
Round Rock, TX

Dynell Kellyman
Burlington, NJ

Gloria Lawrence
Baltimore, MD

Danielle Marshall
Nottingham, MD

Tiana Massaquoi
Frederick, MD

Angela Meekins*
Memphis, TN

Jade Merritt
Randallstown, MD

Jamie Meyers, LMSW
Baltimore, MD

Farah Nageer-Kanthor
Silver Spring, MD

Lori Noonan
West End, NC

Gary Norman Esq. LLM
Baltimore, MD

Chijioke Oranye
Windsor Mill, MD

Diana Phillips*
Taylor, TX

Victoria Prevatt
Athens, GA

Mindy Propst
Hagerstown, MD

Venus Ray
Huntingtown, MD

Henry Saxon
Atlanta, GA

Katie Speert
Westminster, MD

About the Standards for Excellence Institute®
The Standards for Excellence Institute® is a Maryland Nonprofits program that serves nonprofits throughout the nation. The Institute is dedicated to promoting the highest standards of ethics and accountability in nonprofit governance, management, and operations. It has a dozen state, regional and national partner organizations, and is supported by 339 Licensed Consultants and 90 volunteers with professional experience in nonprofit governance and administration.

Currently, there are nearly 160 individual nonprofit organizations that have completed a rigorous application and review process to demonstrate adherence to the Standards for Excellence®: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector. Learn more at www.standardsforexcellence.org.

By Amy Coates Madsen | December 11, 2024 | Licensed Consultant , Standards for Excellence Institute

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About the Author: Amy Coates Madsen

Amy Coates Madsen is the Director of the Standards for Excellence Institute, a national initiative to promote the highest standards of ethics and accountability in nonprofit governance, management, and operations, and to facilitate adherence to standards by all organizations. The Standards for Excellence Institute is a program of the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations where Amy has served for more than twenty-two years. Amy is responsible for coordinating all aspects of the association’s comprehensive ethics and accountability program and efforts to replicate the program nationally. She serves as a frequent trainer and writer in the areas of board conduct, program evaluation, program replication, fundraising ethics, and nonprofit management. She has taught courses on nonprofit ethics and accountability at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies Certificate Program on Nonprofit Management. She has held positions at the Trenton lobbying firm of the Princeton Public Affairs Group, and the Public Policy Liaison Unit at the world headquarters of Catholic Relief Services. Amy received her Master of Arts in Policy Studies degree from the Johns Hopkins University – Institute for Policy Studies in Baltimore, Maryland; and her Bachelors degree from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. Amy is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Amy serves on the Internal Revenue Service Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT). Amy is a former member of the Disaster Action Team of the Central Maryland Chapter of the American Red Cross and is qualified to provide disaster preparedness training to children and adults. She has also served as the former President of Central Maryland CAN TOO and was a member of the Board of Trustees of the largest United Methodist Church in Baltimore City. She serves on the board of her children’s preschool PTA and is a volunteer with the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland. Amy is currently leading an effort to establish an endowment for the Virginia Tech University Honors Program.