Brooklyn Org Nonprofit Conference: Communicating with Clarity
St. Francis College, 179 Livingston St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
8:00 AM–2:00 PM EDT
Brooklyn Org Nonprofit Conference
Communicating with Clarity
June 16, 2026, 8 AM – 2 PM
St Francis College
Brooklyn Org invites you to our third annual nonprofit conference at St. Francis College. This year, we’re focusing on how you can communicate to elevate the work of your nonprofit — both staff and board members are encouraged to attend.
The conference will cover:
- The fundamentals of branding
- Staying concise and on message
- Communicating during difficult times
See below for the full session details and speakers!
Highlights from last year’s conference:
Agenda
8:00 – 9:00 AM
Check-in
9:00 – 9:15 AM
Welcome
- Speakers:
- Jocelynne Rainey, Brooklyn Org
- Tim Cecere, St. Francis College
9:15 – 10:15 AM
Opening Session
Panel Conversation: Communicating Through Uncertainty
Our opening panel will equip nonprofit staff and board leaders with a clear understanding of today’s shifting media, legal, and civic landscapes, and explore how nonprofits can communicate responsibly, strategically, and effectively during uncertain times.
- Speakers:
- Randy Ali, Executive Director of Arab-American Family Support Center
- Jennifer Cowan, Global Pro Bono Counsel and Director of Corporate Philanthropy at Debevoise & Plimpton
- C. Zawadi Morris, Founder of BK Reader
- Rebecca Neuwirth, Chief Strategy Officer of Documented
- Room: Auditorium
Bio - Randy Ali
Executive Director, Arab-American Family Support Center
Randy started as CEO of the Arab-American Family Support Center (AAFSC) in September 2025 after serving for 14 years at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). With USAID, he directed large, multidisciplinary teams managing assistance programs that improved the lives of millions across the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe.
Randy is the son of Egyptian immigrants and was raised on Staten Island. He began his career as a corporate finance attorney in New York City before moving into public service. Most recently, he served as the USAID mission director in Morocco, leading programs in youth development, economic opportunity, and community resilience—areas of focus that align closely with AAFSC’s daily work. Prior to serving in Morocco, Randy held a leadership role at USAID in Bangladesh where he oversaw the mission’s humanitarian response for Rohingya refugees and efforts to support disadvantaged and food-insecure communities nationwide. He also previously held leadership roles in Ukraine, Pakistan, the Philippines, and the Pacific Islands.
While earning his J.D. at Georgetown University Law Center, Randy represented asylum seekers fleeing persecution, reinforcing his commitment to culturally responsive legal and social support. As a young New Yorker, he was active with the Police Athletic League and the American Cancer Society and engaged in environmental-justice work in New York City—experiences that rooted a lifelong dedication to underserved communities.
More about AAFSC
AAFSC is a Brooklyn-born nonprofit that has spent over 30 years walking alongside immigrant and refugee families across all five boroughs of New York City. We offer wraparound, multigenerational services, from early childhood programs to support for community elders, spanning mental health, legal services, youth development, anti-violence work, benefits enrollment, and more. While our name reflects our founding community, AAFSC serves immigrants and refugees of every background. We believe that when families have access to the care and resources they need, communities become stronger, safer, and more resilient.
Bio - Jennifer Cowan
Global Pro Bono Counsel and Director of Corporate Philanthropy, Debevoise & Plimpton
Jennifer Cowan is the firm’s Global Pro Bono Counsel and Director of Corporate Philanthropy and a member of the firm’s Litigation Department. She leads the firm’s award-winning pro bono program, which includes litigation, corporate and tax matters, and involves more than 800 pro bono matters each year. She also oversees pro bono initiatives and, with the Co-Chairs of the Pro Bono Committee, sets the strategy for the firm’s pro bono work.
Ms. Cowan leads teams on a range of pro bono representations including impact litigation, immigration, not-for-profit organization law, and housing matters and mentors and provides strategic guidance to lawyers working on pro bono matters.
