Meet the Team
Laura Alexander, MA, CFRE
Partner and Principal Consultant
Laura@do-good-better.com | 520.405.6145
Consultant, Executive Director, Development Director, Program Director, Board member and volunteer. You name it and, since 1989, Laura has worked in just about every non-profit capacity. That experience—and the unique perspective that comes with it—is the cornerstone of her consulting practice. Laura’s clients know that she gets where they’re coming from—their strategic challenges, organizational issues and development goals—and is dedicated to their success. She asks the important questions, and listens well, to give her clients the best advice, determine the best strategies, and find the best solutions.
Before starting Alexander | Carrillo Consulting with Jenny Carrillo in 2010, Laura ran her own consulting firm for three years. Her extensive experience in non-profit management includes: Executive Director of the Birth & Women’s Health Center (5 years); Development Director at the Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona (3 years); and Executive Director of Domestic Abuse Intervention Services in Madison, WI (5 years). She also held positions at Native Seeds/SEARCH and Wingspan Domestic Violence Project, both in Tucson, and comes from a long history of programming and fundraising in the area of domestic violence.
Laura holds a Master of Arts in Philanthropy & Development from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. She is also a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), completing the highly respected certification process and demonstrating proficiency of professional practice, performance, education, service and commitment to ethical fundraising. Along with Jenny, Laura is a Certified Governance Consultant (CGC) by BoardSource. Laura has completed the Master Trainer program of the international Association of Fundraising Professionals, and the 42-hour Basic Mediation Training of the Center for Community Dialogue.
Laura has served as President of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Southern Arizona Chapter, which also recognized her work in 2012 by naming her Outstanding Fundraising Professional of the Year. She has served the community as a volunteer for Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation (SAAF), a board member for the YWCA of Southern Arizona (2016 – 2022), a member of the Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) at the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, and a volunteer for both the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Planned Giving Roundtable. In 2017, she was honored with the Dr. Jean Baker Community Ally Award by Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation for her work in the LGBTQIA community. Laura’s husband, Fabian Alfie, is a Professor at the University of Arizona and they have one son, Ezri Alfie.
Jenny Carrillo, MA, CFRE
Partner and Principal Consultant
Jenny@do-good-better.com | 520.907.7833
When it comes to fund development, non-profit governance, and strategic planning, Jenny Carrillo is a one-women wellspring of insight, knowledge and enthusiasm. With 24 years of non-profit experience, there is perhaps no one more capable at getting right to the core issues, assessing strengths and limitations, identifying challenges and opportunities, and integrating everything into a coherent—and do-able!—plan. Clients value her integrity, forthrightness and fervent support. And with that silver-bullet combination so prized in the non-profit world—a keen intellect and a big heart—Jenny offers solid and perceptive advice to help her clients grow, perform and exceed their expectations.
Jenny worked for seven years as an independent consultant before she founded Alexander | Carrillo Consulting with Laura Alexander. Her consulting practice, Beyond Fundraising, says it all. Her prior work included extensive experience in developing and executing effective fundraising plans as well as grant writing and public relations in the following jobs: Director of Development for the Arizona’s Children Association (4 years), Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tucson (2 years), and the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation/Shanti Foundation, Tucson (3 years) as well as public relations positions at Up with People in Denver, CO, and Youth Service America in Washington, DC.
Jenny holds a Master of Arts in Philanthropy & Development from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. She is also a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), completing the highly respected certification process and demonstrating proficiency of professional practice, performance, education, service and commitment to ethical fundraising. Jenny has served as the President of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Southern Arizona Chapter (2005), and was a board member for more than 9 years. In 2006, she was honored as AFP’s Outstanding Fundraising Professional of the Year. Along with Laura, Jenny is a Certified Governance Trainer (CGT) through BoardSource. She has served on the the Board of Directors for Ben’s Bells Project and the Amphi Public Schools Foundation, and is currently a member of the AFP Southern Arizona Chapter Board of Directors. In 2022, Jenny was honored with the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund’s Doug Noffsinger Ally Award. Her husband, Leo Carrillo, is a 5th-generation Tucsonan with deep roots in the community, and they have two daughters, Quincy and Carson.
Lisa Robinson
Senior Consultant
Lisa Robinson has dedicated her professional career to working with non-profits in the Tucson community. Her work has been instrumental in the development of effective fundraising plans for non-profit organizations, including grant writing, corporate partnerships, and individual gifts. Lisa’s knowledge offers the unique perspective and experience of working in non-profit programming and fundraising, which has refined her skills to develop strategies, processes, and goals for the success of her clients.
Prior to joining Alexander|Carrillo, Lisa has worked as both an executive director and director of development. As executive director of the Petfinder Foundation, she led and managed a team with integrity and respect. From developing strong human resource policies and building a development program to following best practices in financial management and board governance she increased effectiveness and efficiency to help the organization succeed. In her role as director of development at Tu Nidito, Lisa implemented and led a development program that resulted in 13%+ revenue increase over budget, created and maintained a major gifts program, built strong board relationships, and executed a robust communications plan.
Lisa was recognized as the 2022 Outstanding Fundraising Executive of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Southern Arizona Chapter, holds a bachelor’s degree in Art Education from the University of Arizona and has completed nonprofit and leadership courses with the Eller College of Management and Lodestar Center for Nonprofit Excellence. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), completing the highly respected certification process and demonstrating proficiency of professional practice, performance, education, service, and commitment to ethical fundraising. In addition to her professional career, Lisa is a board member for Make Way for Books and volunteers with a variety of organizations and enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters.
Lana Baldwin
Senior Consultant
Lana is an experienced nonprofit administrator and fundraising professional with a 20+ year career in the Tucson community. Her expertise spans fundraising, marketing and communications, strategic planning, organizational development, nonprofit mergers and acquisitions, program development, and more. She has a first-hand understanding of the challenges, realities, and rewards of nonprofit work, and helps organizations navigate them and meet their goals with compassion, humor, and a commitment to excellence.
Before coming to Alexander | Carrillo Consulting in 2022, Lana served in a variety of nonprofit roles, including over 15 years in executive leadership as Vice President of Philanthropy & Communications for Pima Council on Aging and Development Director for Our Family Services.
Lana holds a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE). She serves as President of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Southern Arizona Chapter. In her work and life, she is deeply committed to the pursuit of equity and inclusion. A native Arizonan originally from Prescott, she came to Tucson to study at the University of Arizona, fell in love with the community, and thirty years later continues to make it her home with her wife Kimberly Ahmadi, a marriage and family therapist, and their border collie Lincoln.
Leah Noreng
Consultant
A native Tucsonan, Leah Noreng brings heart, humor, and hustle to everything she does. With a more than two decades of experience in business development, nonprofit management and community initiatives, Leah thrives at the intersection of strategy, people, and purpose.
Leah’s leadership is rooted in her commitment to education, equity, and community. For 7 years Leah served as Executive Director of the Amphitheater Public Schools Foundation where she grew the organization’s budget, extended programming impact, and built strategic partnerships throughout the community. A natural connector and problem-solver, she raised millions through grant writing, corporate sponsorships, and donor stewardship to impact thousands of students and teachers district wide.
A graduate of the University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management and Greater Tucson Leadership’s Lead Tucson initiative, Leah also holds certificates in Nonprofit Leadership & Management from the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona’s Center For Healthy Nonprofits, (in partnership with the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management) and Nonprofit Interim Leadership from Third Sector Academy. She serves on multiple nonprofit boards, including Interfaith Community Services and Treasures for Teachers of Tucson. Leah and her husband Tryg have 3 boys, Anders, Henrik & Lars, and a goldendoodle named Ruby.