Team | Bernuth & Williamson

Debbie Feinberg

Debbie Feinberg has over 25 years of experience in financial, human resources, and business processes. She started her career as an auditor with Deloitte & Touche LLP. She then moved to Arthur Andersen LLP in the role of Operations Manager for the Risk Consulting practices in the Mid-Atlantic region. She has worked as a consultant focusing on human resources, strategy, and implementation projects, including serving as interim COO/CFO for several organizations. Debbie was the VP of Finance for a large DC area arts institution with a $30 million dollar annual budget and most recently served as CFO of Parabilis, a $90 million private lending company which specializes in providing working capital to government contractors.

Debbie earned her B.S. in Accounting from the University of Maryland Honors Program. She has held both a CPA license and Professional Human Resource (PHR) certification. She serves on the DC board of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Bill Leahy

Bill has worked with Bernuth & Williamson since 2014 and has over 30 years of experience leading and supporting community-based conservation efforts on behalf of prominent organizations. His extensive work has guided organizations toward stronger alliances and deeper collaborations to achieve a more significant impact. Bill has focused on community conservation priorities, including ecological restoration, climate resilience, public-private partnerships, and coalition-building.

As the Executive Director of The Big Sur Land Trust and the Maryland Environmental Trust, Bill has successfully shifted the focus toward land and water conservation as a means to support healthy and resilient local communities. His efforts have also addressed critical land use issues related to climate change, clean water, and environmental justice. Bill’s leadership roles with The Nature Conservancy on the southern and the central coast, including as Deputy Director of the Jack & Laura Dangermond Preserve at Point Conception in Santa Barbara County, California, further underscore his expertise in this field. Bill helped to found Forever Maryland, an organization dedicated to building a more connected and resilient land trust movement in Maryland.

Bill received his Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University and spent his early career in Commercial Real Estate in Washington, D.C. He is a former member of the California Council of Land Trusts Board.

Bill and his wife, Lorien, live in Santa Barbara with their border collie, Mabel, and enjoy outdoor camping, fishing, music, gardening, and cooking.

Naamal De Silva

Naamal serves as the Vice President for Together for Birds at American Bird Conservancy, where she advances equity, diversity, and inclusion within the organization and works with partners to incorporate justice into conservation. Earlier in her career, Naamal worked with experts in many countries to identify priorities for biodiversity conservation. After nearly a decade of working at Conservation International, she shifted to consulting work, both independently as the founder of Mayla, and with Bernuth & Williamson.

For four years, she taught a seminar class in environmental justice at George Washington University, where she previously completed a doctorate in education. She also has a Master’s in Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment and a Bachelor’s in Biology and Environmental Studies from Swarthmore College. Naamal was born in Sri Lanka, grew up in Washington, DC, and cares deeply about community, wild beings and places, history, storytelling, and cities.

Julia Podevin

Julia Podevin is a consultant specializing in international development, social impact and sustainability. Her experience includes strategy, program and project management, research and analysis, and monitoring and evaluation. She has contributed to projects at Bernuth & Williamson since 2011. Her prior experience includes work with multilaterals, government agencies, NGOs and the private sector both at HQ level and in the field, including with the World Bank, the US State Department, NYC’s Department of Education and J.P.Morgan’s investment bank. She holds a MBA from INSEAD and a BA in Economics and Political Science from Macalester College and is a native speaker of English and French.

Courtney Tee Fletcher

Courtney, at Bernuth and Williamson since 2022, has spent her career in policy and advocacy NGOs and has a special interest in working those in niche scientific, technical, or geopolitical domains. She is currently the Senior Officer at Global Shield, where she is working to grow the organization from its start-up phase. Previously, Courtney founded and led the Office of Foresight and Prediction at Open Nuclear Network, where she implemented an innovative approach to modeling the risk of nuclear catastrophe and worked with other stakeholders to connect this analysis to risk reduction work. Courtney’s earlier experience spans organizations focused on education, housing, and other pressing domestic issues.

She holds a B.S. from Abilene Christian University and a Master’s from Harvard University.