Ms. Cowan is the firm’s first Director of Corporate Philanthropy. In that role, she helps develop policies and initiatives for the firm’s corporate philanthropy to deepen the impact of the firm’s charitable giving and strengthen our ties with the communities where Debevoise lawyers live and work.
Her commercial practice includes white collar and regulatory matters, including defense of government investigations, internal investigations and general commercial litigation. Ms. Cowan has extensive experience representing clients in trading inquiries by FINRA after the announcement of corporate transactions and other significant events. She also provides advice to clients on federal, state and local pay-to-play and campaign finance laws.
Bio - C. Zawadi Morris
Founder of BK Reader
C. Zawadi Morris is a Chicago native and 23-year resident of Brooklyn with passions for writing, social justice, photography, cooking, sewing, traveling, and learning as many foreign languages as possible. She has a degree in business administration with a minor in Spanish from The University of Illinois and a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University.
Ms. Morris is founder of BK Reader, an online independent digital daily news site covering Central and East Brooklyn. Ms. Morris is a 2017-2018 Tory Burch Fellow; has served as a teaching artist in media arts at Bed-Stuy Restoration Corporation and a board member of Brooklyn Community Foundation’s Spark Prize. Ms. Morris has been recognized as a “Mover and Shaker” by NV Business Magazine, was featured in Crain’s NY Business in 2018, has been honored with community service awards by The New York City Council, by former NY State Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright, the office of the Brooklyn Borough President, Noel Pointer Foundation, and Bridge Street Development Corporation, to name a few.
Bio - Rebecca Neuwirth
Chief Strategy Officer, Documented
Rebecca Neuwirth is Documented’s Chief Strategy Officer. She has spent her career in nonprofits, focused on communications, raising funds, and strategic partnerships and growth. She has held leadership roles at Define American, Upwardly Global, and AJC; senior development positions at the Center for Popular Democracy and JDC; and ran a small foundation, Thanks To Scandinavia, where she currently serves on the Board. Rebecca is also on the Advisory Board of the Jewish Studies Center at Baruch College and started a community garden and a series of community dinners in her neighborhood. She is a New Yorkers and is raising her family in NY, and received an MA in Education from the Free University in Berlin, and a BA from Yale University.
10:25 – 11:15 AM
Breakout Sessions
Nonprofit Staff Track
This training will equip nonprofit staff with foundational tools to define and articulate a clear, consistent brand voice that reflects your mission and resonates with your audience while staying adaptable in changing times.
- Topic: Branding 101
- Speaker: Deroy Peraza, Partner, Creative & Marketing Director at Hyperakt
Board Track
This training will help board members strengthen their ability to communicate with clarity, discipline, and purpose so they can confidently and consistently represent their organization’s mission, priorities, and impact.
- Topic: How To Stay Concise And On Message
- Speaker: Anne Townsend, Founder of ART + Strategy
Bio - Deroy Peraza
Partner, Creative & Marketing Director, Hyperakt
Deroy Peraza is a founding partner of Hyperakt, a Brooklyn-based branding studio that works with nonprofits and foundations to find the clarity and courage they need to claim their place in the world. He has more than two decades of experience leading major rebrands for organizations including the Ford Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the New York Community Trust.
Deroy writes and speaks regularly about the challenges facing nonprofits and the power of branding to unlock opportunity. He has been an invited speaker at Adobe Max, Brand New Conference, AIGA, Type Directors Club, and the UN Refugee Agency. He is a graduate of Parsons School of Design. Born in Cuba and raised in Miami, he now lives in Brooklyn with his wife and three children. He joined Brooklyn Org’s Board of Directors in September 2025.
Bio - Anne Townsend
Founder, ART + Strategy
Anne Rehkopf Townsend is a fundraising strategy consultant with more than two decades of experience helping nonprofits build sustainable revenue, strengthen donor relationships, and expand philanthropic support. As the founder of ART + Strategy, she partners with cultural, educational, and community-based organizations to develop clear, achievable fundraising plans that increase contributed income and deepen engagement among donors, board members, and staff.
