Gift of Adoption is committed to organizational efficiency. Meet our dedicated and talented staff:
Pam Devereux, CEO (FT)
Prior to joining Gift of Adoption, Pam served as Executive Director of Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois, Chief Sales Officer for Zurich Direct, and Assistant Director within Ernst & Young’s Transaction Advisory Services practice. Pam is a Chicago native with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana and a Master of Arts degree in Industrial Relations from Loyola University of Chicago. She resides with her family in Lake Mills, Wisconsin.
Ashley Greene, Board Member Recruiter (Ind. Contractor)
Ashley brings 20+ years of recruitment experience to the Gift of Adoption Fund. Prior to joining, she sourced and hired professionals globally in the financial services, information technology, marketing/communications, management consulting, and public relations industries. She has a true passion for matching the best people with the best organizations and is proud to be contracted with the Gift of Adoption Fund. She has a BA in Merchandising and Public Relations from Sam Houston State University and an MBA in Entrepreneurship with DePaul University.
Shaneetra Gross, Chief Administrative Officer (FT)
Shaneetra has 20 years of experience specializing in small to mid-size organizations overseeing administrative operations. Her broad experience includes benefits, employee relations, payroll, talent acquisition, and management. Prior to joining Gift of Adoption in 2007, she worked for SBI and Company where she held a variety of positions including HR Manager, Facilities Manager, and Business Unit Accounting Manager. Shaneetra holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resources and a Master’s of Business Administration in Human Resources and Management from Saint Xavier University.
Katie Heaps, Development Advisor – Stewardship and Foundation Relations (FT)
Katie comes to Gift of Adoption from LIFT (Leading India’s Future Today) Foundation where she worked as Director of Development. Prior to LIFT, Katie was part of the Development team at Chicago Children’s Choir. Before entering the non-profit space, Katie worked as a teacher, both domestically and abroad. She holds a BA and Masters of Education from the University of Notre Dame.
Sharon Komlofske, Senior Development Advisor – Corporate Relations
(PT)
Sharon comes to Gift of Adoption from Pratham USA, where she was Development Director for the Chicago Chapter. Prior to that, she spent 8 years on Gift of Adoption’s National Board, serving 4 years as president. Sharon began her career as a management consultant with Booz, Allen and Hamilton (now Strategy&) based in Chicago, Tokyo and Hong Kong. She holds a BA from Duke University and an MBA from Kellogg.
Brian M Murphy, Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer (FT)
Brian joined the GOA staff as the Director of Programs and Marketing in 2007. Prior to joining the GOA staff, Brian served in a variety of positions at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois, most recently as the Director of Program Services for five years. Brian also served as Treasurer on the Gift of Adoption of Illinois Board of Directors for two years prior to joining the staff team.
Julie Pendell, CFRE, Chief Development Officer (FT)
Julie is a seasoned non-profit leader with an extensive background in fundraising programs, donor relationship management, campaign development, staff and volunteer leadership, and strategic and operational planning. Prior to joining Gift of Adoption, Julie held development leadership roles at Make-A-Wish Illinois and Make-A-Wish Michigan, most recently as Vice President of Development. Julie has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Alma College (MI) and a Master of Business Administration degree from University of Notre Dame. Julie resides in Ann Arbor MI.
Heather Schwartz, Creative Services and Event Manager (FT)
Heather spent the last seven years at the foodservice dispensing company San Jamar, the last five years as the Creative Services Manager, before joining the Gift of Adoption team. Heather earned her design degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Nicole Wincek, Executive Assistant (PT)
Prior to joining Gift of Adoption, Nicole split her time between being a stay at home mom and running her Environmental and Safety consulting business. Nicole began her career at Material Sciences Corporation, a coil coating manufacturer, where she held a variety of positions including Environmental Engineer, Environmental Health and Safety Manager, and Corporate Environmental Health and Safety manager for several manufacturing locations throughout the United States. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Bradley University and a Masters of Science in Environmental Management from Illinois Institute of Technology.
Stacey Walstrum, Chapter Network Officer (FT)
Stacey brings 20+ years of marketing and sales experience to Gift of Adoption. Prior to joining, she served as the Development Director of the Parkinson Alliance overseeing the Parkinson’s Unity Walk. Stacey has 20+ years of corporate marketing and sales experience managing global product and brand teams for Benetton Sportsystem, Prince Tennis, Nutrisystem, Botaneco and ran a brand consulting group for small to mid-size companies on brand strategy and growth initiatives. Stacey is adopted and grew up on Long Island, NY in a family with two adopted sisters. Stacey resides with her family in Newtown, PA.