Staff
Jody Opheim
Executive Director
Jody Opheim grew up in a small rural town in Missouri, and she and her family currently live in Garfield, Wash. Her professional experience includes 20 years in higher education fundraising and management, including partnership and project development, working with volunteer boards, proposal writing and grant administration. She transitioned to rural development in 2020 and assists rural communities and counties with a wide range of issues. She especially enjoys developing collaborative projects and proposals for corporate, foundation and government funding. She was the founding manager for the Washington State University Energy Systems Innovation Center and the WSU-Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Advanced Grid Institute, and founded and managed a STEM based non-profit tinkering center in Moscow, Idaho. Jody has held several volunteer board positions with Palouse area nonprofits and enjoys volunteering her time to help raise funds for the Whitman County Libraries and food pantries throughout the county. She earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Missouri-Columbia and enjoys reading, gardening, traveling and serving as crew chief for Opheim Motorsports Group.
Staci Nelson
Director of Grant Services
Staci Nelson is a principal at Nelson Stevenson Consulting and has devoted her career to serving the non-profit community. With more than 25 years of experience, she is skilled in all facets of grants work from prospect research to proposal writing, budget development, program management and follow-up reporting. She has worked successfully with small grassroots nonprofits, well established community action agencies, education institutions and health care entities to secure funding that enables organizations to better fulfill their missions. Staci grew up on a farm and ranch in Montana, married into a farm family and has a long-held passion for maintaining the vitality of of rural America.
Annalisa Noble
Project Manager and Funding Strategist
Annalisa Noble is the principal funding strategist at Tower Consulting where she specializes in guiding clients through the complex lifecycle of securing funding for infrastructure projects. With 10 years of experience, Annalisa has developed expertise in conducting funding research, writing grant applications and managing post-award reporting. She has played a key role in helping clients secure approximately $150 million in funding for a wide variety of projects, including transportation, water, sewer, stormwater, recreation and economic development.
Annalisa’s experience spans working with local governments, ports, transit authorities, special purpose districts, nonprofits and school districts. Her reputation and established connections with funding personnel built over the years also serve as a valuable resource for clients. Her precision, organizational skills and commitment to delivering results have established her as a trusted partner in achieving funding success. Annalisa holds multiple certifications, including DBE, WBE, and PWSBE, and is an OMWBE-certified small business owner.
Kathy Barnard LaPointe
Director of Communications
Kathy Barnard LaPointe enjoyed a 40-plus year career in communications as a newspaper reporter, communications and marketing professional at the University of Idaho and chief communications officer at Washington State University before retiring in 2021 as assistant vice president for alumni relations and communications at the U of I. Born and raised in the Midwest, she attended high school in Spokane Valley and earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of Idaho. She has lived in the small town of Moscow, Idaho, since 1977 and volunteers at the Westside Food Pantry there as well as with the Moscow Education Foundation. Kathy enjoys reading, baking, canning, spending time with her family, hiking and exploring the Pacific Northwest on her electric bike.
Kelly Keane
Project Manager
Kelly brings 30 years experience as a successful program and project manager in the construction industry. Most of her work has been civil infrastructure and new construction for a variety of federal and state entities. In addition to being a proud mom of two wonderful daughters, she is also a Stanford graduate, a veteran, a registered professional engineer, and a licensed plumber.
Laura Pierce
Project Manager
Laura Pierce consults with non-profit organizations and community coalitions to help clients be the best they can be as change agents, community builders and healthy organizations.
As executive director of the Nonprofit Association of Washington (NAWA) from 2016-2024, Laura Pierce led efforts to advocate on behalf of nonprofits of all types, provide statewide learning and professional development opportunities, and promote connection and collaboration among nonprofits. Prior to joining NAWA, Pierce was a non-profit consultant for 18 years, helping over a hundred clients with strategic planning, board development, leadership transitions and capacity building. She also served as an interim executive director for 14 nonprofits in the Puget Sound area.
Pierce has worked in education, child welfare and civil rights organizations and taught nonprofit governance and leadership through the University of Washington, Seattle University, ArtsFund, Communities Rise, and United Way of King County. She holds a Master in Public Administration degree from the University of Washington with a concentration in non-profit management.
Amelia Alberts
Grant Writer
A talented funding specialist, Amelia has accumulated an impressive resume of funding experience; since 2022 she has helped clients procure over 10 million in grants and loans. Amelia has specific experience with the Department of Commerce, the Department of Environmental Quality, USBR, IWRB, USDA RD, ARPA, DOT, AND FAA funding in Washington, Idaho, and other states. She prides herself on providing exceptional customer service as an effective project manager who maintains an excellent rapport with clients and funding agencies throughout the grant process. Amelia is proficient in funding research, preparing funding matrices, writing and editing grant proposals, and helping manage the grant process from inception to award. Amelia has worked with nonprofits and municipalities to find the best funding fit for their respective needs and enjoys creating lasting relationships with clients.
Lisa Carmack
Grant Writer
Lisa has worked extensively with higher education and is a rural Washington resident of Whitman County. She is the proud granddaughter of sharecroppers and an advocate for rural development.
Payton Murphy
Grant Writer
Payton is a dedicated, innovative grants professional and founder and principal grant writing consultant with PM Grant Services, LLC. Her experience includes providing ongoing grant writing, research, and management through retainer contracts with purpose-driven nonprofit organizations to expand their impact and grow their grant portfolios. She helps assess clients’ organizational grant readiness and supporting them with implementing best practices and procedures to increase their success in securing grant funding. As well as develops master grant templates, logic models, project budgets, and other materials for clients to utilize in grant applications and for marketing purposes on their websites or social media accounts.