Anne is known for her practical, tailored approach, helping organizations focus on what matters most, prioritize effectively, and implement fundraising systems that align with their capacity. She works closely with executive directors and development teams to refine messaging, strengthen donor pipelines, and cultivate supporters at every level.
Recognizing the critical role of governance in fundraising success, Anne also collaborates with boards to strengthen their engagement as ambassadors and partners in philanthropy. She facilitates conversations about giving, provides targeted trainings, and helps board members understand how their leadership advances and amplifies an organization’s mission and long-term sustainability.
Before founding ART + Strategy in 2006, Anne served as Director of Development at the Brooklyn Historical Society and the National Academy of Design, where she developed expertise in major gifts, institutional advancement, and capital campaigns. She currently serves on the board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals New York City Chapter and previously served on Nonprofit New York’s Nonprofit Excellence Awards selection committee.
Anne holds a BA in Art History from Tulane University and a master’s in museum studies from CUNY. She is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and holds a BoardSource Certificate in Nonprofit Board Consulting.
11:25 – 12:15 AM
Fireside Chats
Nonprofit Staff Track: Communicating With Care
Nonprofits care for their communities day in and day out – making sure families don’t go hungry, workers have access to fair and safe jobs, advocating for civil liberties, In times of crisis, communities turn to nonprofits to provide answers to problems, and often lifelines for their communities,
In this conversation, we’ll explore real-world examples of how organizations can communicate with transparency, empathy, and strength during challenging moments and times of crisis, and identify practical approaches to maintaining trust and credibility among your key stakeholders, audiences, and communities.
- Speaker:
- Ligia Guallpa, Executive Director of Worker’s Justice Project
Board Track: Investing In Communications Is Key To Every Nonprofit’s Future
Nonprofit boards can miss the mark when it comes to communications, often viewing it as an unnecessary expense — while in reality, strengthening your organization’s communications is a strategic investment that drives visibility, trust, fundraising, and long-term sustainability.
- Speakers:
- Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, President & CEO of Brooklyn Org
- Carley Roney, Founder of The Knot and Board Member, Brooklyn Org
Bio - Ligia Guallpa
Executive Director, Worker’s Justice Project
Ligia Guallpa is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Worker’s Justice Project and Los Deliveristas Unidos.
For more than twelve years, she has been organizing gig workers to build a government and economy that works for all workers. Under her leadership, WJP launched Los Deliveristas Unidos— the country’s largest workers’ collective that represents 65,000 app delivery workers and is organizing to advance the rights of app-based delivery workers in NYC.
Guallpa is currently leading some of the most important issues of our time, including immigration, workers rights, climate change and runaway inequality. Guallpa was named as New York City’s Labor Power 100 leader by City & State New York for protecting app delivery workers from powerful tech companies.
Bio - Dr. Jocelynne Rainey
President & CEO, Brooklyn Org
Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, Ed.D. is a leader in New York City’s nonprofit sector and a seasoned executive with over 25 years of leadership experience. As President & CEO, Dr. Rainey has led Brooklyn Org’s (BKO) bold evolution from Brooklyn Community Foundation to create a more inclusive and accessible model for community philanthropy. BKO has launched a new strategic plan to provide deeper support to nonprofit changemakers and marshal the resources required to end inequity in New York City’s largest borough.
Under Dr. Rainey’s leadership, Brooklyn Org has surpassed $150 million in total giving and expanded its sector-leading commitments to racial justice and community engagement. Dr. Rainey has championed a holistic participatory grantmaking approach in which all funding decisions are made in partnership with community members and annual Listening Tours that engage neighborhood residents in conversation to shape BKO’s funding and policy priorities.
Dr. Rainey also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC) for nearly a decade, where she was a pivotal leader in transforming the historic site. She was the primary architect of BNYDC’s innovative workforce development program, a key executive who significantly redeveloped the Yard, dramatically increasing the number of small businesses and exponentially growing job opportunities in the area.
