People CSR – The Munshine Group

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Our People

With deep roots in New Jersey and the Northeast corridor, The Munshine Group has extensive nonprofit sector experience and an executive team with a broad understanding of effective community engagement and high-impact philanthropic strategies. The Munshine Group’s consulting process combines positive community results along with building goodwill with clients and key stakeholders.

David Munshine

President & CEO

Julia Kathan

Chief Communications Officer

Tonya Addy

Executive Vice President

Mary Franco

Of Counsel

Ken Barbuscio

Senior Advisor

Megan Leitheiser

Senior VP, Development Communications

Diana Dreyfus Leighton

Senior Vice President

Suzanne Albin

Vice President

Shay Laderbush

Vice President

Cindi Altieri

Executive Assistant

Alex Napuck

Analytics and Research Manager

Julia Segal

Consulting Associate

Sarah Lalevee

Consulting Associate

Judy Liu

Consulting Associate

Jimmy Pitingolo

Consulting Associate

Maia Chester

Consulting Associate

The Power of CSR

“It is more critical than ever that businesses in the 21st century are focused on generating long-term value for all stakeholders and addressing the challenges we face, which will result in shared prosperity and sustainability for both business and society.”

— Darren Walker, President, Ford Foundation

“By taking a broader, more complete view of corporate purpose, boards can focus on creating long-term value, better serving everyone – investors, employees, communities, suppliers and customers.”

— Bill McNabb, former CEO, Vanguard

“The entrepreneurs and business leaders of today and tomorrow have an extraordinary opportunity: to prove that through upholding values we can create value-for the company, for the customer, and for the community.”

— Arthur M. Blank, author, “Good Company”

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David Munshine

President & CEO

David Munshine is a no-nonsense strategist and leader in transformational fundraising, communications and nonprofit management. After noteworthy achievement as a development, associate and executive director in the education and health sectors, David has been consulting since 2001. He has worked with some 150 charities spanning every nonprofit sector, ranging from new initiatives to large, complex health systems and universities. David’s energy is matched only by his passion for creating positive change.

He founded The Munshine Group in 2013 to bring a fresh perspective to consulting in order to help nonprofits thrive in a rapidly-changing digitally connected world. Key issues include fierce competition for major gifts and donor loyalty; building strong staff and volunteer teams; and breaking through the noise to deliver messages that move people to take action.

David is a member of the Forbes Business Council and a noted speaker and trainer. Recent media appearances include WCBS News Radio, WCBS Small Business Spotlight, nj.com, NJ Spotlight and Advancing Philanthropy magazine.

David received his bachelor’s degree in public administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. David is a trustee of the New Jersey Hall of Fame and is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of Camp Nejeda Foundation, serving children and teens with type 1 diabetes. David is also on the Board of the New Jersey Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, where he chairs the Government Relations and Advocacy Committee, responsible for coordinating and amplifying public affairs activities in Trenton and Washington, D.C.

Julia Kathan

Chief Communications Officer

Julia Kathan is a communications, public relations and media executive with deep experience in the worlds of nonprofits and network news, helping to make sure clients of The Munshine Group solve their challenges and meet — and exceed — their goals. She brings the writing, editing and creative skills needed to craft and deliver compelling, spot-on messaging.

She joined The Munshine Group after serving as Director of Public Relations and Communications for the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, the state’s largest anti-hunger and anti-poverty organization, where she greatly expanded awareness of the issues and the organization. Julia is dedicated to giving back and to supporting a variety of causes.

For more than 20 years, she was an award-winning writer and producer for ABC News, where her credits include head writer of the flagship World News with Diane Sawyer, as well as senior staff member of World News Tonight with Charles Gibson. She is the recipient of more than a dozen major broadcasting awards, including multiple Edward R. Murrow, Writers Guild, Gracie and National Headliner Awards.

Julia, who studied Rhetoric and Communication at The State University of New York at Albany, is a contributing writer for The Huffington Post.

Tonya Addy

Executive Vice President

Tonya is a visionary nonprofit strategist with extensive experience in the world of philanthropy. As a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), Tonya is a tested and proven professional with established skills in volunteer management and fund development. Tonya blends her comprehensive knowledge of management, philanthropy and communications to assist clients in realizing their full potential.

She brings more than 18 years of experience to The Munshine Group, most recently as Vice President of External Relations for St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital and Executive Director of St. Luke’s Cornwall Health System Foundation. Tonya has also served as Development Director for Crystal Run Village, a human services agency, and as both Executive Director and Corporate Relations Director for the American Heart Association’s Founders Affiliate.