David Williamson

David Williamson has been Managing Director of the consulting firm of Bernuth & Williamson (www.bernuthconsulting.com) since 2002, working with leading institutions in the United States and around the world on issues of strategy, organizational development, and change management. His clients reflect the diversity of the nonprofit sector: public health and service organizations; global development and international affairs groups; environmental and conservation organizations; foundations and philanthropists; associations and quasi-public agencies; and educational and research institutions.

In addition to his consulting practice, David teaches in the executive education programs of the Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. Previously, he was an adjunct professor of business administration at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, focusing on nonprofit managemnent. His work on measuring performance in nonprofit organizations appeared in The McKinsey Quarterly and has been widely cited in the academic literature. In partnership with the nonprofit practice at McKinsey & Company, David has published articles on nonprofit capacity-building, organizational alignment, and policy advocacy.

During his 13-year career at The Nature Conservancy, David served in a variety of senior management capacities, including terms as Director of Communications and Vice President for Marketing. The lead author of three organization-wide strategic planning initiatives, his redesign of Nature Conservancy magazine in 2002 won multiple national magazine awards. As a journalist in the 1980s, he received two first-place prizes for reporting from the Maryland-DC-Delaware Press Association.

In 2000-01, David was a visiting Senior Fellow in the Aspen Institute’s Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy Program. He has also been a Fellow at the Salzburg Seminar in Salzburg, Austria, and was a Princeton-in-Asia Fellow at the Korea Development Institute in Seoul in 1984-5.

David has served as a member, volunteer, or advisor to many nonprofit boards. Educated at the Phillips Exeter Academy, he graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University.

Thomas Brendler

Thomas Brendler, Special Advisor, currently serves as Senior Program Officer at the van Beuren Charitable Foundation, a family philanthropy in Newport, Rhode Island. Since joining the Bernuth & Williamson team in 2008 as a Senior Associate, he has led strategy efforts with clients including Yale School of the Environment, the Center for Health and Gender Equity, Defenders of Wildlife, the Independent Education Consultants Association, and Seed Global Health. Before moving into consulting, Thomas held leadership positions in several nonprofit organizations, with a particular interest environmental conservation and social justice. As part of this work, Thomas designed, facilitated, and participated in dozens of collaborations, networks, and partnerships, including a global coalition of peasants, communities, and indigenous peoples that had a lasting impact on UN negotiations.

Thomas has been a guest lecturer at Brown University, a freelance business journalist, and a mentor with Social Enterprise Greenhouse. He currently serves as President of the Grantmakers’ Council of Rhode Island and is the author of A Part of This Earth: Three Generations of Progressive Philanthropy in Georgia, and the forthcoming Shepherds of the Trees: the Forest Stewards Guild and the Rise of Ecological Forestry in the United States. His writing has also appeared in McSweeney’s, Open Letters Monthly, and Grist. He holds a B.A. from Tufts University and a Master’s in Forestry from Yale University, where he humbly served as lead singer in the garage-rock band Charismatic Megafauna. He and his family live in Providence, Rhode Island.

Ashley Gasque

Ashley brings over 30 years of expertise in international development, primarily with USAID funding. Specializing in growth strategies for businesses and nonprofits, she excels in maximizing business development investments. Ashley has a proven track record of boosting revenue through organic expansion, strategic partnerships, and innovative approaches such as acquisitions and joint ventures.

Ashley joined B&W in 2022. Before that, she served as Vice President of Business Development at Dexis Consulting Group, where she spearheaded the company’s growth from $12M to $100M in revenue, facilitated its graduation from 8(a) status, and coordinated three successful acquisitions. Her prior experience includes senior business development roles at Management Sciences for Health and the International Executive Service Corps (now called Improving Economies for Stronger Communities), overseeing business development in over 20 countries, primarily in Africa.

In addition to her consulting work with B&W, Ashley serves on the board of directors of Impact Network, a nonprofit dedicated to primary education and community development in Zambia, and serves as an adviser to several small businesses and nonprofits in the US, Mexico, and across African. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Connecticut and numerous post-graduate certificates, including in Mergers and Acquisitions, Agile Management, and Strategic Management. Ashley has lived in Egypt, Zambia, South Africa and Kenya and currently resides in Mexico.

