Our Team

Adding some fright and fun to every fall season, Aly busts out an array of knives and clay shaping tools to create intricate 3-D carved pumpkins.

Aly has more than two decades of grant writing experience including planning, request preparation, and reporting for complex private, state, and federal awards. In addition to direct proposal preparation, she specializes in proposal strategy development, project design, and staff and organizational development for The Grant Plant. Aly also leads the company's capacity-building services, in which she develops learning materials, workshops, and trainings. Aly holds a BA in Psychology and an MBA focused on executive leadership.

Rachel loves camping and hiking!

Rachel has more than 15 years in internal operations management, project management as well as client relations. Her background is in health research and communications. She has a B.A. from Michigan State University in psychology with a minor in Bioethics and a Master's in Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Lara is a self-proclaimed Bee Charmer with a deep passion for all things related to bees.

Lara brings over a decade of nonprofit experience to TGP, where she supports organizational growth through her roles in financial management, project coordination, and human resources. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from Jacksonville University, and her background includes work with organizations like Keshet Dance Company, the Museum of Us, and Malashock Dance Company. Through her work, Lara aims to leave a lasting impact, paving the way for a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future.

Cecily taught English in Taiwan and studied Mandarin in Beijing.

Cecily has more than two decades of experience working with nonprofits in fundraising, grant management, and marketing/communications. She’s been part of The Grant Plant team since 2015, overseeing and supporting the high quality development, writing, and successful submission of grant proposals. Cecily also has experience in individual and corporate fundraising, and marketing management for nonprofit and for-profit companies. She holds an MBA in International Marketing Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management and a BA in Political Science from DePauw University.

Tonia also works in the field of textile archaeology and invented the classification system for printed textiles made during or before the Middle Ages.

Tonia has worked or volunteered as a grant writer, grant reviewer, and grant maker since 1999. Her unique combination of experience yields special insights, helping Tonia earn nearly $20 million in grants throughout her career. She is the President of the Miami Valley Chapter of the Grant Professionals Association (GPA) and a member of the National Grant Management Association. She has also served on the GPA's Professional Education Committee since 2021 and is a GPA Approved Trainer.

As an ultra-marathoner, Wendy runs races that are 50 miles or longer.

Wendy joined The Grant Plant in 2008 and oversees the company’s portfolio of prospect research projects. She leads the effort to increase community awareness of grant opportunities, matches organizations with potential funders, and conducts strategic analysis on funders’ affinity and capacity for clients. Previously, she was a Research Associate in the Pennsylvania State University Agriculture Department and an Environmental Consultant working on mine-impacted streams.

Laurel excels at memorizing song lyrics and tongue twisters.

Laurel crafts competitive funding proposals, manages client portfolios, and helps grow local grant seeking capacity. Previously, she served as the Development Manager for Explora Children’s Museum, helping secure important grant funding and individual donations. Laurel is a graduate of Leadership Albuquerque, Pivotal New Mexico's grant writing Talent Academy, and served as a 2016 Fulbright Teaching Assistant in Weimar, Germany. With a BA in English from Trinity University, Laurel is passionate about language and the craft of writing.

Amorena enjoys singing with two different acapella groups.

Amorena began her career in nonprofit resource development working with human services and arts organizations in Albuquerque. With nine years of experience in marketing, editing, and writing, Amorena loves using her skills to uplift her home state of New Mexico, by researching and crafting winning grant proposals. She holds a BA in Sociology and an MA in Public Policy

Emily is an avid LEGO builder.

Dr. Emily N. Bartz began her career in nonprofit resource development as an AmeriCorps VISTA at STEAM New Mexico and Sci Art Santa Fe in 2019. She has a PhD in English Rhetoric from Texas A&M University and is a former Executive Board member of the Alliance for the Study of Adoption & Culture.

Marya is trained in wildlife rehabilitation and volunteers with the New Mexico Wildlife Center.

Marya Roddis has worked for more than three decades as a technical and grant writer providing business, communications, management, design and education support services to public and private, for-profit and non-profit organizations and agencies. She is the former VP of Technical Writing for Shared Assessments and has served in administrative, operational, and teaching capacities in a wide variety of settings including University of Alaska Institute of Northern Forestry and the Medical Identity Fraud Alliance. Her varied background allows her to facilitate robust grants requests and to follow through effectively for grants administration.

Monique loves speaking French.

With a passion for language and an ear for stories, Monique has worked in the nonprofit world and field of Education throughout her career. In addition to her home country of the USA, Monique has lived and worked for several years in West and East Africa and the Caribbean and has written grants for domestic and international nonprofits. Monique thrives on research and learning, so once she completed her double Bachelors in French and Communications, she added to her repertoire a Master’s in Fine Arts (Creative Writing) and a Master’s in Education.

Rebecca is an avid crafter and is constantly trying new patterns for fiber arts.

Rebecca has been working for or partnering with nonprofits for 15 years. She loves to combine her passion for social justice with her experience in grant writing, fundraising, program development, communications, and project management to help organizations build their capacity and reach their goals. She has a Master of Education in Educational Psychology from Wichita State University and a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Conservation Biology from Kansas State University.

Marisa loves playing all types of tabletop games and features her extensive collection as décor in her dining room.

Tricia loves to travel and lived in San Carlos, Sonora Mexico for more than two years.

Tricia has been a grant writer for more than twelve years and has written curricula and developed early education programs for families for over two decades. In addition, she has experience in the field of early education, fundraising, and event planning. Tricia holds an Associate Degree in Early Education and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. She earned her certification in Fundraising Management (CFRM) from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in 2022. Tricia is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Tara is superstitious and never plans anything on Friday the 13th.

Tara co-founded The Grant Plant in 2003 and has seen it through dynamic growth ever since. As an Albuquerque-based small business entrepreneur, she’s been recognized as an AREA Advocate of the Year, Top-Performing CEO, Woman of Influence, Forty Under 40, and an Haute Innovator. She is a graduate of Leadership Albuquerque and is a member of the Grant Professionals Association. She also co-founded The Grants Collective (later Pivotal New Mexico), which she led as co-director from 2015-2019. Tara holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts, previously working as a stage manager coordinating efforts behind the scenes, problem-solving, keeping people on time and on budget, and maintaining the integrity of the director’s vision… a good primer for grant professionals and small business owners.

Erin’s goal is to see all 50 states. 40 and counting!

Erin is co-founder and co-leader of The Grant Plant. She oversees project management and works with clients in many sectors including social services, education, and economic development. Erin is an AREA Advocate of the Year, a Top Performing COO, and is a member of the Grant Professionals Association and the National Grant Management Association. She co-founded and co-led The Grants Collective from 2015-2019. Erin also volunteers on local fundraising boards. She holds a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology and a bachelor’s degree in Business.