Meet the Team

The staff at Nonprofits First manages daily operations, programs and services. Our amazing team of professionals comes from various backgrounds with the experience, knowledge and skills to set the standard for nonprofit best practices and deliver exceptional services to our nonprofit causes.

Jessica Cecere

CEO

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Jessica Cecere

CEO, Business Entrepreneur, Consultant, and Financial Literacy Expert

Jessica Cecere, is the Chief Executive Officer of Nonprofits First, Inc.

Jessica Cecere is the Chief Executive Officer of Nonprofits First, Inc. and has over 30 years of nonprofit leadership experience. Ms. Cecere has also been a small business shareholder, a consultant, and an active community volunteer. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Florida State University. She is a BoardSource Certified Governance trainer and a Certified True Colors Facilitator. In years past, Jessica was also a Certified Consumer Credit Counselor and a Certified Counselor for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Ms. Cecere is an expert in board governance, nonprofit management, leadership facilitation and personal finance and has appeared in numerous local and national publications. Cecere was a long time local television media source in the area of credit and personal finance, as well as, serving as a frequent guest host on Clear Channel Radio’s WJNO morning news.

Jessica Cecere has a long history of community involvement with many community service and nonprofit organizations. She is a graduate and active alumni of Leadership Florida and Leadership Palm Beach County. Jessica also serves as a volunteer on numerous committees. Jessica has served on 12 plus nonprofit boards and advisory councils from 1992 – 2022. Jessica is the Immediate Past Board Chair for the Better Business Bureau of Southeast Florida and Puerto Rico and is also a current board member. She also serves as a board member of Leadership Palm Beach County and the Financial Executives Alliance for First Republic Bank.

She can be reached at 561-214-7442 or jcecere@nonprofitsfirst.org.

Tracy Amara

Director of Membership

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Tracy Amara

Director of Membership

Tracy’s mission as Nonprofits First’s Membership Director is to help new, emerging and established nonprofit organizations and affiliates grow and sustain their mission, leadership, employees and revenue while utilizing the wealth of resources available through membership and engagement with Nonprofits. She has returned to the nonprofit space after spending five years in healthcare and hospitality management roles. Tracy previously spent ten years as a senior leader in nonprofit operations and donor recruitment, where her organization achieved and exceeded critical collection goals for six consecutive years, while maintaining exceptional levels of compliance and donor satisfaction. She is a certified speaker, trainer and coach, who also brings to Nonprofits First more than twenty years of experience in sales, marketing, business development, community relations, customer service, financial services, trade show, event and conference management, and ministry.

Tracy is a native Floridian who grew up in Miami Beach and now lives in the western communities of Palm Beach County. She is an avid reader who is most passionate about the causes of animal rescue and women’s ministry.

Tracy can be reached at 561-910-5069, or tamara@nonprofitsfirst.org.

Marilyn Bieber

Director of Programs & Events

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Marilyn Bieber

Director of Programs and Events

Marilyn Bieber’s mission as Nonprofits First’s team member is to illuminate the many ways membership and the benefits it offers will strengthen organizations individually, thereby improving the community as a whole. As Membership Director she provides continuing support to members to access a robust menu of resources available through membership. Marilyn has nearly 10 years experience working for non-government organizations that serve the public good. Most recently Marilyn excelled in membership development for the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, marking a record breaking year in bringing in new members. Previously, she worked in an independent capacity as an accreditation specialist for a heritage not-for-profit consumer reporting organization, a function vital to consumer protection.

Marilyn earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communications/Journalism from Fresno State University. In 2014 she achieved a Master of Arts Degree in Media & Communications Psychology from Touro University Worldwide. She is an avid life learner and serves as Vice President of Public Relations for a Toastmasters International club. Marilyn is most passionate about providing affordable housing as a cornerstone for quality of life and, in her free time, she enjoys doing zumba and public speaking.

She can be reached at Office: 561-910-6678 or mbieber@nonprofitsfirst.org.

Trudy Crowetz

Director of Accreditation

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Trudy Crowetz

Director of Accreditation

Trudy has been involved in nonprofit leadership for over 25 years. She is a Certified Public Accountant who has served as the Chief Financial Officer for several nonprofit organizations during her career. Trudy has been focused on achieving organizational excellence for these organizations, and she brings her vast expertise in this area to Nonprofits First, where she has also worked as a fiscal reviewer, as a member of the Standards Committee and the Accreditation Task Force, and as a graduate of the 2014 Rising Leaders program.

Trudy strives to be a servant leader who puts the needs of others first. She served in the Emergency Operations Center during two hurricanes, and she was instrumental in assisting the county with securing volunteers and medical staff to serve in the shelters. She later received recognition from the county as being a “Hero of the Storm”. Trudy has a long list of accomplishments in leadership including being chosen as the Nonprofit Professional of the Year in 2022 at the Hats Off Awards. She is an active community volunteer who advocates for women in leadership and has served as President, Secretary, and Treasurer for Executive Women of the Palm Beaches Foundation. She currently serves on the board of the Croquet Foundation of America as the Treasurer, and she enjoys playing croquet in her free time.

