Scott Gaul is Chief Data Officer for Connecticut, at the Office of Policy and Management, where he supports the state’s efforts to improve open data, integrated data, through the state longitudinal data system, GIS data and data analytics. Previously, Scott worked on research, evaluation and community indicators at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the community foundation for the Greater Hartford region. Prior to that, he served as director of analysis in the Washington, D.C.-based Microfinance Information Exchange and worked for the World Bank, Mercy Corps, and Quantitative Risk Management. He holds a master’s degree in international affairs from Johns Hopkins and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Chicago.

Rachel Leventhal-Weiner is the Director of Evaluation and Impact, Federal Funding working closely with the Budget Division on the evaluation of American Rescue Plan Act and other federal funding efforts. Dr. Leventhal-Weiner comes to the Office of Policy and Management from the Office of Early Childhood (OEC), where she served as the first Chief Research and Planning Officer. While at OEC, she leveraged her experience as an advocate and applied researcher to help the agency tell its story with data. She has led the digital transformation of OEC and has improved agency data capacity. Prior to working at OEC, she was the Assistant Director and Data Engagement Specialist for the Connecticut Data Collaborative, an Education Policy Fellow for Connecticut Voices for Children and a Visiting Assistant Professor at Trinity College in Educational Studies. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Connecticut, an MA in Higher and Postsecondary Education from the Teachers College of Columbia University, and a BA in Economics from Rutgers University.

Carl Zimmerman is the GIS Coordinator for the Connecticut GIS Office where he works with stakeholders to improve access and coordination of GIS data, implement geospatial policy and strategic planning, and conducts geospatial processing and analytics. He also worked at the City of New York, Dept. of Finance as the Director of the Geospatial Data Intelligence Group conducting applied research on the extraction of property information using geospatial and remote sensing tools. Prior to that he was the Senior Data Science and GIS Manager at WestCOG, a regional planning agency in Southwest Connecticut, where he worked on innovative transportation and environmental analytics. He has taught at Tufts University and the Coast Guard Academy and has additional professional experience in urban and environmental planning. He has a PhD from the University of Connecticut (NRE, remote sensing and GIS), a Master’s degree from Kansas State University (Landscape Architecture), and a BS from the University of Michigan (Geological Sciences).

Morning Session - Essential Skills for Grant-Writing:
The success of any nonprofit or government organization is contingent on its mission, vision, governance, ability to run quality programs and most importantly on its ability to raise funds. Organizations with the knowledge, skills and expertise to seek out and successfully win grants are more likely to thrive in this increasingly competitive funding environment. This morning session will help you better understand how to identify grant opportunities and develop winning proposals.

Afternoon Session - An Overview of Diversified Revenue Streams for a Strong and Sustainable Support:
This class will provide follow up to the morning session on securing grants and explore varied revenue streams and fundraising tactics. Much like a diversified financial portfolio, diversified  revenue streams enable your organization to weather the ups and downs of internal and external factors that can suddenly reduce your funding. The healthiest organizations rely on many sources of revenue for current funding needs, sustainability of programming and even provide revenue for the future. The class will include an overview of direct marketing – both digital and direct mail appeals, corporate sponsorships, the role of events, mid-level and major individual gifts, and planned giving. We will also learn about new technology to help drive revenue and review current trends in the philanthropic landscape.