Chris Polito brings 16 years’ experience in designing, implementing, and managing key philanthropic initiatives for nonprofit organizations in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions and Canada.
Since joining CCS in 2006, Chris has partnered on more than 50 strategic resource development initiatives and capital campaigns that have raised collectively over $500 million. Chris is an expert in feasibility and planning studies and development assessments and annual appeals. He has implemented leadership and major gifts fundraising for numerous clients in faith-based, healthcare, human and social services, and primary and secondary education sectors.
From July 2013 to January 2016, Chris, his wife and daughter, moved to Toronto where he served as Executive Director of the Archdiocese of Toronto’s $105 million Family of Faith Campaign, which ultimately raised more than $170 million CAD, becoming the most successful faith-based fundraising initiative in Canadian history.
Chris served as the President of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Southern New Jersey Chapter from 2019-2021 and was recognized as a top 40 Under 40 Leader by the Philadelphia Business Journal in 2020. He has been invited to speak at national and international industry conferences hosted by Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools (ADVIS), AFP Eastern Pennsylvania, Greater Philadelphia, Greater Toronto and Southern New Jersey Chapters, New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS), and the Planned Giving Council of Greater Philadelphia.
Currently residing in Mount Laurel, NJ with his wife and daughter, Chris grew up in Colts Neck, New Jersey, went to Red Bank Catholic High School, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Catholic University of America in Washington D.C.
select client partners
- Archdiocese of Toronto, Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Archdiocese of Newark
- Elwyn (Media, PA)
- Kean University (Union, NJ)
- Make-A-Wish Philadelphia, Delaware & Susquehanna Valley
- Roman Catholic High School (Philadelphia, PA)
- Saints Peter and Paul Parish and School (Easton, MD)
- The Gunston School (Centreville, MD)
- The Shipley School (Bryn Mawr, PA)
- United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (Philadelphia, PA)
- West Catholic Preparatory High School (Philadelphia, PA)
- World Trade Center Greater Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA)
recent resouces
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With more than twenty years of experience in the U.S. and Europe, Lara has worked with a range of clients – from those raising billions to those building a culture of philanthropy – across every nonprofit sector. “I always wanted to work in the nonprofit sector but couldn’t find ‘my’ one cause. For me, finding CCS was the answer,” Lara says.
Shortly after joining CCS in 2008, Lara moved to the European team, where she spent several years serving clients in Paris, Dublin, and Geneva. Notably, Lara spearheaded the historic €10 million campaign to transform the American School of Paris’ campus. In 2015, Lara returned to the New York City area and serves clients with local, national, and international reach. From helping RIOULT Dance New York build a permanent home, to building endowments for day schools through UJA-Federation’s Jewish Day School Challenge Fund initiative, to providing campaign strategy to several RWJBarnabas Health hospitals in New Jersey, to planning a global campaign for National Geographic Society, Lara enjoys the process and partnership of our work.
“I love the opportunity to work with, and learn from, so many admirable leaders and volunteers who are dedicated to their cause and community,” she says.
Lara is a graduate of Northwestern University. She is a dual citizen of the USA and France and conversant in French, Spanish, and Arabic. As a volunteer, Lara serves on the Board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) New Jersey Chapter and on the Alumni Giving Committee for the American School in Japan.
Select client Partners
- American School of Paris
- Duke Health
- Gateways Music Festival
- Geneva Centre for Security Policy
- JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation)
- Lycée Français de New York
- National Geographic Society
- Reporters without Borders / Reporters sans frontières
- RWJBarnabas Health
- Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
- United Jewish Appeal – Federation of New York
Rosanna brings more than a decade of experience supporting national and international nonprofits with fundraising strategy. Since joining CCS in 2010, Rosanna has partnered with organizations to help plan, manage, and implement successful fundraising initiatives. Her counsel has helped many organisations secure the largest gifts in their history, including six-, seven-, and eight-figure commitments.
“Our clients drive positive change in the world. Having the opportunity to help them achieve their goals by supporting them in an effective manner is an honor,” says Rosanna.
In addition to working directly with clients, Rosanna helps lead CCS’s business development and marketing in Europe.
select client partners
- Action Against Hunger
- Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative (AGI)
- The American Church in Paris
- The Children’s Society
- Cystic Fibrosis Trust
- Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School
- Durham University
- New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute
- Nottingham Trent University
- SeriousFun Children’s Network
- UNICEF
- Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)
- United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR)
Since joining CCS in 2011, Katlyn has partnered with dozens of visionary non-profits to plan and implement the fundraising initiatives essential to their missions.
A Pacific Northwest native, Katlyn leads our office in Seattle and spearheads our PNW partnerships. Her client engagements span all major nonprofit sectors, and her expertise includes campaign planning and management, development planning and assessments, and major and principal giving initiatives. She has planned and advised on campaign goals ranging from $2 million to $600 million.