Trudy can be reached at 561-910-6679, or tcrowetz @nonprofitsfirst.org.

Peter Cruise

Director of Development and Marketing

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Peter Cruise

Director of Development and Marketing

Peter is a Palm Beach County native with a rich academic and professional background focusing on improving the ethical climate in public sector programs and organizations in the community. Since graduating with his Ph.D. in Public Administration, his professional career has included positions such as Executive Director of the LeRoy Collins Public Ethics Academy and Affiliate Associate Professor at Florida Atlantic University. In his free time, Peter enjoys long distance biking and attending Broadway plays.

Though we are welcoming Peter to “Nonprofits First Team of Professionals," he has already been involved in Nonprofits First for nearly four years as a member of the Nonprofits First, Inc. Board of Directors. In addition to being a board member with us, he has served on several other Palm Beach County boards and has an extensive background in network and fundraising. He is most enthusiastic about joining Nonprofits First staff because this position will give him the opportunity to more deeply pursue his passion of supporting and strengthening nonprofit organizations through the mission and message of Nonprofits First.

Peter can be reached at pcruise@nonprofitsfirst.org.

Marie-Ange Delva

Bookkeeper

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Marie-Ange Delva

Bookkeeper

Marie is supporting our Director of Finance, Delferine Spooner, in maintaining financial records for organizations in the nonprofit community. She is originally from North Carolina but went to college in Florida at Indian River College, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting in 2022. Her work experience includes nearly a year and a half as a Bookkeeper with Nonprofits First and volunteer work with Gospel Tabernacle of Faith, where she helped with financial tasks, business administration, and counseling young children. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching documentaries, and singing.

Contact Marie at mdelva@nonprofitsfirst.org.

Susan Erichsen

Accreditation Project Leader

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Susan Erichsen

Accreditation Project Leader

Susan supports our Director of Accreditation, Trudy Crowetz, in initiating, developing, maintaining, and revising the Accreditation Standards, Pathway 2 Excellence (P2E), on-site review processes, and training, operational, and resource materials to help nonprofit organizations successfully obtain and maintain Nonprofits First, Inc.

Susan has over 25 years of experience working with nonprofits as both a part of the staff and volunteer corps. Her previous positions include managing a Foundation and a Historical Society were very experiences and broadened her understanding of the important role nonprofits play in our communities. She has worked with many small nonprofits implementing and refining Strategic Planning, Development, Governance and Administrative processes. Susan grew up in Maryland where she graduated from Maryland University University College with a Bachelor of Science in History and a Master of Science in Business Management with a focus on Nonprofits. Her favorite causes are women’s issues and historic preservation, and, in her free time, she enjoys reading, historical research, painting, crochet, and playing with her two dogs.

Susan can be reached at 561-910-3892, or serichsen@nonprofitsfirst.org.

Johan Henry

Bookkeeper Part-Time

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Johan Henry

Bookkeeper

Johan is supporting our Director of Finance, Delferine Spooner, in maintaining financial records for organizations in the nonprofit community. Johan is an accomplished undergraduate honor student at the University of Central Florida studying for his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Finance. He served as a Career Pathway Leader on the Black Leadership and Achievement Team at FAU, providing professional assistance and guidance to members pursuing various career paths. Additionally, Johan has three years of customer service and sales experience with success in executing retail advertising projects, improving sales strategies, and utilizing excellent intrapersonal communication skills at Best Buy, Piesanos Stone Fired Pizza, and Mercedez Benz. He said he is most passionate about the fight for equal treatment in the criminal justice system and, in his free time, he enjoys working out and listening to music.

Nate Olver

Accreditation Project Leader

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Jessica Cecere

Nathan Olver – Accreditation Project Leader

Nate is supporting our Director of Accreditation, Trudy Crowetz, in managing non-profit accreditation cases. Nate is a high-achieving graduate student at Palm Beach Atlantic University in his final semester of obtaining a dual Master of Science in International Development and Business Administration. He graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. As part of his master’s program, he assisted in the development of a national agricultural cooperative in Costa Rica as well as the development of policy proposals designed to bolster the agricultural sector amongst small and medium growers in the country. Nathan is the co-founder and vice president of The Organization for Social Innovation, a civil society organization working to facilitate solution-driven discussion that promotes engagement, awareness, and action regarding local, national, and global issues. Nate’s interests include sports, reading, surfing, and making coffee, a skill he honed as a barista at Johan Joe’s.

Nate can be reached at nolver@nonprofitsfirst.org.

Delferine Spooner

Director of Finance & Operations

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Delferine Spooner

Director, Finance & Operations

Delferine is a Certified Public Accountant who has been providing financial and administrative services to nonprofit organizations for over 25 years. Delferine has worked as an Auditor, Controller, Chief Financial Officer and Director of Finance and Operations. She is an expert in nonprofit financial management and has worked with dozens of community nonprofit organizations. Delferine is from Jamaica West Indies and completed her alma mater at Baruch College in New York. She is most passionate about educating others and, in her free time, she enjoys playing sports and going on walks with her family.

She can be reached at Office: 561-214-7441 or dspooner@nonprofitsfirst.org.