Andrea Fuller

Andrea is a strategy and communications consultant. She uses her engineer brain to help clients make an impact on complex situations with concrete plans, clear metrics and creative storytelling. Andrea also produces and facilitates high-stakes meetings that are both productive and fun – thanks to her 20+ years experience as a stand-up comic. She began working with Bernuth & Williamson in 2023, but has collaborated with individuals on the team since 2007.

Andrea works with organizations as diverse as The World Bank, UNICEF, The World Health Organization, The Fuller Project Global Newsroom for Reporting on Women, The Center for Alexandria’s Children, and the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers. She is also a Partner and Producer in a film production company, Just Add Firewater, that uses well told stories to compel action. Andrea holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering Degree from Georgia Tech and Master of Public Affairs degree from the LBJ School at the University of Texas at Austin.

Berkeley Darr

A strategic advisor to nonprofits, foundations, and associations, Berkeley helps leaders strengthen reputation, revenue, and results in service of missions ranging from health and human services to conservation, education, and international development. She collaborates with her clients to define shared purpose, infuse innovation into strategy, and build the capabilities and routines needed to succeed. Berkeley particularly enjoys coaching clients on crafting viable answers to emerging trends or specific barriers to impact.

Berkeley joined Bernuth & Williamson as a Principal Consultant in 2016 after serving in senior management positions overseeing national and international marketing communications and philanthropy business units. While at The Nature Conservancy, she led marketing communications teams in North America and globally, while overseeing corporate partnerships, brand initiatives, and volunteerism programs aimed at growing revenue and expanding constituencies. During her consulting career, she’s partnered with leading institutions, including WWF, FeedingAmerica, USO, The Common Application, SourceAmerica, and PSI. Berkeley is a former United States Peace Corp Volunteer and graduate of The College of William and Mary. She currently lives in Virginia with her husband and three children.

Dana Bos

A principal with B&W since 2016, Dana brings 25 years of expertise working with organizations around strategy, change, talent development and program implementation. Known for her practical, real-world mindset, she has extensive cross-sector experience in both the business and nonprofit sectors, including stints at Intel and Management Sciences for Health. Dana is dedicated to enabling thriving teams, leaders and managers in any workplace setting – hybrid, remote or fully in-person. She has worked both as an internal resource and as a consultant with domestic and international organizations in small, mid-size and large enterprise settings. She’s known for developing practical solutions that work in complex, fast-moving environments.

Dana has worked around the world, in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and SE Asia. A graduate of Colgate University, she received her M.Ed in Learning and Instructional Design from Arizona State University. She resides in Boston MA and, in her spare time, serves as historical tour guide for Boston By Foot and an art and architecture tour guide at the Boston Public Library.

Suzanne Aloi

Suzanne Aloi joined B&W as a consultant in 2018, bringing extensive fundraising, marketing, operations, and board development for domestic and international non-profit programs to her consulting work. Prior to joining B&W, Suzanne launched and managed capital campaigns, including major donor prospecting and fundraising, board development and staffing, and brand marketing initiatives. She crafted and conducted in-country training in fundraising and board development for conservation organizations throughout South America.

Suzanne’s experience also includes overseeing special events, direct mail fundraising, and major donor research. She is a skilled communicator and thoughtful leader who is effective in diverse cultures and business environments.

Suzanne completed both her B.A. (International Affairs) and M.B.A. at The George Washington University and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Howard County Conservancy in central Maryland.

Stephanie Flack

Stephanie applies over 20 years of experience in the conservation and non-profit world to her work advising organizations in strategic planning and management. Since joining the B&W team in 2015, she has supported regional, national and global clients in the environmental, health, philanthropic and educational sectors.

Stephanie has extensive experience designing and managing complex, multi-partner initiatives, including an award-winning partnership to protect natural areas in the Washington, DC region. Over nearly two decades with The Nature Conservancy, she served as a planner and project director, securing millions of dollars to create and implement priority projects and programs. Stephanie previously worked as a long-term consultant at The World Bank and as Executive Director of the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital. She volunteers her time as a board member and advisor to conservation organizations in the Washington metro region.

