Stephanie Duffy, Director of Grants and Information Management, The McKnight Foundation

Stephanie joined the McKnight Foundation in August 1996 and is currently the director of grants and information management. She is responsible for overseeing grants management and integrating its work across the Foundation, optimizing the grantmaking database, managing the information management program, overseeing compliance with the Foundation’s record retention schedule, implementing and providing quality control for all grantmaking processes, providing and analyzing data, managing the non-program grants portfolio, and supervision of the grants management team. During her time at McKnight, Stephanie has helped streamline the grantmaking process, implemented an online application and reporting system, lead a new information management program, and migrated the grantmaking database to the cloud.

Stephanie served two terms on the Minnesota PEAK Grantmaking steering committee, and served on the national PEAK board of directors from 2007-2012 – as co-chair from 2009-2011. Stephanie received her B.A in Political Science and Business from Saint Mary’s College and a mini MBA for Nonprofit Organizations from the University of St. Thomas.

Dana Jensen, Senior Program Officer, Carlson Family Foundation

Dana Jensen is Senior Program Officer for the Carlson Family Foundation. Before joining Carlson, she was Program Officer and Operations Manager for Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation for seven years, and Grants Program Manager at The Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation the previous six years. She served as Secretary/Treasurer of Neighborhood HealthSource’s board of directors, where she remains a member of the Finance Committee. Dana earned her master's degree in public affairs from The Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs and received her bachelor's of arts in political science from the University of Iowa.

Kerrie Blevins, Consultant, Kerrie Blevins Consulting

Kerrie formed Kerrie Blevins Consulting in 2012, as an opportunity to use her 30 years of experience in philanthropy and nonprofit management to guide philanthropic institutions.

Kerrie’s philanthropic experience is deep and comprehensive. A skilled manager of private foundations for over two decades, she has managed both the operations and the grantmaking program of seven private foundations with asset sizes ranging from $1.5 million to $100 million. Her grantmaking skills are adaptive and she has designed effective programs tailored to the unique goals of each grantmaker. In addition, Kerrie has advised many foundations in the areas of governance, family and community engagement, and grant strategy.

Prior to her work in philanthropy, Kerrie held leadership roles in nonprofit organizations in the areas of fund development, finance and program development. Kerrie has served as a board volunteer for several nonprofit organizations, including the YWCA of USA. She is currently the president-elect of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs Alumni board. She is an active volunteer with Mobile Loaves and Fishes and Friends of Diamond Lake.

Acknowledged as a philanthropic thought-leader, Kerrie is passionate about improving the field of philanthropy. Kerrie has written curriculum and served as a trainer for Exponent Philanthropy, the Minnesota Council on Foundations, and the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits.

Kerrie holds a Masters’ Degree in Public Affairs from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, with a focus on nonprofit management, leadership and philanthropic strategy. Kerrie completed accounting coursework at Metropolitan State University and facilitation training through the Institute of Cultural Affairs and the Humphrey School. Kerrie recently completed a course in Design Thinking at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.