Katlyn believes that fundraising is about more than just resource development; it can advance all facets of an organization’s mission, and it should be positive, dignified, and inclusive experience for all involved. Katlyn brings a data-driven mindset and CCS’s unparalleled expertise to every project, and she is committed to grounding every engagement in the client’s culture and values.
Katlyn regularly presents on fundraising trends and strategies both locally and nationally. Her passion for mission-based work was sparked as a child when she volunteered at a local homeless shelter.
A graduate of Johns Hopkins University and Arizona State University, Katlyn began her career as a High School English teacher and is a Teach for America alumna. She is proud to be a founding board member for Mobile Pathways, an organization facilitating justice for immigrants and refugees.
select client partners
- Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA
- Literary Arts, Portland, OR
- MarinHealth, Greenbrae, CA
- PeaceHealth, Vancouver and Bellingham, WA; Eugene, OR
- Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR
- The Salvation Army Northwest Division, Seattle, WA
- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA
- The Freshwater Trust, Portland, OR
- UCSF Medical Center & UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, San Francisco, CA
- YMCA of Silicon Valley, San Jose, CA
For the last 15 years, Lindsay has worked side-by-side with nonprofit organizations across the religious, cultural, healthcare, human service, and academic medical sectors. Partnering with leadership and volunteers, Lindsay’s strategic counsel and expertise have helped raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Lindsay maintains a clear focus on goals and objectives while assisting organizations to learn best practices and truly build an enthusiasm for development. Over the years, Lindsay has cultivated her strengths in the areas of campaign strategy and management, applying fundraising metrics for success, donor cultivation, and volunteer training and management.
Lindsay previously served as a member of the Board of Trustees of St. Anne’s. She is a graduate of Santa Clara University and secured her MBA from UCLA Anderson.
select client partners
- Children’s Center of the Antelope Valley, Lancaster, CA
- The Climate Registry, Los Angeles, CA
- Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, CA
- Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, NM
- Ronald McDonald House Orange County, Orange, CA
- St. John Fisher Catholic Church, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
- St. Louis de Montfort Parish, Santa Maria, CA
Brad Patterson is an Executive Vice President based out of CCS Fundraising’s Central United States offices, serving Catholic, diocesan clients across the United States and Canada. In partnership with CCS Principal and Managing Directors, Brad leads the design and day-to-day management of all CCS staff assigned to our diocesan projects. He has dedicated his career to studying, innovating and side-by-side partnership in support of Catholic, diocesan initiatives. With over 25 years of experience, Brad has been at the forefront of this sector, bringing the best practices from across the country to each client partnership.
Brad has designed and managed fundraising campaigns that have raised more than $2 billion in support of local parishes and diocesan ministries for client partners. He is a thought leader in the religious sector and a mentor to hundreds of current and former CCS employees.
With an expertise in the management of large, volunteer led, multi-organizational campaigns, Brad is a strategist, educator, partner, mentor, and storyteller. He partners with organizations to help turn their vision into reality. Brad leads our partnership with ICSC, support for ICSC regional gatherings in the Central United States, our partnership with a CCS led Diocesan Advisory Council, our partnership with #IGiveCatholic and our internal Catholic Service Team.
Brad resides in Austin, Texas, where he has partnered with the Diocese of Austin to lead their first two diocesan campaigns over the past 18 years. He is a proud graduate of Indiana University and enjoys hiking, exercise, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.
- Archdiocese of Chicago
- Archdiocese of Denver
- Archdiocese of Dubuque
- Archdiocese of Milwaukee
- Archdiocese of Mobile
- Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
- Archdiocese of Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Diocese of Austin
- Diocese of Cheyenne
- Diocese of Cleveland
- Diocese of Columbus
- Diocese of Dallas
- Diocese of El Paso
- Diocese of Fort-Wayne — South Bend
- Diocese of Fort Worth
- Diocese of Greensburg
- Diocese of Green Bay
- Diocese of Helena
- Diocese of Lafayette—IN
- Diocese of Lincoln
- Diocese of Pittsburgh
- Diocese of Springfield, IL
- Diocese of Stockton
- Diocese of Toledo
- Diocese of Tulsa
- Catholic Foundation of Northeast Texas
- St. Vincent’s Hospital Foundation
- University of the South, Sewanee
Executive Vice President Erik Kiernan joined CCS in 2003 and brings nearly 25 years of experience working with a wide variety of nonprofit organizations to every client engagement. Erik leads the New England Team’s faith-based practice and his areas of expertise include campaign design, project management, organizational development, data analysis, volunteer management, and major gift program development.
