MY BRAND STORY………

Growing up in a home consumed with alcoholism and domestic violence reinforced one fundamental truth that would serve me throughout both my personal and professional career. When something doesn’t align with my core values, I am willing to walk.

I’ve walked away from my own abusive relationship.

I’ve walked away from a Governmental Boss who wanted me to act out of integrity.

I’ve walked away from a New Director who refused to master her job and wanted me to do the work for her.

I’ve walked away (as a business owner) from 500k and 1.5M dollar contracts because they weren’t being awarded in a way that would allow them to stay compliant.

Integrity is one of my core values, and I’m not willing to do anything or work with anyone who pushes up against it.

However, the one thing I will never walk away from is my commitment to impacting previously overlooked communities. Communities that have been left to “fend for themselves.” What I didn’t know when I started on my professional path in Public Administration was, often, the money needed to properly service, help, or impact minority, rural, and poor communities is available; however, those communities don’t have the proper tools, insight, and strategies, to access it.

That’s what I’m here for now—to ensure that people and communities who are in need of help get it.

As children who grew up in a small southern rural town surrounded by a ton of family, we were taught early on to work hard, care for our neighbors as we would ourselves, and remember, “Nobody was coming to save you.” And guess what, they didn’t.

However after working in three separate administrations in various capacities:

• As a City Executive
• Reorganizing the city government twice
• Winning a best practice for the State of Florida award for work with the public/private partnership within the Capitol Improvement Office
• Headed a new Grant Office

I’ve learned first-hand how the funding cycle works and how I could effect change by leveraging my skill-set to help organizations (both public and private) develop a strategic plan, gain access to funding, properly manage their funding, and most importantly, ensure they stay in compliance with the funding that was awarded.

Early in my career, I had the fortune of working for a State Representative who embodied integrity, attention to detail, community impact, and being a servant’s leader. Her influence on my career was profound because that’s where I learned the importance of being thorough, doing the research, asking the questions, and using my voice and platform to represent those who don’t have one—another thing that would impact the decisions I made and moves I made moving forward.

When I decided to leave the City Government and hang out my shingle, I intended to help each client properly understand the funding cycle. I want them to be prepared, understand the industry, be able to tell their story so that they are awarded the money they seek, then understand how to manage it so they not only retain it, but are awarded some more.

Today, as the owner of The Affinity Consulting Group and The Fund Finders®, I consider myself a strategic partner and educator. I understand that most of my clients are embarking on the funding process for the first time. Whether that is helping them gain access to governmental contracts, landing a non-profit grant, or gaining access to additional lines to capital so they can scale their business, I’m here to provide them with the blueprint for need so they don’t have to walk away from their dream of making an impact.

My hope is that one day little girls and boys across the nation don’t have to be told to learn that if their community is in desperate need, they need to suck it up and deal “because nobody is coming to save them.”