About Us
Our Goal: Healthy, Sustainable Success
With expertise across all aspects of nonprofit operations, Encore’s team of strategists combines sound business practices with a deep understanding of the nonprofit sector’s unique realities.
Encore is a learning organization, using and teaching Agile approaches that emphasize regular assessment and continuous improvement. Complementing this approach is an equal commitment to our team, with an average of 40 hours of professional development invested in each team member every year.
We’re committed to being the most effective and highest-value partner possible.
Connectors
Clients have access to Encore’s diverse expertise that is beyond the reach of most organizations.
Capacity Builders
Encore’s capacity building goes beyond funding. We maximize your mission through collaborations, alternative funding methods, skill building, and coaching.
Change Makers
More than a team of expert consultants, we’re roll-up-our-sleeves change makers who bring new ideas and practical solutions to life!
Meet the Encore Team
We’re dedicated nonprofit strategists who bring deep expertise, creative problem-solving, and a passion for impact to every relationship. With decades of collective experience, we work side-by-side with organizations to secure more funding, strengthen operations, and achieve lasting results.
Our Staff
Shelley Loethen, GPC
Founder & CEO
Catherine Hooper, MA, GPC
Director of Strategy & Engagement
Michaela Behymer
Grants & Projects Strategist
Andrea Lombard, GPC, RSM, RPO
Senior Grants & Projects Strategist
Marcia Ziglinski
Administrative Support Specialist
Dani Schaefer, MPA, GPC
Grants & Projects Strategist
Mallory Gobet, GPC, RSM
Senior Grants & Projects Strategist
Shelley Loethen,
GPC
Founder & CEO
Shelley is a social entrepreneur and nonprofit strategist dedicated to breaking down barriers that limit innovation, collaboration, and impact. More than a decade ago, she launched her company as a solo grant consultant, serving nonprofits in health care, behavioral health, arts and culture, food insecurity, and education. That experience revealed both the transformative changes nonprofits create and the daunting obstacles they face on the front lines of social challenges.
Today, Shelley leads the Encore Institute for Social Impact with a team that shares her belief in the sector’s potential and her bold vision for change. Shel holds the Grant Professional Certified (GPC) credential and has been active in the Grant Professionals Association nationally and locally throughout her career. Shelley is also a nationally recognized trainer known for workshops that inspire, engage, and deliver results.
Catherine Hooper, MA, GPC
Director of Strategy & Engagement
Catherine brings more than 17 years of experience helping nonprofits turn bold ideas into measurable results. She is a strategic thinker and gifted communicator with expertise in social services, healthcare, homelessness prevention, and workforce development. Catherine has led or contributed to grant efforts securing more than $100 million and excels in program design, logic models, evaluation frameworks, and Agile-based project management. She earned her GPC in 2014 and is valued for her big-picture insights, approachable style, and commitment to client success.
Michaela Behymer
Grants & Projects Strategist
Michaela is a skilled writer and researcher dedicated to turning ideas into compelling, fundable stories. With a degree in English from Emporia State University, she has helped organizations in social services, youth development, behavioral health, and health secure critical funding. Her expertise includes grant writing, prospect research, and crafting data-driven needs statements. Since moving to Kansas City in 2021, she has embraced the local nonprofit community and is known for her curiosity, enthusiasm, and dedication to her craft.
Mallory Gobet, GPC, RSM
Senior Grants & Projects Strategist
Mallory is a nonprofit champion with more than a decade of experience helping mission-driven organizations grow their funding and impact. She has worked across education, youth development, behavioral health, and human services, specializing in grant writing, project management, marketing, and evidence-based program design. Since joining Encore in 2021, she has applied her expertise in logic models, outcomes development, and sustainable program planning to client projects nationwide. Mallory is a Grant Professional Certified (GPC), a Registered Scrum Master (RSM), and a graduate of the Healthy Communities Leadership Academy.