Tonya holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Wagner College and an Advanced Certiﬁcate in Non-Proﬁt Management from the State University of New York, Empire State College. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Leadership Orange, the Port Jervis Soap Box Derby and the Mid-Hudson Valley Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Mary Franco

Of Counsel

Mary Franco possesses a wealth of nonprofit and corporate experience at the highest levels, with particular expertise in the health care field. She is a proven leader in fundraising, donor cultivation, strategic planning, board development, public affairs and community building.

Mary joined The Munshine Group from White Plains Hospital, where she was Executive Director of the White Plains Hospital Foundation, working closely with the Chief Executive Officer, other senior leadership, the Board and medical staff.

Prior to that, Mary was Senior Vice President and Executive Director of the Foundation for Cape Cod Healthcare in Massachusetts. Before that, she was President of the Foundation and Vice President of Public Affairs at Norwalk Hospital in Connecticut.

In addition, Mary’s executive experience includes managing government and community relations, and handling global fund disbursement, for GE Capital. She has a strong track record of building grateful patient fundraising programs and managing successful service line major gift campaigns.

Mary is the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of Merrimack College in Massachusetts and a member of the Board of Directors of First County Bank in Connecticut. She holds a bachelor’s degree in American Studies from Merrimack College

Ken Barbuscio

Senior Advisor

Ken Barbuscio is a highly-regarded business executive and nonprofit leader who is dedicated to using his expertise to make a positive impact and create connections to benefit the New Jersey region. With his wide-ranging knowledge of strategy and marketing, his counsel has helped all those he serves, from financial clients to community organizations, grow and improve.

Ken currently serves on the Board of Directors of Arm In Arm, the Mercer County, New Jersey-based nonprofit that supports its neighbors in need with food, housing and employment assistance. He recently co-chaired the Board-led Executive Director Transition Committee, working with The Munshine Group on a successful search for Arm In Arm’s next Executive Director following the departure of its longtime leader.

Before devoting himself to philanthropic pursuits on a full-time basis, Ken spent more than a decade at BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager. He retired as Managing Director, Head of Product and Platform, US Wealth Advisory. At BlackRock, he was widely recognized for his strategic, client-centered, results-oriented approach to relationships.

Prior to BlackRock, Ken was with Merrill Lynch for 20 years, rising to Managing Director, Head of Separately Managed Accounts Business. As with all his work, Ken distinguished himself with pioneering projects that created business opportunities and expanded growth.

Ken is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he earned both master’s and bachelor’s degrees in marketing.

Megan Leitheiser

Senior VP, Development Communications

Megan brings creativity, versatility and a spirit of collaboration to every project she undertakes. Megan has extensive experience working in corporate and nonprofit administration, fundraising, marketing, and communications. Her skills consistently deliver positive results for clients. She is noted for her ability to connect with people, and is committed to serving organizations that are doing good work in the world.

After earning degrees in marketing and management, Megan established a career in marketing for a Fortune 500 company before transitioning to the nonprofit sector more than a decade ago. She joined The Munshine Group with nonprofit experience including serving faith-based organizations, and a nonprofit dedicated to the eradication of human trafficking.

Megan’s knowledge of nonprofit communications, with an emphasis on digital and print design and strategy consistently results in what clients say is exactly what they were looking for and needed.She is up-to-the-minute on best practices. At The Munshine Group, Megan is involved with nearly every client engagement, producing customized, compelling materials that result in increased awareness and donations.

Megan has worked with local and national organizations in nearly every sector. She has coordinated and designed development materials for many clients, including Case for Support information, annual reports, brochures, folders, infographics, social media graphics, and appeal letters. Megan has managed multiple successful digital campaigns, including for the Seabee Historical Foundation. By leveraging events such as Veterans Day and #GivingTuesday, she was key to helping the Foundation exceed its fundraising goals and expand its online presence. Megan was instrumental in the creation and design of the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan’s groundbreaking Fund for Women and Children Report, which raised the organization’s profile and resulted in positive media coverage.

Megan holds bachelor’s degrees in marketing and management.

To read Megan’s insights into the ever-changing world of social media, especially Facebook and ways nonprofits can leverage the platform, check out her Facing the Facebook Facts blog.

Diana Dreyfus Leighton

Senior Vice President

Diana Dreyfus Leighton is a highly accomplished nonprofit professional who has earned a reputation for her talent, energy and results working with a variety of organizations and institutions. Before joining The Munshine Group, Diana spent 15 years in fundraising, with noteworthy successes in every aspect of management, donor cultivation and stewardship. Diana has worked in numerous nonprofit sectors, and has special expertise in higher education, independent schools and community foundations.