Her executive leadership at BNYDC included comprehensive oversight of workforce development, internal operations, security, and human resource strategies. During her tenure, Dr. Rainey played a critical role in repositioning the Brooklyn Navy Yard as a dynamic economic hub for New York City.
Dr. Rainey has also previously held leadership roles at Getting Out and Staying Out (GOSO), Independent Living Association, Home Depot, Boar’s Head, and specialty food retailer Agata and Valentina.
A graduate of Southern Connecticut State University, Dr. Rainey holds a master’s in administration from Metropolitan College and a doctorate in Leadership from St. John Fisher College. She is a member of the New York City Workforce Development Board, and a trustee of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, the Bridge Park Development Corporation, the New York College of Technology Foundation, Southern Connecticut State University Foundation, and the Mark Morris Dance Group.
Dr. Rainey is the recipient of several prestigious honors, including being named to The Network Journal’s 25 Influential Black Women in Business list, Schneps Media Brooklyn Power List, the Crain’s New York Business Notable Black Leaders and Executives, and City & State New York’s Brooklyn and Nonprofit Power list.
Bio - Carley Roney
Founder of The Knot and Brooklyn Org Board Member
Carley Roney is an entrepreneur and co-founder of The Knot, one of New York City’s most successful Internet companies. She led The Knot from its early days as a wedding website to a multi-platform, multi-brand media, commerce, and mobile company. After she left the day-to-day of The Knot/XO Group (NYSE: XOXO), Carley focused her expertise on supporting female-founded startups, progressive political organizing, and social entrepreneurs.
She also sits on the Board of Rent The Runway as well as nonprofits Power of Two and Project Entrepreneur. A resident of DUMBO for over 20 years, She lives with her husband and three children. She joined Brooklyn Org’s Board of Directors in February 2018.
12:25 PM – 12:55 PM
Closing Session
From Insights To Action: Key Takeaways & Next Steps
To close out the conference we will synthesize key insights from the day, reinforce the connection between strong communications and organizational resilience with data, and challenge participants to take specific next steps to strengthen your messaging and alignment.
- Speaker: Farra Trompeter, Co-Director of Big Duck
Bio - Farra Trompeter
Co-Director, Big Duck
Farra Trompeter (she/her) is a Co-Director at Big Duck, a worker-owned cooperative that builds brands and campaigns, creates communications plans, and offers training for nonprofits. Farra has more than 30 years of experience in fundraising and communications for nonprofit organizations. Farra’s expertise focuses on helping nonprofits manage rebranding processes and develop compelling fundraising campaigns. Farra previously served on the boards of the NYC Anti-Violence Project, NTEN, and Big Duck. She is a part-time faculty member at CUNY Baruch College, where she teaches a class about communications campaigns for nonprofits. She holds a Master’s in Nonprofit Management from The New School.
12:55 – 1:00 PM
Closing Remarks
- Speaker: Myla Seabrook, Nonprofit Engagement Manager at Brooklyn Org
Bio - Myla Seabrook
Nonprofit Engagement Manager, Brooklyn Org
Myla joined Brooklyn Org in June 2025. Myla Seabrook grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and is a Hofstra University graduate. Her career history includes a number of odd jobs, from waitressing in a catering hall to being head of operations at a candle company, but her most recent positions were with Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Prospect Park Alliance, and Brooklyn Botanic Garden. She double majored in painting and creative writing and aims to publish a children’s book one day. She is a practicing artist, enjoys painting, drawing, reading (a lot of science fiction and fantasy) and video games in her spare time. A fun fact about Myla is that the strangest thing she’s painted on includes a piano and a giant egg!
1:00 – 2:00 PM
Networking Lunch
End the day with an opportunity to mix and mingle with fellow nonprofit staff and board members — lunch is included with your ticket!
Our Sponsors:
Partner Sponsor
Nonprofit Connector Sponsors