Andrea Lombard, GPC, RSM, RPO
Senior Grants & Projects Strategist
Andrea is a seasoned nonprofit professional with 15+ years of experience helping organizations plan, fund, and manage their work with precision and impact. She has partnered with higher education, health care, emergency food systems, youth development, and literacy organizations, specializing in grant writing, program design, logic models, and Agile-based project management. A Registered Scrum Master (RSM) and Product Owner (RPO), Andrea also holds the Grant Professional Certified (GPC) credential and is active in the Grant Professionals Association.
Dani Schaefer, MPA, GPC
Grants & Projects Strategist
Dani brings over a decade of nonprofit experience to her work helping organizations secure funding and build capacity. Her background spans grant management, capital campaigns, donor development, and consulting across youth development, education, health, arts, and housing repair. She holds a B.A. in Nonprofit Leadership from William Jewell College, an MPA in Nonprofit Management from UMKC, and the Grant Professional Certified (GPC) credential. Passionate about philanthropy from an early age, Dani continues to champion causes that strengthen communities and create lasting change while hoping to inspire the next generation of nonprofit professionals.
Marcia Ziglinski
Administrative Support Specialist
Marcia plays a vital behind-the-scenes role at Encore, supporting the leadership team, clients, and staff to ensure projects run smoothly and achieve maximum impact. Her passion for service began in her first career as a music educator in a low-income school, inspiring her commitment to mission-driven work. Today, she provides essential administrative and project support while continuing to expand her nonprofit expertise.
Our Extended Team
Encore partners with a network of highly skilled consultants/subcontractors who bring specialized expertise to our clients and projects. These trusted collaborators expand our capacity, allowing us to match the right talent to each organization’s unique needs.
Emily Derrick
Kathy McDonald
Meredith Mershon
Laura Moore
Rozanne Prather
Emily Derrick
Emily is a grant writer, communicator, and strategist with more than a decade of experience helping nonprofits raise awareness and secure critical funding. She has worked across healthcare, violence prevention, workforce development, food systems, arts, and housing, with deep expertise in government grants and federal project management. Formerly Director of Development for the Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia and Foundation Relations Coordinator for Harvesters, Emily has raised and managed more than $5 million in funding. Based in Madrid, Spain, she enjoys reading, traveling, scuba diving, and practicing Spanish.
Kathy McDonald
Kathy is a seasoned nonprofit leader with 15+ years of experience guiding organizations through the full grant lifecycle. She has secured funding from foundations, corporations, United Way, and all levels of government, working across healthcare, education, housing, child welfare, and community mental health. Passionate about building cross-sector collaborations, Kathy specializes in needs assessments, program design, evaluation, and training. Before joining Encore, she led grant development for a large Florida nonprofit and later founded Sustainable Nonprofit Solutions to strengthen funding strategies and sustainability.
Meredith Mershon
Meredith brings over a decade of experience in private and public philanthropy, blending creative vision with strategic, results-driven advancement. She has managed multi-million-dollar portfolios supporting early childhood development, educational equity, workforce development, and nutrition security. With expertise in financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, grant writing, and compliance, she guides organizations in designing sustainable programs. Meredith holds a Master of Social Work, a B.A. in Human Development, and a Financial Accounting Certification from Harvard University.
Laura Moore
Laura has more than 20 years of experience leading nonprofit programs, events, and initiatives that strengthen communities. Her expertise spans program development, volunteer management, outcomes measurement, and post-award grant management, with additional strengths in nonprofit finance and accounting. She holds a B.S. in Finance and Economics from the University of Missouri–Columbia, an MPA in Nonprofit Management from UMKC, and a Certificate in Project Management. In addition to her work with Encore, she serves as Managing Director of Operations and Programs at UMKC’s Regnier Entrepreneurship Institute.
Rozanne Prather
Rozanne is a fundraising and communications leader with more than 25 years of experience helping nonprofits deepen donor engagement and expand fundraising capacity. She has partnered with over 130 organizations, from grassroots groups to major institutions, securing tens of millions of dollars for causes in healthcare, human services, and beyond. Formerly in executive leadership at Catholic Charities and Truman Medical Centers, Rozanne now consults on major gift cultivation, donor-focused messaging, and sustainable fundraising systems.