She most recently served as the Vice President of Philanthropy Programs at the Princeton Area Community Foundation, where she was instrumental in increasing annual fundraising and growing assets under management. She identified both donors to the Foundation and recipients of its grants, including the Fund for Women & Girls and NextGen Giving Circle. Diana is recognized as a key community connector in the Mercer County, New Jersey area, linking philanthropists with nonprofits.

Prior to PACF, Diana was the Associate Director, Leadership Giving – Athletics Fundraising at Princeton University. In that role, she was director of overall annual and capital fundraising, cultivation, alumni relations, volunteer management and events strategies for athletic teams and clubs totaling 35,000 members. Before Princeton University, Diana worked in the development offices of Columbia Law School and The Dwight School, both in New York City.

Diana received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Legal Studies from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. There, she was co-captain of the tennis team and nationally ranked in singles. She has received professional certificates from Cornell’s Johnson School of Business in Executive Leadership and High Performance Leadership, and a certificate in Management Development from Princeton.

Diana serves on the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professionals Board. Other volunteer experience includes health care, education from pre-schools through universities, and athletics.

Suzanne Albin

Vice President

Suzanne Albin, Vice President, is an experienced and influential nonprofit leader who is active with organizations on both the community and national levels. In addition to her nonprofit expertise, Suzanne is a business and real estate attorney, involved with bar associations and causes related to civil courts and women in law.

She brings her skills and knowledge to The Munshine Group, along with her demonstrated passion to help nonprofit organizations achieve their goals and impact those they serve in a meaningful way. Suzanne is able to approach each assignment from a variety of unique stakeholder perspectives, whether with board members, executive staff members, other community leaders or donors. She combines that ability to develop trusting relationships with keen research and analytical skills, enabling her to help clients fulfill their objectives.

Suzanne spent more than 25 years in the legal field. In addition to having established her own practice, she was Of Counsel to the law firm of Newman Ferrara LLP, and was a partner of Borah, Goldstein, Altschuler, Nahins & Goidel, P.C.

Suzanne serves several nonprofit organizations. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the JCC Association of North America, and serves on its Governance Committee. Suzanne is also on the Board of Directors of the JCC of Central New Jersey, and is a past president of the organization. She was a recipient of the Hineni Award for Exceptional Leadership and Service in 2019.

Suzanne received her J.D. from New York Law School and her B.A. in Public Affairs from The George Washington University. She is also certified in Advanced Commercial Mediation in New York and obtained a certificate in Talent Acquisition & Planning from Cornell University.

Shay Laderbush

Vice President

Shay brings extensive nonprofit management experience and a wide variety of skills to our clients. Her strong background in higher education and health care includes specialization in prospect research, data analysis, major gifts, campaigns and annual giving.

Shay joined the team from her position at the University of New Hampshire, where she was Prospect Research and Management Analyst. She was involved in all aspects of advancement goals and results, as well as major gift proposals. In her role, she was also responsible for implementation and training for new database and technical services.

Prior to UNH, Shay was Major Gifts Officer for the New Hampshire SPCA, creating and fostering key donor relationships. Those stewardship skills were also crucial earlier in her career, when Shay was Development Officer for Annual Giving at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Shay is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, with a minor in Health Management and Policy. Shay is a member of NEDRA (New England Development Research Association) and Apra (Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement).

She is active in supporting organizations and causes including health, education, children, the environment, and animal welfare.

Cindi Altieri

Executive Assistant

Cindi has 10 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising administration with targeted expertise in handling multiple tasks for leadership departments and support for a varied client base. She is a consummate juggler of tasks and priorities and creates a baseline for success for others to follow.

Her expertise includes prospect and data management, client relations, corporate organization and implementation of programs. She has the rare ability to anticipate, develop, and implement processes for time and cost benefits. Her strengths include setting priorities, administering projects and managing information collection and dissemination in a conscientious manner.

She established her career in association management and event planning and then brought her experience to both religious and pharmaceutical organizations before landing in the nonprofit fundraising consulting sector. Cindi is committed to both anticipating and responding to the needs of the organizations that we serve.

Cindi earned her associate’s degree from Orange Coast College and studied psychology at San Francisco State University.

Alex Napuck

Analytics and Research Manager

Alex Napuck

Alex Napuck is a prospect research and data analysis specialist dedicated to helping nonprofits make the most efficient use of their resources. He has extensive experience working on many areas of development including annual fund and capital campaign research, analysis and donor strategy.

Prior to joining The Munshine Group, Alex lead prospect research at charity: water, an organization that brings clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. His previous experience includes a position as research coordinator at Rainforest Alliance. He began his career in prospect research at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Alex studied history at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His professional affiliations include membership in Apra GNY (Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement for Greater New York) for those in the fields of prospect research, prospect management and development analytics.

