Affordable Housing and Programs
   for the Homeless
Economic Development and Entrepreneurship
Early Childhood Development,
   Head Start and Child Care
Higher Education and Pre-College Programs
Employment and Training
Persons with Disabilities
Community Development
Programs for Seniors
Youth
Corrections and Prisoner Reentry

Prior to his creation of Community Action Consulting in January 2008, Steve held a number of management and development positions in the nonprofit and higher education sectors. He began his nonprofit career in 1985 in New York City with the Fourth World Movement, an international nonprofit organization working in the poorest neighborhoods to involve the poor and help make their voices heard.

During the 1990s Steve served as the Director of Planning and Development for ADVOCAP, a nonprofit, community-based organization in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. He worked to further ADVOCAP’s mission, which was to reduce poverty and increase self-sufficiency among individuals and communities in a three-county area. Steve prepared numerous successful grant applications to federal, state and foundation sources to meet an array of community needs in his nine years at ADVOCAP. He designed and implemented one of the first Individual Development Account Programs in the U.S.

He then assumed the executive director position at a nonprofit in Madison called Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin, where he helped the organization focus its strategies in ways to help people to build capacities and move out of poverty.

Steve gained major gift development experience during his four years with UW-Madison’s Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, where he collaborated in developing private funding with the University of Wisconsin Foundation.

In 2005 Steve developed funding and new programs for the Wisconsin Community Action Program Association, a statewide membership association of nineteen nonprofit agencies with anti-poverty missions.

Over the years Steve has served on many nonprofit boards, including:

Bethany House Homeless Shelter, Fond du Lac, WI
Friends Aware of Violent Relationships Domestic Abuse Shelter, Fond du Lac, WI
Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Fond du Lac, WI
Habitat for Humanity, Fond du Lac, WI
Broken Bread Food Recovery Program, Fond du Lac, WI
Volunteers in Probation, Madison, WI

In addition to serving as a board member for these groups, Steve volunteered his time at all of them in their programs. He has also volunteered as:

Literacy and English-as-a-Second Language tutor, Lake Mills, WI
Co-facilitator of Pre-Release Planning Groups at Oakhill Correctional
Facilitator for groups of inmates at Dodge Correctional Institution, Waupun, WI
Volunteer employment counselor, Huber Center, Madison, WI

In January 2008 he launched Community Action Consulting, LLC in order to use his broad skills and experience to help nonprofit organizations throughout Wisconsin to build capacities, develop funding and have greater impact. Among his first projects as a consultant, Steve served as interim executive director of Supporting Families Together Association, a statewide group with thirty five member nonprofits focused on early childhood care, education and family support. In that role, he helped the board of directors set its direction after a complicated merger, meet its contractual and performance obligations after the loss of the previous executive director, guide the staff and services through the transition, and recruit and train a new executive director. Testimonials to Steve’s effective leadership, organizational and management skills can be read on the testimonials page.

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