Cleo and I worked together for six and half years, when she joined iMentor as our first development professional. In that short period of time, Cleo raised $50M, grew annual revenue from $1M to $7M, designed two successful growth capital campaigns, and built a team that allowed iMentor to continue to thrive after her tenure. She was an enormous part of iMentor’s journey from a NYC startup to a truly national organization and her contributions to that evolution can’t be overstated. She is brilliant, reflective, a great teammate, and a trusted partner in this work. Cleo built powerful and authentic relationships with funders, board members, leaders throughout the organization, and her peers in the space. Her commitment to excellence, to relationships, and to constant learning and growth make her a rare talent in our sector!

–MIKE O’BRIEN, CEO, IMENTOR

Having worked with dozens of development professionals in my 15-year nonprofit management career, Cleo is in a class by herself. She has the unique and highly sought out attributes of being an expert fundraiser in quick-growing, entrepreneurial organizations, a detailed and organized planner, a strategic thinker and an excellent manager of people. This has made her an incredible and highly valued partner to me in the short 4 month period we’ve worked together, in which she is producing a multi-year fundraising plan for us as we also search for a full-time head of development. Related, it was one of my board members who recommended I pursue Cleo for that role as soon as he became aware of the opportunity and I have been trying to convert her into a full-time staff member ever since!

–JEMINA R. BERNARD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, STUDENT LEADERSHIP NETWORK

Cleo and I have worked together for many years, starting when she led Development at New Classrooms, where I currently serve as Board Chair. In that capacity, Cleo was a powerful force for attracting new support while also stewarding board members and other donors with great care. Soon after co-founding Transcend, I hired Cleo to help us launch our fundraising work. Over the 9 months that she partnered with us, she not only created a Major Gift strategy, but she also helped us to build collateral and grant materials that secured meaningful contributions. Most importantly, however, she served as a coach and mentor to me as I grew my own knowledge and skills at fundraising. Her experience and wisdom was invaluable.

–Jeff Wetzler, Co-Founder, Transcend Education

From our first conversation, I was so impressed with Cleo's unique ability to quickly take in information, build context, and drive work forward in an organized, strategic way. Cleo worked directly with me and our entire development team for 7 months, serving as an Interim Vice President of Development while we underwent a search, and then helping to onboard our new VP to set her up for success. Some of the projects Cleo helped lead on include: partnering on the revenue planning side of our 5-year strategic planning process, creating the template for our annual development plans, providing support and coaching to development team members and Executive Directors across our national team and six chapters, and serving as a thought partner on fundraising strategy and overall organizational growth. Cleo truly embedded herself in our organization. She is a do-er, a thought partner, a sophisticated strategist, and a true joy to work with!

–Sydney Morris, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Educators for Excellence