Meet Our Team
The ZIM Consulting Team
Whatever your project, the ZIM Consulting team has the expertise and capacity to help you reach your goals!
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Shira brings more than 15 years of experience in the non-profit sector managing, supervising and empowering staff and volunteers to achieve shared goals in endowments, development and community and organizational planning. She is also an accomplished grant writer and was the successful manager of 32 supporting foundations which distributed over $200,000,000 in grants.
Shira has a Masters of Social Work from Yeshiva University and a Bachelors of Business Administration from Emory University.
Shira has received several prestigious awards as a result of her outstanding leadership capabilities. These awards include the Federation Executive Recruitment and Educational Program full fellowship. She was also selected as a participant in the Brandeis University Sherman Seminar for Emerging Professionals.
Priscilla received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Planning & Public Affairs from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has more than nine years’ experience working with non-profit organizations in the U.S. and abroad focusing on community development and social and environmental change in Costa Rica.
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Most recently, Priscilla spent time working for an economic development non-profit the Women’s Business Development Center before deciding it was time to make a move.
She left her home state of Illinois for Denver in the summer of 2016, following her love for the outdoors, and she can't imagine living anywhere else. She enjoys hiking, camping, star gazing, cycling, painting, and practicing yoga.
Marty, a Denver native, has more than 20 years of experience in non-profit development, facilitations and trainings, internal and external communications, project management, human resources and general business management.
Marty has a Master of Social Work and Nonprofit Management from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations from Syracuse University.
Marty has received numerous awards as a result of his outstanding work in the nonprofit field. These awards include the Federation Executive Recruitment and Educational Program Fellowship, the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s first ever Master’s Award, and the Joshua L. Liebman national award for service to the community.
Marty is an alum of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Denver program, served three years as a mayoral appointee on the Denver Mayor’s Youth Commission (two of which he was the chair), and has participated in many other significant volunteer leadership positions.
Rebecca has been a fundraiser for both nonprofits and political campaigns since she was in college. She holds experience in major gifts, grant management, community organizing, digital marketing, and other fundraising strategies. She received her Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude in Political Science and English Literature from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Rebecca is actively involved in local politics and with other nonprofits. She volunteers with Denver Democrats, New Era Colorado, and is a fundraising committee member for Denver Food Rescue.
Emily graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a minor in Business Innovation and Analytics. While attaining her degree, she developed a profound interest in using qualitative and quantitative research to develop insights and help others. She has worked and volunteered with nonprofits for the past eight years and is dedicated to incorporating nonprofit work into her career. Most recently, Emily worked at a small, mission-based startup doing business development, communications, and market research.
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Passionate about criminal justice, the environment, and arts education, in her spare time Emily enjoys exploring Colorado’s beautiful outdoors, reading, live music, traveling and learning about new cultures, eating good food, and playing with her pets.
Leah graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder where she received her bachelor’s degree in Spanish Literature and Film Studies. She comes to Zim after a 5-year career working in the financial services industry for a major brokerage firm, where she specialized in inheritance and estate matters. She has been involved with nonprofits ever since college- most notably with the Colorado Mountain Club, where she currently serves as an elected council member for the Denver chapter.
Outside of work, Leah is an accomplished alpinist with extensive mountaineering experience on routes throughout Colorado, the Pacific Northwest, and the Andes. She has also enjoyed traveling around the world to remote areas of Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and South America.
Alexandra has 20 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector, 12 of which in various leadership capacities. Her experience includes program development and oversight, organizational operations and strategy, grant-writing, research and evaluation, professional development, and more. Before moving to the Denver area and starting with ZIM, she provided consulting services, technical assistance and training to afterschool programs with the Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership. Previously, she was the Director of Programming and Evaluation at the Elizabeth Peabody House in Somerville, MA, and before that the Director of Programs and Operations at the Greenwich Village Youth Council in New York City. She holds an MBA in nonprofit management from the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, a Masters of Psychology from Boston University and a BA in Psychology from Hamilton College.
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As a recent transplant from the Northeast, Alex is enjoying exploring Denver and learning about the local nonprofit community. In her spare time, she likes to ski, hike, travel, discover good restaurants (especially sushi), and spend time with her rescue pup.
