Meet the Writers
Beth has been a grant professional for six years and has enjoyed supporting the fundraising initiatives of a wide array of nonprofit organizations. She has experience with government, foundation, and corporate grants and, through her experiences, has successfully obtained funding for everything from repointing bricks on the façade of a hundred-year-old building, to covering medical expenses for rescue cats in Philadelphia. Beth also has extensive experience in nonprofit management and leadership and is passionate about helping mission-driven organizations make a difference in their communities.
Beth received her BS in Exercise Science from the University of Scranton and her MA in Dance/Movement Therapy from Drexel University.
Beth loves the outdoors and is an avid hiker, camper, runner, and cyclist; often accompanied by her husband and two children.
Amy Bonn
Grant Professional
GPA Approved Trainer
Amy has worked with and for nonprofits for over 20 years as a practitioner, researcher and consultant. She oversees the creative direction at Finch Network as well as business development. Amy has worked with local, regional and national organizations including the National Alliance to End Homelessness, Rural Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), the Corporation for National and Community Service and United Way of Tompkins County. She specializes in program planning, fund development and qualitative research. Notable projects include a fellowship she completed for the Corporation for National Service where she conducted an evaluation of program sustainability of AmeriCorps*VISTA projects, coordinating an allocation process that invested $1.3 million dollars annually to health and human service nonprofits in Tompkins County and leading the qualitative research portion for two evaluations conducted for City Harvest.
Amy has a strong commitment to her own community and volunteers with her local Foster Care program, Plattsburgh Community Garden and in Plattsburgh City Schools.
Amy holds a B.A.in American Studies and a teaching certificate from the University of Rochester and a graduate degree in Community and Rural Development from Cornell University.
Julie Johnson, GPC
Grant Professional
Julie is pleased to be part of the DH Leonard Consulting Team. She enjoys contributing to projects that connect people, organizations, businesses, and communities.
A compilation of skills from Julie’s employment, education, and life experience have funneled together into this perfect profession for her. She has been working with grants for twenty years and launched her grant consultancy in 2015.
She earned her Grant Professional Certification (GPC) from the Grant Professionals Certification Institute and she holds a BA in English-Writing. She’s a proud member of the Grants Professionals Association (GPA), the Minnesota North Star chapter of GPA, and the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits.
In her community, she shares her knowledge about nonprofit organizations and grants. She has been a lead volunteer in publishing a book about the history of her town’s gorgeous public library and in initiating a community nonprofit fund for a food cooperative. For Julie, there is no better work than the good results of grant awards.
Diane H. Leonard, GPC, RST is a Grant Professional Certified (GPC) and Approved Trainer of the Grant Professionals Association. Diane has recently become a Certified Virtual Presenter through espeakers.
She is also a Registered Scrum Trainer, Scrum Master, Scrum Product, and Scrum@Scale Practitioner credentialed by the Agile Education Program powered by Scrum Inc.™
Since 2006, Diane and her team have secured more than $117 million dollars in competitive grant awards for the clients of DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services. She is an active member of the Grant Professionals Association.
When not working with her team on grant applications for clients, Diane can be found in the 1000 Islands, out for a run, or drinking a strong cup of coffee.
Jasmine Markanday, MBA
Grant Professional
GPA Approved Trainer
Jasmine is a Certified Grants Management Specialist and an experienced grant professional who specializes in federal grant readiness, grant budget-writing, grant management, and training solutions.
She assists clients with grant compliance based on 2 CFR 200 and Federal Administrative Regulations. She has assisted many organizations with successful indirect cost rate negotiations resulting in additional estimated overhead revenue of $300,000 plus. She received her Bachelor’s in Business Administration with Accounting & Computer Information Systems for Emporia State University and her MBA with Healthcare Administration from MidAmerica Nazarene University.
She is a member of the Grants Professional Association and National Grants Management Association, along with also being a GPA approved trainer.
Megan Martin serves as the Marketing and Training Product Owner for our team at DH Leonard Consulting. Megan has a passion for marketing with a background in business such as; administrative assistant, accounts receivable, and business manager. Megan has worked with large corporations and small privately owned businesses. She also volunteers in her small town of Clayton with groups like Rotary and TIERS. In her free time she enjoys family time, collecting plants and adventuring with her four dogs.
Jane Nelson
Grant Professional
Jane Nelson is an experienced Information Technology professional and Project Manager. Her life-long passion for wanting to make a difference inspired her to leverage her project management and technical proficiencies to start a career in the grants industry. As the sole proprietor of JCN Grant Services, she provides consulting services to non-profit organizations on programs in the areas of Education, Healthcare, and Human Services.
Jane earned a BS in Mathematics from Cheyney University and a MS in Computer Science from Clark Atlanta University. She received her Project Management certificate from George Washington University.
Jane attained her Certified Grant Writer® credential from the American Grant Writers’ Association. She is a member of American Grant Writers’ Association and Grant Professionals Association.
Julie has over 30 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, primarily in women’s health, youth development, and education. Most recently, she worked as a grant writer and program evaluator in her own consulting practice for six years, serving clients with missions in sustainability, mental health, college access, veteran support, LGBTQ+ health and advocacy, access to justice, and saving the honeybee.
She is slowly pursuing a Master of Public Administration with a nonprofit focus from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and has a Certificate in Grant Writing and Program Evaluation from the School of Public Affairs. She earned her BA in Environmental Science form the University of Virginia
Julie lives in Colorado with her husband, two sons, and two cats, quickly losing teenagers to adulthood. She enjoys live music, hiking the Rockies, and spending time on dirt roads.
Maggie has been a grant professional for over 9 years, her primary experience is in government grants. Maggie is experienced in all aspects of proposal writing and post-award management. She is very passionate about the grant world and loves helping organizations fund their programs and support their mission. Maggie started working as a consultant in 2017 and received her GPC in 2019, this has helped her enter into the nonprofit world where she has had the privilege of working with clients all over the country and seeing impact in so many different communities.
Maggie received a Bachelor’s degree in History from Marywood University in 2007.
Bethany Planton is the Founder and CEO of bmpconsulting, a consulting firm located in Louisville, Kentucky. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications Studies from Ball State University, Bethany got her start in the grant profession as an AmeriCorps VISTA member in 2011. Bethany has worked with many different organizations such as arts and culture, after school youth programming, historic preservation, healthcare, community centers, etc. to secure more than five million dollars in federal, state, and foundation funds. Bethany earned a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Administration from Western Kentucky University in 2015, the Grant Professionals Certification from the Grant Professionals Certification Institute in 2016, and the Social Media Strategist certification from the National Institute for Social Media in 2020. Bethany loves reading and talking about it in bmpconsulting’s nonprofit book nook, traveling (anywhere and everywhere), and cheering on The Ohio State Buckeyes.
Amanda first dipped her toes into the grant writing world as a program manager for a homeless youth outreach program in Northwest Washington. After leaving that organization, Amanda worked as a grant reviewer for federal grant applications and then became a grant writer in her own right. Amanda enjoys helping clients navigate the full grant lifecycle, from research to reporting. She is passionate about supporting mission-driven organizations in achieving their goals.Amanda earned a BS from Cornell University and a Master’s in Public Affairs with a certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Washington. She lives in Bellingham, WA with her husband and their dog. Amanda enjoys spending time in the outdoors on foot, road bike, or mountain bike; traveling to new and exciting destinations; and practicing her Italian language skills.
We are always looking for new team members who are passionate about helping nonprofits create change in their communities, working in a team environment, and using their writing skills to create community impact. Learn more and apply here.