Stephanie earned a master’s degree from the Yale School of the Environment after graduating from Princeton University with a degree in biology and a certificate in environmental and health policy.

Alyson Heyrend

Alyson Heyrend joined Bernuth & Williamson Consulting full time in 2020 after serving in a range of communications, marketing and research roles for both nonprofit and government entities. Her focus on strategic research supports organizations’ goals through integration of audience, message and tactics.

An award-winning journalist, Alyson worked for 15 years in print and broadcast journalism in Utah and Idaho, holding positions as a producer, reporter and news anchor. She also worked as director of development and communications for The Nature Conservancy, both in state field offices and under the direction of the national office.

From 2001-2012, Alyson served as Communications Director for Utah Congressman Jim Matheson. She next served as Communications Director for Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams for 6 years and then worked for him in the same capacity when he was elected to Congress.

Alyson is a journalism graduate from Utah State University and holds a M.A. in Strategic Communications from Westminster College.

Dr. Lisa Karlisch

Dr. Lisa Karlisch has a broad base of both consulting and operational experience in non-profit and commercial organizations. Since 2005, Lisa has provided strategic planning, and organizational development consulting services to corporations, membership organizations, foundations and non-profit institutions in the health care, social services, and education sectors among others. Lisa’s consulting experience began at McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm, where she facilitated strategy development for numerous Fortune 500 organizations. Lisa was Chief Administrative Officer for Buchanan & Edwards, a government IT consulting firm, where she led and strengthened all back-office functions of the organization. She also served as Chief Operating Officer at the Center for Multicultural Human Services, a community mental health organization dedicated to serving the needs of immigrants and refugees.

Lisa received her Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology from Duke University. She received her B.S. from Virginia Tech in Psychology and Sociology. While at Virginia Tech, she played varsity volleyball and was the second female athlete to have her jersey retired. She continues to be active with Virginia Tech, chairing the board of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and serving on the Virginia Tech Alumni Board.

Patrick Bernuth, Founder

Patrick spent 30 years in managerial, financial and general management positions in the private sector before founding Bernuth & Williamson in 1997. As the firm expanded over the past 12 years, his work has involved extensive operational planning, change management and development work for a wide variety of non-profits including cultural institutions, universities, and research, social service and environmental organizations.

Patrick has played a principal role in initiating and assessing non-profit business ventures and has written on strategy and management issues for The Chronicle of Higher Education, Learned Publishing and other journals.

During 14 years at CBS, Inc. Patrick held a variety of editorial and management positions including President, Praeger Publishers. He is a graduate of Princeton University and has an MBA from Columbia University. Patrick has been a member of the Executive Council of the American Association of Publisher’s Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division and served on the Association’s Public Issues Task Force. He was a member of the Publishing Advisory Board at the Brookings Institute. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Princeton University Press and was President of that Board for more than 10 years.

Charles Moore

Charles is a strategy consultant and executive coach who helps leaders and organizations be more effective. He is the author of Strategic FUEL for Nonprofits, which helps leaders learn how to conduct a strategic planning process that both delivers a great strategy and creates an organization that can drive strategic change and continually refresh its strategy.

Charles started his career at McKinsey & Company, where he advised leading companies, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies. Charles also has experience as a product leader, having launched several products and customer experiences and having led multiple business programs at Capital One. He has extensive experience in the nonprofit sector, including serving as Chair of multiple boards.

Charles holds an AB in Economics from Harvard College and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, graduating as an Arjay Miller Scholar (top 10% of the class) and with a Public Management Certificate. He also holds a MA in Education from the Stanford Graduate School of Education and a Certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University.

Martha Blue

Martha has over two decades of experience in strategy, marketing, and operations. Since beginning her consulting career at McKinsey & Company, she has served as consultant, coach, and interim executive to a wide range of for-profit and nonprofit organizations – from start-ups to some of the world’s largest organizations. She brings to her work excellent communication skills, intelligence, humor, and an emphasis on building and developing the right teams. She is known for her ability to gather and integrate information, quickly synthesize the situation, identify key issues and opportunities, and find the shortest distance between Point A and the right Point B. Early in her career, Martha held positions at Goldman Sachs and The Conservation Fund. She has served on several nonprofit boards and began working with B&W in 2020.

