Meet the Team
Laura Alexander, MA, CFRE
Partner and Consultant
Laura@do-good-better.com | 520.405.6145
Consultant, Executive Director, Development Director, Program Director, Board member and volunteer. You name it and, over a 22-year career, Laura has worked in just about every non-profit capacity. That experience—and the unique perspective that comes with it—is the cornerstone of her consulting practice. Laura’s clients know that she gets where they’re coming from—their strategic challenges, organizational issues and development goals—and is dedicated to their success. She asks the important questions, and listens well, to give her clients the best advice, determine the best strategies, and find the best solutions.
Before starting Alexander | Carrillo Consulting with Jenny Carrillo in 2010, Laura ran her own consulting firm for three years. Her extensive experience in non-profit management includes: Executive Director of the Birth & Women’s Health Center (5 years); Development Director at the Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona (3 years); and Executive Director of Domestic Abuse Intervention Services in Madison, WI (5 years). She also held positions at Native Seeds/SEARCH and Wingspan Domestic Violence Project, both in Tucson, and comes from a long history of programming and fundraising in the area of domestic violence.
Laura holds a Master of Arts in Philanthropy & Development from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. She is also a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), completing the highly respected certification process and demonstrating proficiency of professional practice, performance, education, service and commitment to ethical fundraising. Along with Jenny, Laura is a Certified Governance Trainer (CGT) by BoardSource. Laura has completed the Master Trainer program of the international Association of Fundraising Professionals, and the 42-hour Basic Mediation Training of the Center for Community Dialogue, a program of Our Family Services.
Laura has served as President of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Southern Arizona Chapter, which also recognized her work in 2012 by naming her Outstanding Fundraising Professional of the Year. She serves the community as a volunteer for Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation (SAAF), a board member for the YWCA of Southern Arizona, a member of the Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) at the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, and a volunteer for both the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Planned Giving Roundtable. In 2017, she was honored with the Dr. Jean Baker Community Ally Award by Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation for her work in the LGBT community. In her spare time, Laura enjoys yoga classes and a vast menagerie of pets with her husband Fabian Alfie, a University of Arizona Professor, and their child Ezri.
Jenny Carrillo, MA, CFRE
Partner and Consultant
Jenny@do-good-better.com | 520.907.7833
When it comes to fund development, non-profit governance, and strategic planning, Jenny Carrillo is a one-women wellspring of insight, knowledge and enthusiasm. With 24 years of non-profit experience, there is perhaps no one more capable at getting right to the core issues, assessing strengths and limitations, identifying challenges and opportunities, and integrating everything into a coherent—and do-able!—plan. Clients value her integrity, forthrightness and fervent support. And with that silver-bullet combination so prized in the non-profit world—a keen intellect and a big heart—Jenny offers solid and perceptive advice to help her clients grow, perform and exceed their expectations.
Jenny worked for seven years as an independent consultant before she founded Alexander | Carrillo Consulting with Laura Alexander. Her consulting practice, Beyond Fundraising, says it all. Her prior work included extensive experience in developing and executing effective fundraising plans as well as grant writing and public relations in the following jobs: Director of Development for the Arizona’s Children Association (4 years), Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tucson (2 years), and the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation/Shanti Foundation, Tucson (3 years) as well as public relations positions at Up with People in Denver, CO, and Youth Service America in Washington, DC.
Jenny holds a Master of Arts in Philanthropy & Development from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. She is also a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), completing the highly respected certification process and demonstrating proficiency of professional practice, performance, education, service and commitment to ethical fundraising. Jenny has served as the President of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Southern Arizona Chapter (2005), and was a board member for more than 9 years. In 2006, she was honored as AFP’s Outstanding Fundraising Professional of the Year. Along with Laura, Jenny is a Certified Governance Trainer (CGT) through BoardSource. She is also serves on the Interfaith Community Services (ICS) Community Advisory Committee, is a member of the Board of Directors of the Ben’s Bells Project, and a board member for the Amphi Public Schools Foundation. Her husband, Leo Carrillo, is a 5th-generation Tucsonan with deep roots in the community, and they have two daughters, Quincy and Carson.
