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NSPA Staff

      

Jackie Bright, Executive Director
jbright@scholarshipproviders.org

Jackie came to NSPA in 2017 as a former Pell Grant and scholarship recipient who has dedicated her career to the nonprofit sector and helping underserved communities. She has an extensive background leading direct-service nonprofits, including Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Blue Ridge and Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville. Jackie holds an undergraduate degree in Communication Studies, with an emphasis in Rhetoric and Public Discourse, from the University of Montana, as well as a Certificate in Leadership from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. Aside from Bright’s commitment to nonprofit excellence, she loves chasing after her young son Dash, wrangling her three dogs, antiquing, and sheet cake (in that order).
     
     
 

Maggie Brubaker, Director of Programs
mbrubaker@scholarshipproviders.org

Maggie brings a diverse background to NSPA. She has worked for a variety of nonprofit and education institutions throughout her career. Her experiences include working as a Director of Community Initiatives at Pikes Peak United Way, a Resident Manager for CU Boulder, a university instructor, and an elementary school teacher.  Maggie completed a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s degree in Geography at Penn State University. She also spent a year in Germany as a Fulbright Scholar researching energy policy.  Maggie enjoys spending time with her family which includes her husband and two children. Her family loves all types of outdoor pursuits including rock climbing, biking, and hiking. Originally from Poland, Maggie continues to enjoy exploring new places.

     
     
  Nick Safko, Communications Coordinator

nsafko@scholarshipproviders.org

Nick comes to NSPA with a wide range of skills and experience from working at various Non-Profits and educational institutions.  Some of his experience includes working for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund in Programs and Retention, and Ojai Valley School in Communications and Marketing.  Most recently, he worked in Development and Marketing for Hale Kau Kau, a small community Non-Profit on Maui. Nick's background and education is in film, photography, and writing.  He is an advocate for the arts and education.  This passion has led him to a career sharing his talents with Non-Profit Organizations to promote positive change in the world. Nick was born and raised in Pennsylvania, and has lived in California and Hawaii before making his move to Colorado.  In his free time, Nick enjoys the outdoors, cooking and baking, knitting, and all types of cultural events. 
     
     
 

Nicolette del Muro, Member Services Product Manager
ndelmuro@scholarshipproviders.org

Nicolette's background includes both for-profit and nonprofit experience, and her expertise lies in operational management, systems implementation, and large scale event planning.  Originally from California, Nicolette studied English at the University of Virginia, and has lived in Charlottesville ever since.  Outside of work, Nicolette enjoys time on trails with her dogs, going to the river with friends, a good podcast, and attempting new recipes in the kitchen.
     
     

 

Kendra Siebert, Interim Member Services Manager
ksiebert@scholarshipproviders.org

Kendra has worked in the nonprofit sector for over a decade, most recently serving as the Program Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Blue Ridge where she helped improve match support quality metrics by nearly 100%. Kendra's background includes office management for the International Rescue Committee, aiding homeless residents develop job skills with Americorps in Indiana, and building trails and thinning forests with the Arizona Conservation Corp. Kendra is originally from northeast Indiana and holds an English degree from Manchester University. She and her husband Ehren spend most of their free time wrangling their two small kids, working on home-repair projects, hiking and cooking.
   
 
     

 

Erika Orsulak, Special Projects Consultant
eorsulak@scholarshipproviders.org

Erika Orsulak is a Special Projects Consultant to the NSPA, currently engaged to help the Association manage its COVID-19 response and COVID-19 Information Center. Erika has worked as a scholarship provider for the past eight years and in the field of philanthropy for her entire 17-year career, most often for small grantmaking and scholarship-providing public charities that enable generous donors to support students in need. Erika is a first-generation college student herself and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Macalester College and a Master's in Public Administration and a Certificate of Nonprofit Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.
 

Please contact the staff if you have questions:
Maggie Brubaker for Programs, Educational Resources, and Conference.
Nick Safko with Communications, Career Center, and Marketing.
Nicolette del Muro for Membership
Kendra Siebert for General Administration.

 

 

 

National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA) is a nonprofit, member association that advances the collective impact of scholarship providers and the scholarships they award. It was established in 1999 by Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, Fastweb.com, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, and Scholarship America to facilitate the creation of scholarship best practices, encourage professional development, and establish cooperative relationships among scholarship providers.

NSPA grew out of a need Fastweb observed after launching its scholarship matching site in 1995. As the Fastweb database grew, it became apparent the scholarship industry was lacking a forum for scholarship providers to collaborate and network with each other, as well as a cohesive voice for the industry. Fastweb hosted a small conference in Chicago, IL that brought together some of the country’s largest and most well-known scholarship providers, including the other three founding members, with the goal of sharing best practices. In 1999, Fastweb provided the finances to formally launch NSPA and hire a part-time consultant as its executive director. NSPA continued to hold annual conferences, and in 2004 its founding members came together to hire a full-time executive director and moved the organization from Chicago, IL to Denver, CO, where a board member offered office space at the Daniels Fund. NSPA moved to its own offices in Boulder, CO in 2009 and currently employs three full-time staff, who work to grow NSPA membership, programming, and national presence.

Today, NSPA is dedicated to supporting the needs of professionals administering scholarships in post-secondary institutions, private and community foundations, public charities, as well as corporate and government programs. NSPA's 370+ member organizations from the United States, Canada, and the Bahamas give over 350,000 scholarships amounting to over a billion dollars each year. Along with the 850+ scholarship professionals in i ts membership network, NSPA works to develop standards for scholarship administration, conduct research to understand the depth and breadth of the scholarship industry, create professional resources for its members, encourage the development of scholarship programs, and advocate changes in policy. These programs assist students in paying for college, as well as improve college access and completion rates. The NSPA Annual Conference is the convergence of the scholarship industry bringing over 375 diverse scholarship funders together for three days of networking and learning.

Thank you to the following organizations for their generous support!

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