Martha holds an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School, where she graduated at the top of her class, and a cum laude undergraduate accounting degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

David Williamson, Managing Director

David has been Managing Director of Bernuth & Williamson since 2002, working with leading nonprofits, foundations, and academic institutions around the world on issues of organizational strategy and effectiveness. In 2000, he was a visiting Senior Fellow in the philanthropy program at the Aspen Institute; earlier he held fellowships at the Salzburg Seminar in Austria and the Korea Development Institute in Seoul. Based in Washington, DC, he has taught nonprofit management at Georgetown University since 2001, training hundreds of nonprofit leaders in the U.S. and abroad through the Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership. His research on building nonprofit capacity and measuring performance in nonprofits, which appeared in The McKinsey Quarterly, has been widely cited in the academic literature. Before joining B&W, he spent many years in senior management positions at the worldwide office of The Nature Conservancy, including terms as Director of Communications and Vice President for Marketing. His redesign of Nature Conservancy magazine won multiple awards from Folio. He was also the lead author of three organization-wide strategic plans and helped design two capital campaigns. He has served in leadership positions on the boards of many nonprofits and other philanthropic entities. Educated at the Phillips Exeter Academy, he graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University.

Lindsay Clarke

Lindsay is a consultant specializing in conservation, international development, education, and nonprofit management. As founder of Breaking Ground, an international NGO working in Cameroon, Lindsay brings more than 18 years of experience in nonprofit leadership. In her roles as both Executive Director and Board Chair, she has overseen a range of programs in women’s entrepreneurship, small-holder agricultural development, girls’ empowerment, and the financing of grassroots community infrastructure projects. Lindsay is also a classroom-tested educator, having spent 13 years teaching history and social studies to middle and high school students.

At Bernuth & Williamson, Lindsay brings experience in strategy, program management, monitoring and evaluation, and research and analysis. Since 2007, she has partnered with organizations including World Wildlife Fund, the Campaign Legal Center, Winrock, Oxfam, the Center for Reproductive Rights, Pact, and the League of American Bicyclists, among others.

Lindsay holds a dual masters in International & World History from Columbia University and the London School of Economics and a BA in Sociology and French Studies from Wesleyan University. She lives in southern Maine with her family.

Betsy Garside

Betsy brings more than 25 years in leadership roles at nonprofits and in the private sector to her consulting practice. Working with nonprofits, foundations, and progressive companies, Betsy defines and develops research-based strategies to build strong organizations and brands, focusing on growth, impact and profitability.

Working with Bernuth & Williamson since 2008, Betsy leads projects for clients in the fields of sustainability and conservation, international health and development, grantmaking, and international affairs. She launched her career at Ketchum Communications, working on marketing and issues communications in New York and Washington, and followed that with a set of roles in sustainable agriculture and food marketing.

Betsy currently serves as president of a small foundation, sits on the Santa Fe Tree Board, and serves on the advisory board for Dress It Up Dressing, a Certified B Corporation. She holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in American history from the University of Pennsylvania.

Our Team

Patrick Bernuth
President

David Williamson
Managing Director

Suzanne Aloi

Martha Blue

Dana Bos

Thomas Brendler

Lindsay Clarke

Berkeley Darr

Dr. Naamal De Silva

Debbie Feinberg

Stephanie Flack

Andrea Fuller

Betsy Garside

Ashley Gasque

Alyson Heyrend

Dr. Lisa Karlisch

Bill Leahy

Charles Moore

Julia Podevin

Courtney Tee Fletcher

Our Team

Patrick BernuthPresident

David WilliamsonManaging Director

Suzanne Aloi

Martha Blue

Dana Bos

Thomas Brendler

Lindsay Clarke

Berkeley Darr

Dr. Naamal De Silva

Debbie Feinberg

Stephanie Flack

Andrea Fuller

Betsy Garside

Ashley Gasque

Alyson Heyrend

Dr. Lisa Karlisch

Bill Leahy

Charles Moore

Julia Podevin

Courtney Tee Fletcher

Patrick Bernuth
President

David Williamson
Managing Director