Lisa Robinson
Consultant
Lisa Robinson has dedicated her professional career to working with non-profits in the Tucson community. Her work has been instrumental in the development of effective fundraising plans for non-profit organizations, including grant writing, corporate partnerships, and individual gifts. Lisa’s knowledge offers the unique perspective and experience of working in non-profit programming and fundraising, which has refined her skills to develop strategies, processes and goals for the success of her clients.
Prior to joining Alexander|Carrillo, Lisa has worked as both an executive director and director of development. As executive director of the Petfinder Foundation, she led and managed a team with integrity and respect. From developing strong human resource policies and building a development program to following best practices in financial management and board governance she increased effectiveness and efficiency to help the organization succeed. In her role as director of development at Tu Nidito, Lisa implemented and led a development program that resulted in 13%+ revenue increase over budget, created and maintained a major gifts program, built strong board relationships, and executed a robust communications plan.
Lisa has a bachelor’s degree in Art Education from the University of Arizona and has completed nonprofit and leadership courses with the Eller College of Management and Lodestar Center for Nonprofit Excellence. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), completing the highly respected certification process and demonstrating proficiency of professional practice, performance, education, service, and commitment to ethical fundraising. Lisa has served as president of the AFP Southern Arizona chapter and is a current emerging leadership committee member for AFP Global.
In addition to her professional career, Lisa volunteers with a variety of organizations and enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters.
Lana Baldwin
Consultant
An experienced nonprofit administrator and fundraising professional with a 20+ year career in the Tucson community, Lana has truly done it all when it comes to the behind-the-scenes work that builds successful nonprofits. Clients will say they appreciate her big-picture thinking, and her ability to zero in on the details and get to the root causes of any challenge. Organizations she works with benefit from her extensive expertise, which spans fundraising, marketing and communications, strategic planning, organizational development, nonprofit mergers and acquisitions, program development, and more. She has a first-hand understanding of the challenges, realities, and rewards of nonprofit work, and helps organizations navigate them and meet their goals with compassion, humor, and a commitment to excellence.
Before coming to Alexander | Carrillo Consulting, Lana served in a variety of nonprofit roles, including over 15 years in executive leadership. She served as Vice President of Philanthropy & Communications for Pima Council on Aging (6 years), Development Director for Our Family Services (9 years), and in roles including fundraising, volunteer management, grant writing, and program development in prior years at Our Family Services and Family Counseling Agency. For several years, she also worked as a consultant, assisting a wide range of organizations in reaching their fundraising goals.
A BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona led to Lana’s first nonprofit job as a grant writer, and a passion for using her skills to support and strengthen the organizations that make our community and world a better place was born. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), completing the highly respected certification process and demonstrating proficiency of professional practice, performance, education, service, and commitment to ethical fundraising. She is also a Six Sigma Global Institute (SSGI) Certified Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt, giving her a high level of understanding of the principles of lean management and quality control that can help organizations more effectively carry out their missions.
Lana serves on the board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Southern Arizona Chapter, and as Co-Chair of its National Philanthropy Day committee in 2021 and 2022. She received the Outstanding Fundraising Executive award from AFP in 2020. In her work and life, she is deeply committed to the pursuit of equity and inclusion, and served for three years (two as Chair) on the board of Casa Libre en la Solana, a literary arts organization whose mission was to amplify the voices of marginalized artists. She enjoys running, reading, traveling, and games with friends. A native Arizonan originally from Prescott, she came to Tucson to study at the University of Arizona, fell in love with the community, and nearly thirty years later continues to make it her home with her wife Kimberly Ahmadi, a marriage and family therapist, their son Mazen, daughter Zamora, and her husband Nick.