The ability to help nonprofits generate the resources they need to grow and thrive motivates Erik to offer a high degree of dedication and focus to match the passion our clients have for their causes. Philanthropy is in Erik’s blood. His mother is an accomplished fundraiser in her own right who continues writing grants even in retirement and who led a fundraising effort to build a state of the art child language clinic in Tucson, Arizona.
“I have always believed in helping the less fortunate and being able to provide for those in need. It was something I grew up around. I think it was very natural for me to consider philanthropy as a career choice as a result. There are so many opportunities out there to help fund great causes and help make a real impact,” says Erik.
Erik resides in suburbs of Worcester, Massachusetts with his wife and daughter. He spent his youth living in South America and Arizona, and is fluent in Spanish.
select client partners
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, MA
- Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, Boston, MA
- Trinity Episcopal Church, Boston, MA
- Our Lady of Victories National Shrine and Basilica, Buffalo, NY
- Cotuit Federated Church, Cotuit, MA
- Mary, St. Helen & St. Thecla Parish, Hanover, MA
- Catholic Charities of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
- The Nature Conservancy Massachusetts Chapter, Boston, MA
- Epiphany School, Boston, MA
- Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Buffalo, NY
recent resources
After graduating from Lewis & Clark College in Oregon in 1981, Jose Barquin moved to New York City to work in the thriving nonprofit sector. Today, Jose is a senior vice president at CCS and has been with the firm for over 20 years. He brings with him two decades of experience working for leading nonprofits before joining the team.
“Peter Drucker once said, ‘my greatest strength as a consultant is to be ignorant and ask a few questions’. Working with CCS has enabled me to collaborate with like-minded professionals who cherish learning on behalf of our remarkable clients,” says Barquin.
At CCS, Jose has planned and directed fund-raising campaigns and has provided strategic advice to local, regional, national and international organizations. He has helped institutions recruit new trustees, solicit transformational gifts, and develop strategic plans.
Jose serves on the Advisory Board of the Aravind Eye Foundation, which supports the India-based Aravind Eye Care System, the world’s largest provider of eye care services. Aravind has treated more than 32 million patients and has performed over four million operations.
Jose resides in Florham Park, New Jersey with his wife and three children and remains heavily involved in the community. Most recently, he served as an advisor to the Florham Park Education Foundation, and also joined the Advisory Council of the Great Swamp Watershed Association.
Select client Partners
- American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
- WHO/Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria
- Saint Barnabas Medical Center
- Manhattan Children’s Center
- Temple B’Nai Jeshurun
- St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
- Rutgers University – Camden
- The City University of New York
- The Midland School
- The Stephen Gaynor School
- Manhattan Country School
- New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra
- State Theatre New Jersey
- The Nature Conservancy of New York
Terence Curley is motivated to support and participate in causes that are founded upon a desire to effect positive change and growth for individuals, communities, and institutions. He gains immense satisfaction from collaborating with leadership, volunteers, and donors to exceed goals and forward missions. He has worked closely with staff leadership on campaign management, advising on goal-setting and campaign activity, as well as coaching board and committee members on messaging and donor engagement.
Originally from Dobbs Ferry, NY, Terence now resides in Fair Lawn, NJ with his wife, Alison and their 9-year-old son, Jack and 7-year-old daughter, Sarah Jeanne. He is a graduate of Fordham Preparatory School in the Bronx and the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. Terence is a member of the Pastoral Council at the Church of Saint Anne in Fair Lawn, NJ.
select client partners
- Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, New York, NY
- Diocese of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT
- Archdiocese of New York, New York, NY
- Ellis Hospital Foundation, Schenectady, NY
- Fordham Law School, New York, NY
Tyler Mark is a dedicated nonprofit professional committed to helping clients maximize their work on the communities they serve. Beginning his career as a special education teacher with Teach for America and later joining CCS, Tyler has helped a variety of clients build systems and teams that have led to significant positive impact.
At Texas Children’s Hospital (Houston), for example, Tyler analyzed the feasibility of funding the historic expansion of their neurological research enterprise. He went on to manage the launch of a $100 million campaign, working onsite to raise a monumental $42 million in less than six months. In all, his counsel has helped CCS client partners raise more than $350 million worldwide to advance important causes.
Other non-profit clients include The Rockefeller Foundation (NYC), KIPP Foundation (San Francisco), BRICK Education Network (Newark), Children’s Health Fund (NYC), Fairfield University (Fairfield), Cathedral of St. John the Divine (NYC), Good Reason Houston (Houston), and the UN’s International Telecommunication Bureau (Geneva).
Tyler holds a B.A. in International Relations from Colgate University. He volunteers as a crisis counselor for The Trevor Project in New York City and is an active Teach for America alum.