Matt has 10 years of experience working in nonprofit resource development, including grant management, individual giving and stewardship, and special events. An accomplished grant writer, Matt has successfully developed grants for small and large nonprofit organizations in Denver and Saint Louis, Missouri, writing for mental health, youth development, senior services, refugees, informal education, and STEM. He received his Bachelor of Science in English, Professional Writing, from Brigham Young University–Idaho. A Denver native, Matt recently returned to Denver to pursue a Master of Arts degree in International Development from the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies.
Matt enjoys volunteering, traveling, and spending time outdoors, camping and hiking with his wife and border collie.
Madeline graduated from Willamette University with an MBA focused on nonprofit management and marketing. She is committed to strengthening the nonprofit sector and dispelling the common stigma that mission-driven organizations are not as effectively run as private enterprise. Over the years, Madeline has fostered a passion for creating safe and supportive spaces for women and children and championing community-led innovations that lie at the intersection of environmental and social benefit. Madeline has held numerous internships and consulting roles with nonprofit and public entities in Oregon and is excited to be bringing her experiences to the ZIM team.
She is a lover of fresh air, a good read, animals (especially pigs), dancing, and experimenting with new recipes.
Erin graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Justice Studies and a minor in Sustainability. From there, she spent nearly 4 years working in substance abuse treatment, which eventually brought her to Denver. She graduated with a Master’s in Social Work with a concentration in Sustainable Development and Global Practice, where she developed her love of working with nonprofits. Her experience includes direct clinical practice, case management and nonprofit evaluation and fundraising.
Erin loves the outdoors, and when she isn’t traveling the world, she spends her free time in the beautiful Colorado mountains trail running, hiking and snowboarding.
Sam brings nine years of experience in strategic planning, grant writing, and organizational learning to the ZIM team. He has worked with global foundations, local governments, social enterprises, and community nonprofits across North and South America. He is passionate about building the capacity of social impact organizations to make audacious plans, assemble the resources and support necessary for success, and engage stakeholders and staff in continuous learning.
Sam holds an MA in International Development and Social Change from Clark University in Worcester, MA. A native New Englander, Sam has fallen for friendly, sunny Colorado, and is happiest building new community around a kitchen table, or on a muddy hiking trail. His love of photography, gardens and biking feed back into his work, as opportunities to practice awareness of how others see, grow, and move through the world.
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Leah Weinberg
Grant Researcher & Writer Leah.w@ZIMConsulting.com
Leah brings 10 years of experience in higher education to the ZIM team. A Pennsylvania native, she earned a BA in Music at Wesleyan University before moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she developed a love for working with and studying nonprofit performing arts and educational organizations. She holds graduate degrees in Musicology and Film & Television Studies from the University of Michigan, and is passionate about leveraging her training as a researcher, writer, editor, and educator to help mission-driven organizations maximize their social impact. Leah also pursues her commitment to nonprofit development and community outreach through work with the University of Denver, the Society for American Music, and local arts organizations, including Kantorei and the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival.
Outside of work, Leah enjoys playing and writing music, dancing, biking, experimenting with high-altitude baking, and exploring Denver and the mountains with her husband.
Allegra is a changemaker with a passion for helping nonprofits develop their organizational strategy, strengthen their brand identity, and create sustainable funding structures. Her nonprofit experience spans four continents and a myriad of focus areas including community health in South Africa, funding women’s grassroots initiatives in Nepal, and strengthening families in Denver, CO. She currently supports ZIM clients in numerous ways: by crafting development and strategic plans, developing cases for support, implementing fundraising strategies, and facilitating organizational trainings. Allegra holds a bachelor’s in Human Services and International Affairs and a minor in Social Enterprise from Northeastern University.
Outside of work, Allegra spends as much time as she possibly can outdoors; skiing, climbing, and exploring the mountains with her energetic pup, Winnie.
Shannon recently graduated from the University of Colorado Denver summa cum laude with a Bachelor's in Political Science. She has several years of experience in progressive politics in Colorado through advocacy, campaigning, and working at the state capitol. Most recently, she worked at a nonprofit recruiting and training women to run for office.
