Team
Suzy Antounian
Commission Director
Suzy Antounian has over 25 years of nonprofit management experience, with a focus on strategic planning, program design, institutional development, partnership building and operations. She was most recently COO of the World Affairs Council of Northern California where she has also managed World Affairs’ programs for many years. She was Senior Vice President overseeing its Global Philanthropy Forum and helped found its regional affiliates, the Brazilian Philanthropy Forum and the African Philanthropy Forum. She served as Vice President for Public Programs for three years, overseeing World Affairs’ more than 150 annual programs and its annual conference on international affairs. Prior to joining World Affairs, she helped establish the American University of Armenia as Vice President, Dean of University Extension and Director of Policy and Planning. She also provided advisory services to clients that included the Aspen Institute and The Elders and worked as a tax associate with Ernst and Whinney (now Ernst and Young) and Howard, Rice et al. (now part of Arnold and Porter).
Suzy serves on the boards of King Baudouin Foundation US, Give2Asia, and the American University of Armenia Corporation. She holds a J.D. from UC Hastings College of the Law and a BA from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Kelli Gabbert
Senior Programs and Partnerships Lead
Kelli Gabbert has over 15 years of experience with program and grant management in corporate philanthropy. She has worked at Microsoft Philanthropies, Target Community Relations, and within the Seattle nonprofit sector. Throughout her work in corporate philanthropy, Kelli has managed complex partnerships and programs with a focus on creating efficiencies and maximizing impact.
Ted Grossnickle
Counselor
Ted served as Chair of the Working Committee that planned and organized the Generosity Commission. A leader to the JGA team and to the broader nonprofit community, he is known for his authentic voice and commitment to guiding organizations to achieve their best. After graduation from Wabash College, he worked at Procter and Gamble Company, his alma mater, and then at Northern Illinois University where he served in several roles including advancement and corporate relations. From 1983 until 1993, he served as vice president of development and public affairs for Franklin College and then as acting president in 1993. He co-founded JGA with Don Johnson in 1994. Ted serves as chair of the JGA board of directors, as managing counsel to several clients, and as a mentor to staff.
He is deeply engaged in the nonprofit sector as an author, speaker, teacher, and board member and has received numerous honors and awards for his achievements, including the Henry A. Rosso Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Ethical Fundraising. He currently serves as a member and is immediate past chair of the Giving Institute and serves on the board of Garrett Theological Seminary. He is a former member and chair of the board of visitors of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and was a member of the board of trustees at Wabash College for ten years during which he served as co-chairman of The Challenge of Excellence Campaign.