Meet Our Team

Director of Advancements and Evaluations

Deneene has worked with nonprofits and public organizations for over fifteen years. During this time, she has held various roles including; grant writer, project manager, community impact specialist, research assistant, board member, and community volunteer.

Her most rewarding and successful roles have been those where she secured grant funding for programs she helped to develop. Deneene has also been on the other side of the grant funding equation as she spent several years coordinating the grantmaking process for a local funder.

She also brings to her work an international development lens. For a number of years, Deneene worked on development-aid projects in Jamaica focused on strengthening the monitoring and evaluation capacity of public organizations.

In addition to her professional experience, Deneene holds a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management from Hamline University. She also has a Master’s degree in Public Policy and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Political Science. Deneene is an active member of the national Grants Professionals Association (GPA) and the Minnesota Northstar GPA Chapter. Deneene is thrilled  part of the Damascus Way team as Director of Advancements and Evaluations.