Julia Segal

Consulting Associate

Julia Segal

Julia Segal combines her ability for storytelling with her experience in strategic communications to help others find their voice and share their messages in meaningful ways. Julia’s communications and problem-solving skills lead to creative solutions and positive impacts for organizations, individuals and communities.

Before joining The Munshine Group, Julia held a variety of positions including working in Sales and Marketing at The Bozzuto Group in Boston, and in the Development Department at The Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, New York. She also served as the Public Relations Assistant for the Colgate University Department of Theater. Julia integrates her skills in design, research and writing from these varied experiences to her role at The Munshine Group.

Julia received her bachelor’s degree from Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, where she was a double major in Psychology and Theater.

Sarah Lalevee

Consulting Associate

Sarah Lalevee

Sarah Lalevee brings her strong analytical skills and interest in connecting nonprofits and for-profit businesses in the area of corporate social responsibility to all her engagements at The Munshine Group. As a student at Georgetown University, Sarah has a double major in Mathematics and Economics.

Before joining The Munshine Group, Sarah worked at Connell Finance, where she applied her data analysis skills to improving the firm, creating models to project future revenue and expense outcomes, and conducting in-house research to collect data and evaluate financial performance.

Sarah’s leadership at Georgetown includes serving as vice president of the Student Investment Fund, with $700,000 in Assets Under Management from endowment funds actively invested. Her work as an undergraduate research assistant through the Department of Mathematics of Statistics involved analysis of gun violence data, and a presentation using mathematical models to uncover notable trends in mass murders in the United States.

Sarah is active in improving her community, including her role as treasurer of Georgetown’s financial literacy tutoring club, and previously leading a large service- based organization in her New Jersey hometown.

Judy Liu

Consulting Associate

Judy Liu offers unique experience that includes the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, both domestically and internationally.

As a double major at the University of Pennsylvania’s College of Arts and Sciences, Judy’s focus is on Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE), and Psychology.

Her nonprofit leadership roles include president of Wharton Global Research and Consulting. She has also served as project leader for UNICEF on the topic of innovative financing strategies for humanitarian aid. In addition, Judy was project leader for Transparency International’s initiative on anti-money-laundering practices in the areas of private equity and hedge funds.

Among her other experience is working for Strategy&, supporting a TMT (Telecommunications, Media and Technology) client on its B2B project’s contract management. She also worked for China Rock Capital Management, a venture capital firm with a portfolio split between Silicon Valley and China.

Jimmy Pitingolo

Consulting Associate

Jimmy Pitingolo is a junior at Johns Hopkins University, studying Biomedical Engineering as he works toward his goal of helping others by attending medical school. He has both an extensive background in problem solving and critical thinking, and a passion for service that he utilizes to foster collaborations.

Jimmy joined The Munshine Group having already garnered a large amount of clinical research and design experience. He has conducted and published research in the field of neurosurgery, and is collaborating with other undergraduates and clinicians from university hospitals on studies to improve the outcome of cataract surgery.

At Johns Hopkins, Jimmy is an undergraduate research assistant in The Doloff Lab Group. In 2019, he was awarded the Leong Summer Research Grant to investigate long-term pharmaceutical treatment for tuberculosis and has since expanded his research to treatments for other diseases, including cancer. In November 2019, Jimmy was a guest speaker at the TEDxJHU fall salon series, speaking from his experience as a fraternity president on how to better communicate and be welcoming in our communities.

Jimmy’s spirit of service started early. He is an Eagle Scout, and served as the student representative to the Board of Education while in high school.

Maia Chester

Consulting Associate

Maia Chester brings her analytical skill set, unique interdisciplinary background, and results-driven work ethic to every project she undertakes at The Munshine Group. Maia has extensive experience working in psychological research and several nonprofit sectors and is dedicated to helping others and making a positive impact. Maia is a double major at the University of Pennsylvania, studying Psychology and Criminology.

At UPenn, Maia works as a research assistant at the Emotion, Development, Environment, and Neurogenetics (EDEN) Lab, investigating the origins of moral behavior to help inform future interventions and treatment. Most recently, Maia helped develop and publish a measure to assess the long-term effects of pandemics on parenting practices, and she is currently spearheading research on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and mask-wearing on children’s ability to recognize emotions. Maia has also served as a teaching assistant in the University of Pennsylvania’s Criminology Department, and she continues to serve as a tutor for students in the neighboring West Philadelphia community. She is also a member of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology.

Maia’s other volunteer experience includes working as a legal volunteer at New York County Defender Services and founding her own nonprofit, the English Empowerment Program, which provides an English education to orphans in Paraná, Brazil.