Our Team

Derric Bakker is one of those rare individuals who has been in fundraising for almost his entire career. In 1990 – just a couple years out of college – Derric was offered opportunity to serve as Development Director for a…

With 44 years of experience in fund raising and 36 years as a fund-raising consultant for Christian organizations, Clark Dickerson has personally provided counsel for hundreds of organizations on virtually all development topics. Clark is known for his hands on…

Since Mindy was a child she has been involved in fundraising and sharing the gospel for Christ in one way or another. From three to twelve years old she was the principal character on “The Filling Station”, a television program…

Jolene has become the cornerstone of our team since her beginnings with Dickerson, Bakker & Associates. Jolene has over 20 years’ experience in executive administration and finance, event coordination & hospitality. Canadian born & raised, Jolene and her husband now call Raleigh, NC home. When she’s not coming to the rescue of her co-workers, Jolene enjoys spending time with her husband of 30 years, their 3 married children, 2 grandsons, and of course Finley, the newest 4-legged member of her growing family.

Jeff loves getting the opportunity each day to help ministries, whose work revolves around making much of Christ, grow their mission and vision through improved funding. “My passion is helping ministry executive and development leadership identify areas of great opportunity, formulate the plan to make it a reality, and then bring it to fruition.”, he says.

Christina has more than 30 years of experience serving to advance the missions of local, national and international nonprofits. Her professional career includes two decades of leadership in high impact organizations specializing in Christian philanthropy, evangelism and discipleship, higher education,…

Shawn has more than eleven years’ experience in philanthropy and nonprofit leadership.  In 2008, he transitioned from a sales career to the non-profit sector to serve as Director of Development at a local Rescue Mission where he had been volunteering…

David is a certified grant professional (GPC) and has worked in the non-profit development field since 1997.  He has led organizations in areas such as prospect research and management, direct response fundraising, and institutional funding and has taught or presented…

Jeff comes to the firm with nearly 20 years of major gift fundraising and development experience within the non-profit and higher education sectors. He also has a strong retail management and small business ownership background that has shaped his client…

Amber Christoferson brings to the team of DickersonBakker Executive Search more than a decade of combined experience in corporate executive recruiting and non-profit leadership. As Group Vice President of DickersonBakker Executive Search, her leadership role unites her two professional passions…

Rev. Dr. Kurt Appel was born in New Orleans, LA where he lived until moving to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 1990.  Prior to entering the ministry, Dr. Appel was an engineer with Sharp Electric, Inc., a family-owned commercial and…

Randy helps leaders of Christian organizations rise to the next level through focused vision and fundraising. He says, “Only the Gospel is going to change culture.” Randy coaches today’s nonprofit leaders to be better and smarter about what they do,…

Jason joined DickersonBakker in 2020 as Vice President, Client Services. With nearly three decades of major gift fundraising experience, Caniglia has played a leadership role in securing more than $660 Million for Non-Profits and leading high-performing teams to secure an…

9Barbara has more than 30 years of experience in nonprofit management and corporate career management, including nine years as the vice-president of advancement for a $46 million global faith-based nonprofit. Prior to that she served ten years with a large…

Bobby joined DickersonBakker in 2021 bringing his expertise working with stakeholders across the world as well as local communities to optimize corporate, individual, and foundation funding for organizational projects and operational needs. Bobby is part of a rare group of…

Tom joins our firm bringing over 30 years of development leadership experience with faith-based non-profit organizations. Shortly after graduating from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Tom was hired by their stewardship department to work on their first billion-dollar campaign. He…

Todd Nichols brings over 25 years experience to the DickersonBakker Grant Services team. His career spans across the globe including assisting philanthropists with project due diligence and evaluation, and nonprofits with grant development and project funding. Todd’s primary focus is…

Like most every grant professional, Amanda fell into the field through no fault of her own. She quickly discovered that grant work fit her personality and skills, and since 2001 she’s been writing, managing, and training with the best of…

Melanie is a native of Western North Carolina & joined the Dickerson, Bakker & Associates team in January 2016 as Marketing & Lead Generation Manager. She has a B.A. in Mass Communications from Wingate University & brings over 15 years' experience in digital marketing, branding, content curation & strategic planning to the team. When she isn’t putting her creative superpowers to use, Melanie enjoys volunteering at her church, exploring the Blue Ridge mountains with her camera & setting out on various adventures with her young son.

Working with non-profit leaders has been a deep passion for Roy. Before joining DickersonBakker as a CEO Coach, he served as President/CEO of Wycliffe Bible Translators, American Bible Society, and The Seed Company. Prior to these executive roles spanning over…

Prior to joining DickersonBakker, Sandy served as Vice President of Operations and Director of Surveys for Cargill Associates, Inc. where she supervised the daily assignments and tasks of the company, directed Cargill Associates’ consultants and support staff, as well as…

Shelby is a “nearly-native” Texan who joined the team at DickersonBakker in July 2021. She holds a B.A. in English from Tarleton State University and brings experience in multi-site church ministry, as well as Christian higher education. She delights in…

Rachael brings experience in a variety of fields with a focus on nonprofit work including the North Carolina State Education Lottery, as well as office manager for a local church & the Coastal Pines Girl Scouts. Rachael is an alumna…

Eva is a native North Carolinian who joined the team at DickersonBakker in August 2020.  She has a B.A. in Business Administration, summa cum laude, from Belmont Abbey College with additional accounting work at North Carolina State University.  With over…

Dr. Virts helps ministries grow through his research and strategy insight. His keen eye for growing audiences and revenue for Christian ministries and nonprofits helps their vision become a reality. Dr. Virts has a Ph.D. in speech communication from the…

Ron’s professional career includes over 30 years of retained executive search and consulting experience, successfully conducting engagements for a broad array of clients ranging from non-profits and academics to financial services and electric utilities. His underlying focus has and continues…

Victoria joins DickersonBakker Executive Search after nearly three decades in the nonprofit world, working for some of the most respected organizations in the nation. Her career is a culmination of real-world experience, passion for helping others, and finely-tuned expertise in…

Jill joined the team at DickersonBakker in January, 2020. Sensing an internal shift to vocational ministry, Jill transitioned careers in 2013 after 25 years in the financial services industry. Fundraising consulting combined her vast financial services experience with her desire…

With more than twenty-years of senior leadership and c-suite experience, Rich is a life-long learner who is oriented toward growth and constantly pursues ways to challenge himself, others, and organizations to lead with excellence.  As such, he has earned a…

Dave’s professional career includes almost 15 years’ experience managing creative and production services for dozens of successful major donor weekend events, which have collectively raised tens of millions of dollars. Also an accomplished videographer, Dave has traveled the world chronicling the impact of mission. Dave is a story-teller at heart, with a knack for boiling down complex ministries to a concise narrative, peppered with strong emotional content to help move people’s hearts and to drive them to invest.