Obsessive about Achievement
– Yours and Ours
FOUNDER AND INNOVATOR
Jolayne Davidson Gardner, MA CFRE
Jolayne is a creative and thoughtful collaborator that always brings out the best in her team and her clients. She facilitates greatness in others. She revels in it. She will always put in the extra effort to support the client’s goals. For her, the most rewarding aspect of any client engagement is building the confidence, toolkit and outcomes so that the client can succeed in the years ahead.
Jolayne is about the “so what” – yes, you know the stats, but “so what”? Yes, you have the information, but “so what”? Jolayne will help you take your data, your information, the details and turn them into the answers you need to realize your organization’s vision. From “so what” to “now what”.
FOUNDER AND DISRUPTOR
Scott Decksheimer, CFRE
Scott is an innovative, insightful and collaborative leader. You will always hear the truth from Scott. Sometimes it might be the cold hard truth, but always the truth. He listens. He understands the issues and he has the ability to see the way forward. He can help you see the way forward too. And if he can’t see it, he will tell you. And he will help you tell your Board.
Scott is a sector leader. He receives the calls when there is a big challenge or issue. He is trusted to see the big picture, to find solutions, and how to get there, effectively, strategically and collectively.
ILLUMINATOR
Kimberley Berreth
Kimberley is an experienced communications and marketing professional who understands how to bring out the right message the right way at the right time for each client. She is a solutions-oriented collaborator who shines a light on the unique impact our clients make. She enthusiastically embraces teamwork and is a consensus-builder, creating communications strategies that help organizations see beyond the barriers to the opportunities.
Kimberley’s communications background means she can clearly and creatively tell clients’ stories to achieve their greatest impact. She sees purposeful potential and helps clients do the same. Kimberley loves helping clients articulate their vision, bringing clarity and authenticity to their messages, building trust with them, and ensuring they can ask for more of what matters.
FACILITATOR
Kara Exner, M.C.Ed., PCC
Kara is a talented leadership coach and facilitator with a drive to develop potential in others. She is known for her ability to create learning environments where individuals and teams can bring their wisest selves to engage in meaningful discussions that go beyond operations – getting to the heart of effective communication, leadership presence, and team dynamics.
With extensive experience across multiple industries, Kara has a particular affinity for the public and non-profit sectors. With her background in adult education and certifications in professional coaching, she will help you hone your strengths and work on your gaps so you can have an impact with the causes you care about, and make a difference for the clients you serve.
ACTIVATOR
Laureen Jensen, MPNL
Laureen is a seasoned senior non-profit leader with over 20 years of experience in various leadership roles, including consulting, fund development, project management, and operations. She excels in building and leading innovative, collaborative teams to enact change.
Laureen's fundraising expertise is highlighted by her success in securing eight-figure contributions from individuals, corporations, and government agencies, effectively matching donors with causes they support. She led the University of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute in implementing a $250 million Brain and Mental Health strategy and achieved significant fundraising results for affordable housing developments in Alberta with Bespoke Social Profit Solutions. Additionally, she volunteers on the Funding Advisory Committee for The Trail, focusing on government relations and revenue strategies to enhance community projects.
ACCELERATOR
Stephanie Laflamme
Stephanie is a highly organized and effective planner. She is passionate about education, helping others, and enjoys tackling challenges, big and small. Her background in mathematics and education provides Stephanie with extensive problem solving skills; she thrives on finding creative pieces to a puzzle.
A true team player, Stephanie leads by example. She will get to know you and the needs of your organization to find the best strategies tailored to you. Relationship building is just as important to Stephanie as analyzing research, and she will put in the work to help you see beyond the barriers to reach your ambitious goals.
COORDINATOR
Carson Munro
Carson is a dedicated and caring professional who is passionate about non-profits and helping others. She has a history with both legal and animal welfare non-profits, and proven track record of enhancing client experience. Carson brings forth a commitment to improving service delivery, excelling in collaborative environments, and providing empathetic support to clients. Carson holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of British Columbia, experience which makes her a motivated self starter with excellent problem-solving skills.
CONNECTOR
John Schrale
John is a dedicated and innovative fundraising leader with over a decade of experience in fund development and community engagement. As a senior fundraising leader, John loves to dive deep into strategy and devise structures that facilitate transformational giving programs and campaigns. John credits his time as a tradesman for his transparent and pragmatic approach to supporting clients - needless to say, he’s not afraid to roll up his sleeves and support clients in elevating their and their donors’ sights to see what is possible with the right strategy, tools, and team.
As a creative problem solver John’s goal is to be a catalyst for change in his community by connecting, empowering, and celebrating the incredible work of our clients and the donors who support them.
Introducing Avista…
We bring the full force of our expertise, experience and understanding to elevate charitable organizations’ visioning, strategy and campaign planning. Truly collaborative, creative and cause-focused, your Avista team will make sure you’re inspired, prepared, resourced and ready to reach your next goal, and beyond.
Our primary goal in launching Avista is to inspire and equip the people who make organizations achieve - vision, goals and community impact.
We do this work because of the ripple we want to create in the sector and in the world. We realize doing this work, with organizations like yours, is a privilege that we take seriously and never for granted.
And we always endeavour to work ourselves out of a job by creating in-house capacity for each and every client. That is just one of our ripples…