Outside of work, Shannon loves reading, baking, theater, playing the ukulele, and petting every dog she can.
Emma graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Environmental Studies. While completing her degree, she successfully ran a number of campus sustainability projects and organized several political theory book clubs. She brings years of experience working with international and local non-profit organizations from national parks in Thailand to natural history museums in Chicago. Most recently, she ran a start-up campaign at her university to build an anaerobic digester on campus, where her primary responsibility was to source and write grant proposals.
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As a Chicago native and recent transplant to Denver, she is excited to explore more of the outdoors that Colorado has to offer. Outside of work, Emma is usually shuffling between three new books at once or community gardening. She also enjoys exploring new places through long hikes and camping trips.
Emily received her Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude in Communications with minors in Spanish and Public Health from Tulane University. She is currently pursuing a Master of Development Practice from Regis University.
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Emily has a passion for empowering underserved communities and is dedicated to combating the global education crisis. Most recently, she worked for an international nonprofit focused on providing equitable access to education to girls in Tanzania and a small local nonprofit working to improve educational outcomes for communities in rural Colorado.
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A Colorado Native, Emily enjoys hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter. She loves traveling and can often be found reading in a hammock.
Skilling graduated from Colorado College with a B.A. in Sociology before moving to London to complete her M.S. in International Social Public Policy at the London School of Economics & Political Science. While completing her degrees, she developed a deep interest in issues related to macro-level social inequalities and became an advocate for equal access to higher education. Skilling has held several public relations and journalism internships, spending time both abroad in Berlin, Germany and more locally here in Denver. She brings years of communications and writing experience spanning news coverage, blog content development, college career advisement, policy analysis, and academic publications.
Having returned home to Colorado, Skilling is becoming reacquainted with the outdoors while exploring Colorado's extensive network of hiking and bike trails. She also enjoys discovering new Denver eateries with friends and is an avid traveler with a bucket-list that continues to grow.
Morgan received her Master’s degree in Public Health from the Colorado School of Public Health (CSPH) with a dual focus in Health Systems, Management, and Policy, and Global Health. She also received a certificate in Public Health Preparedness and Disaster Response from CSPH. As a public health professional, Morgan has several areas of expertise and interest and as a successful grant writer, she has secured critical funding for programs in Colorado and international nonprofits. Morgan is dedicated to the nonprofit sector and aims to assist the nonprofits she works with to create positive, lasting impact in their communities.
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Morgan originally moved to Colorado from Connecticut to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. Falling in love with all Colorado has to offer, Morgan has lived in Colorado for 12 years. Outside of work, she loves finding new trails to walk with her dog Howie, watching movies, and enjoying Colorado’s restaurant scene.
Diego graduated from Bowdoin College in coastal Maine with a Bachelors of Arts in Environmental Studies and Government and Legal Studies. Throughout his time in the Northeast, he gained experience with numerous nonprofits, offering communication, marketing and strategy services to organizations in fisheries, farming and land protection. By working in such tight knit communities all conscious about their impact on their surrounding environments, Diego fostered a passion for environmental protection, alternative energies and sustainable practices. Most recently, he worked with a community development organization to develop content surrounding coastal adaptations to sea-level rise and changing environmental factors.
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Born in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and a proud new Colorado resident, Diego enjoys the outdoors in any capacity he can: climbing, trail running, mountain biking and ski touring the big new mountains he now calls home. When taking a day off peak-bagging, he enjoys honing his sourdough skills and venturing into the world of coffee roasting.
For 20 years, Holly has worked to connect people and communities to artistic and educational events. Many of these connections began with the written word. From her time with Denver Arts & Venues, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, and Denver Film, she has enjoyed opportunities to grow her writing, editing, and communication skills as a director of development, grant writer, and event coordinator.
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Over the summer of the pandemic, she co-founded #ArtFindsUs, a mobile community arts initiative dedicated to engaging Denver residents and artists at free and accessible events. Artists have been elevated and for brief intervals communities have convened to share moments of beauty, being reminded of our shared humanity and resilience. When not at ZIM, you will find her enjoying the outdoors with her two boys and dancing in the studio or the street – wherever there is a safe space to move!
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