Mitchell Wasserman, MBA
PRESIDENT
Mitch brings over 30 years of experience in fundraising, business development, strategic planning, and sales and marketing to his clients. Throughout his career, he has assisted non-profit and for-profit organizations in the creation of economic and social value. He brings insight and passion to each and every consulting engagement.
Wasserman’s career began in the for-profit sector working in managed health care for thirteen years. Transitioning into the non-profit sector in 1999, he served as the senior fundraising executive for Jewish Family Service Association of Cleveland, Cleveland Scholarship Programs (now known as College Now of Greater Cleveland, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cleveland.
He launched The Wasserman Consulting Group in 2009 working with a number of organizations involved with social service, mental health and addiction recovery, affordable housing and homelessness, senior care, the arts, education, health care, economic policy, senior care, entrepreneurship, and the environment. Client projects have encompassed all aspects of fundraising and strategic planning.
Mitch serves the community as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Greater Cleveland and Jewish National Fund, and a member of the Leadership Cleveland Advisory Council. He serves as a lay leader of the Greater Cleveland Congregations, a non-partisan coalition of faith-based communities working for social justice. He earned his BA in Psychology from Northwestern University and his MBA in Finance and Health Systems Management from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management. He and his wife of twenty-seven years live Beachwood, Ohio.
Nora Hennessey, MNO
SENIOR CONSULTANT
In her capacity as a consultant to non-profit organizations, Nora shares her wealth of knowledge and experience in the areas of capital campaigns, strategic planning, administration, and fundraising with her clients. She provided 17 years of institutional advancement leadership at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). During previous years, she enjoyed professional success at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, as Director of Advancement & Capital Campaign at Magnolia Clubhouse, and as Campaign Director at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
Nora’s educational background includes graduation from St. Joseph Academy in Cleveland, leading to a BA with dual majors in Business and Psychology from Walsh University, as well as a Master's Degree in Non-Profit Administration from the Weatherhead School of Management and the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at CWRU. She is a Member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Greater Cleveland, Northern Ohio Planned Giving Council, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Greater Cleveland (NAMI) as a community volunteer. Nora and her spouse have lived in Fairview Park, Ohio for nearly twenty-five years.
David Biegel, PhD
SENIOR ADVISOR
David is the Henry L. Zucker Professor Emeritus of Social Work Practice at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University. He has been involved in research pertaining to the impact of chronic illnesses and developmental disorders on families for the past several decades. He is also the author of numerous publications and research grants principally focused on family caregiving with a variety of populations, including adolescents and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders, frail elderly individuals, persons with severe and persistent mental illness, and those with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
David joined the team to share his wide-ranging expertise in the areas of aging and mental health. He is also a passionate advocate for social justice and has facilitated actions to affect systemic change.