Vice President | Andrew Gutierrez | he/him

Term(s): 1/2025 - 12/2026

Andrew has worked in the philanthropy space since 2018, having held roles such as Associate Director of Development Organizations at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and as a Systems Analyst and later Data Scientist at Cleveland Clinic’s Philanthropy Institute. Much of his professional focus has been on using technical tools like SQL, Python, and Tableau to support organizations’ prospect development efforts through data analytics, with a particular focus on building statistical models for identifying and segmenting prospects, for measuring capacity and affinity, and for predicting donor behavior.

Andrew graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor’s in Arts Administration & Policy, and he is currently pursuing his Master’s in Data Science at Northwestern University. He relocated to Chicago from his native Cleveland in late 2023 and is excited to be joining the Apra-IL board and to be getting further involved with the local prospecting community. Outside of the philanthropy world, you can likely find him at his “5 to 9” gig as an indoor cycling instructor at Chicago’s Fitness Formula Clubs.

Secretary | Melanie Pozdol

Term(s): 1/2025 - 12/2026

Melanie Pozdol has worked in Prospect Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL since October 2019. Currently serving as Associate Director of Prospect Management and Analytics at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, Melanie provides guidance to gift officers on portfolio management, assists with formulating prospect strategies, helps to plan and execute prospect pool analyses, and works closely with fundraisers to ensure they are effectively moving prospects through the fundraising pipelines. Melanie is passionate about data analysis and visualization in Tableau and is a member of several Tableau User Groups, including the HETUG, the Advancement TUG, and the ARD TUG, which she created for Tableau users across Northwestern’s Alumni Relations and Development department.

Previous roles include serving as Project Manager for data analytics and DonorScape at Grenzebach Glier + Associates and serving as the Principal Oboist of the Great Falls Symphony Association and Chinook Winds in Great Falls, MT. She holds degrees in music performance from the Eastman School of Music and the University of South Carolina.

In her free time, Melanie is an avid runner. She is a member of Team USA for the Women’s Beer Mile and is a 3-time Beer Mile World Classic podium finisher, including serving as the 2022 Beer Mile World Champion. Other activities include performing as principal oboe in the Lakeview Orchestra, playing pickleball, and spending time outside.

Treasurer | Priya Balachandran | she/her

Term(s): 1/2023 - 12/2024; 1/2025 - 12/2026

Priya joined the Apra-IL Board in 2023, initially serving as the Director of Membership before transitioning to the role of Treasurer. She is an active volunteer and has presented for Apra International as well as its local chapters. Currently, she is serving her second term on Apra International’s Fundamentals Committee and has also contributed as a volunteer on the Awards Committee.

Priya is a dedicated researcher and passionate nonprofit professional with experience across the pharmaceutical, healthcare, education, and social service sectors. At Northern Illinois Food Bank, she manages all aspects of prospect development, has helped establish structured, effective approaches to prospect research, and is currently implementing a new prospect management process to enhance her team’s efficiency. Beyond her primary responsibilities, Priya is a committed contributor to organization-wide initiatives. She has served on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, where she helped launch the Data and Ethics Subcommittee, and contributed to the Strategic Plan UNITE - Pathway Advisory Committee. She is actively involved with the Organizational DEI Strategies Subcommittee and the Changemakers Taskforce.

In the broader nonprofit sector, Priya co-leads programming for the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Chicago’s Continuous Learning Council and has played a key role in launching and co-leading Feeding America’s Philanthropy Operations and Analytics Community of Practice. She also teaches at HTGC, a local nonprofit organization, where she developed an online teaching curriculum. Additionally, she has been contributing to planning nonprofit sector conferences, including the 5th International Thirukkural Conference and the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance’s Elevate Conference.

Director of Marketing | Martha Ortinau Rowe

Term(s): 1/2024 - 12/2025

Martha is a seasoned development professional with a career spanning over ten years, characterized by progressive leadership, operational excellence, and impactful fundraising across the healthcare, education, and nonprofit sectors. With a strong passion for program innovation and growth and a background in Prospect Research & Development, Annual Giving, and Major Gifts fundraising, Martha combines strategic vision with a deep understanding of data analytics and constituent relationships to achieve remarkable results.

While at Northwestern Memorial Foundation, Martha has developed the Prospect Research and Development department from one person to a dynamic five-person team responsible for supporting fundraising infrastructure as well as strategic partnerships with Principal Gifts, Major and Mid-Level Giving pipeline development, physician engagement, Events, Foundation Relations, and Corporate Giving. In addition to supporting the PR&D team, Martha drives NMF’s Strategic Initiatives and Special Projects through research, benchmarking, and implementation of key initiatives.

While not at work, Martha enjoys spending time with her husband, 2 year old daughter (endearingly dubbed “tiny monster”), and 10 year old “puppy” taking distracted hikes or watching shows on the couch while the tiny monster sleeps.