Carol Kennedy
Director, Special Events
Capital Hospice

Carol Kennedy is currently the Director of Special Events at Capital Hospice, a $55 million nonprofit dedicated to providing hospice and palliative care to patients and families facing life limiting illnesses.  Capital Hospice events raise more than $1 million annually and they include two black tie galas, a women’s golf tournament, a polo event, a sailing regatta and a hospice awareness event.  She manages a staff of three in planning and implementing these events in addition to working with community outreach in dozens of community based events.  Capital Hospice serves Northern Virginia, Prince William, Loudoun, Fauquier counties in Virginia and Prince Georges County in Maryland and the District of Columbia.

In addition to the event logistics, Carol is responsible for cultivating and soliciting sponsorships for these events and works closely with Capital Hospice’s major gifts team and grants manager in securing these sponsorships.  Carol has been at Capital Hospice for four years having started as the Special Events Manager.  She has conceived and managed three new events since coming to Capital Hospice.  The 14-person Capital Hospice development team raises more than $8 million annually for charity care and special programs.

Prior to Capital Hospice, Carol worked in development for the Arlington Community Foundation for three years. There she started their first black-tie fundraiser which is still going strong.  Prior to joining the Foundation, Carol was a public relations and marketing professional having worked in agencies, trade associations, corporations and the national headquarters of the Reagan-Bush campaign.

She received her BS in Journalism from University of Maryland and is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Jaye M. Lopez
Director of Development
UDC - David A. Clarke School of Law

Jaye M. Lopez has over a decade of not-for-profit experience working in various development capacities.  Born and raised in suburban Los Angeles, Jaye graduated from the University of Southern California, double majoring in English and Gender Studies.  After graduating, Jaye worked for a magazine in advertising sales, before moving on to work in corporate relations and major gifts for the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. While there, Jaye was responsible for developing and implanting strategies to increase first year major donor retention rates and outreaching to area businesses and professional.  Jaye moved to Washington, DC, joining the staff of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) in the spring of 1999 as a fundraising event manager.  While there, Jaye managing over 55 events annually, including gala dinner, amateur golf tournaments and theater benefits.

Jaye joined the staff of the American Constitution Society (ACS) in June 2004, heading up their membership program.  Jaye helped develop and implement a major gifts program, a recurring gifts program and a new online credit card payment system.  In addition to overseeing all aspects of membership renewal, direct mail and online giving, she also managed logistics for ACS’s annual 1,000 person convention in Washington, DC.  Jaye joined the UDC – David A. Clarke School of Law in August 2008 as director of development.  She is on the boards of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Washington, DC Metro Area Chapter and the Capital City Symphony.

Tiffany Payne, MSW
Development Director
National Legal Aid & Defender Association