2024 Fellows

About Alisa

Alisa M. Smallwood, FAHP, CFRE is a widely recognized nonprofit leader with over 30 years of philanthropy experience and over $150M raised to support organizations in the areas of healthcare, higher education, arts/culture and social services. She currently serves as Chief Development Officer for Holy Cross Health, a member of the Trinity Health system, where she focuses on major and transformational gifts. Prior to Holy Cross, she served as Vice President for Development at the Grady Health Foundation, where she provided leadership for a $90M capital campaign. Alisa has held the Certified Fund Raising Executive designation since 1999 and was named a Master Trainer by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) in 2011.  

A well-known speaker, Alisa has conducted highly rated workshops and presentations for the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), AFP, and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). She is actively involved in leadership roles with AHP, including service as a faculty member of the Madison Institute and as a member of the organization’s Diversity Equity Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) committee. She holds the Master of Music degree in music theory from Indiana University and the Bachelor of Arts degree in music from North Carolina Central University.  

About Ashleigh

Ashleigh Leite proudly serves HonorHealth Foundation as Senior Vice President of Major Gifts, where she is responsible for leadership and oversight of the major gifts program and its team of professionals. Ashleigh joined HonorHealth in 2017 and under her leadership, the Major Gifts Team has grown to secure over $190 million dollars in philanthropic support. Ashleigh has personally secured over $81 million dollars for HonorHealth, inclusive of the transformational investment to create the Bob Bové Neuroscience Institute. Ashleigh is passionate about people – especially working with generous donors to identify how their desire to impact the lives of others can be realized through philanthropy.

Prior to HonorHealth, Ashleigh served as Senior Director of Development for Banner – University Medicine. While at Banner, Ashleigh served on the senior management team, building fundraising programs to advance and integrate the partnership between Banner and the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Prior to that, Ashleigh served Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business, one of the nation’s top ranked and largest business schools, leading the major gifts team as Senior Associate Director of Development. During her nearly eight years at ASU, Ashleigh grew development and alumni relations programs including principal gift fundraising, planned giving, operations, research and analytics, board development and communications. 

Early in her career, Ashleigh spent more than 15 years in New York City working internationally in the performing arts, non-profit and banking industries. In 2022, she was nominated for an ATHENA Award, which honors women at the pinnacle of their careers who invest consistently in their profession, community, and other women leaders. Ashleigh presents locally and nationally on major gift fundraising and development best practices and was named the Association of Fundraising Professional’s 2023 Outstanding Fundraising Executive of the Year.  In 2024, Ashleigh received her Fellow of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy; a designation bestowed on philanthropy executives who have made significant contributions to the field. 

Ashleigh grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, and currently resides in Phoenix with her family. 

About Christopher

With nearly 30 years of healthcare philanthropy experience Christopher J. O’Connor, CFRE, MBA is Chief Development Officer of Mass General Brigham, an integrated academic healthcare system. In this capacity, he works with the development leaders at each of MGB’s fourteen development offices who collectively raise approximately $1 billion in annual philanthropic revenue. Chris has presented at countless professional conferences and seminars at a state, regional, national, and international level. He has also been an active volunteer in his community and served on the Boards of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce, Harold Brooks Foundation, New England Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (NEAHP), The Friday Forum, and is Past Board Chairman of the Susan B. Komen for Cure Massachusetts Affiliate. 

Chris spent fifteen years with a national consulting firm, rising to the level of Senior Vice President & Managing Director. During this time, he served as counsel in the capital campaign, major gifts, campaign planning, strategic planning and capacity assessment arena for more than 80 hospitals, systems, and other healthcare organizations during his tenure. In addition to his consulting experience, Chris served as Senior Vice President of External Affairs & Chief Development Officer for South Shore Health as well as the President of the Cape Cod Healthcare Foundation. In both instances he led teams that successfully completed historic capital campaigns. 

About Cindy

Cindy Reynolds is a Principal Consultant at Accordant, a leading firm that helps health care philanthropy leaders get results. She has over 20 years of experience in health care philanthropy and fund development, and holds the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential.  

Cindy specializes in strategic and operational planning, philanthropy analytics, C-Suite engagement, executive education, board development, and major gifts. She has a strong background in financial management, academic medicine, and clinical and basic science research. She is passionate about weaving philanthropy into the strategic framework of health care organizations and advancing their missions and goals. 

About Colleen 

Colleen Fox has served in leadership philanthropy roles for over a decade. She began her career at Gonzaga University before joining Ronald McDonald House Charities as the Director of Development and Communications. In 2017 she was hired as a Philanthropy Officer by Providence Inland Northwest Foundation, and was promoted to Chief Philanthropy Officer in 2020. Despite significant headwinds brought on by the pandemic, she led a philanthropy team has set fundraising records the past two years.  

Colleen earned her certificate fundraising management from the University of Indiana and is a Certified Fundraising Professional Executive. She recently earned her MA in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University. Outside of work Colleen is a devoted Rotarian. She has served on various boards and is currently the on the board for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Inland Northwest and the Hutton Settlement. She and her husband Richard have 8-year-old twins who are graduates of the NICU at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital.  

About Jennifer

Jennifer Willis Nicely, FAHP is the vice president of philanthropy for the south region of CommonSpirit Health, serving on the national philanthropy leadership council and working collaboratively with the Chief Philanthropy Officers throughout CommonSpirit’s Arkansas, Kentucky, Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas markets to accelerate fundraising. Jennifer also serves as the Foundation President and Chief Philanthropy Officer for CHI Memorial in Chattanooga, TN, a role she has held since 2008, where she has been integral in the Foundation’s fundraising efforts totaling more than $80 million to-date.

Jennifer received her B.A. in English with a Business Administration minor from Vanderbilt University. She also earned her CFRE in 2003, received CommonSpirit’s inaugural Values in Philanthropy Award in 2021, was honored as the 2024 AFP Chattanooga Chapter’s Philanthropy Day Outstanding Fundraising Professional, received the Athena Leadership Award in 2021, and is a Leadership Chattanooga graduate,. Jennifer’s community involvement is extensive and her other professional affiliations include the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy, Association of Fundraising Professionals, and the Rotary Club of Chattanooga.

About Murray

Murray Ancell joined Rush University System for Health (Rush) in 2022, having previously served in hospital operations and philanthropy at Endeavor Health (formerly NorthShore – Edward-Elmhurst Health) since 2007. Responsible for all development and alumni relations, Murray is currently leading Rush in their $750 million “Without Boundaries” campaign, the largest in the organization’s history. Prior to entering non-profit healthcare, Murray enjoyed a successful career in the for-profit sector in Europe and the U.S. Having served on and chaired several health and community-related boards and committees during his time in the non-profit sector, Murray currently serves on the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy’s (AHP) Journal Advisory Council. He is passionate about leadership development within his profession and the role philanthropy can play in improving the health and happiness of individuals, communities and society as a whole.  

Murray earned his bachelor’s degree in zoology and physiology from the University of East Anglia, a postgraduate diploma in business administration from the University of Surrey and his master’s degree in strategic fundraising and philanthropy from Bay Path University, where he returned as an adjunct professor to teach major gift fundraising at the graduate level. He was awarded his Certified Rund Raising Executive designation (CFRE) in 2015. A very proud dad to Ben, in his spare time Murray enjoys travelling and discovering new restaurants with his partner Meghan.