Meet the Sunflower team

Chase has been involved in grant writing for 15 years. He started working in Emergency Management for a small coastal NC municipality and wrote a few successful grants. He loved the fact that he was able to connect his writing experience with improving the service of local community resources. It was then that Chase decided to focus on working with nonprofit organizations, higher education, and local governments in all things grant writing.

Chase loves connecting generous foundations, government agencies, and private funders with impactful organizations that truly make a difference in the communities they serve. He is grateful to have the privilege to assist these organizations in reaching their missions and making a powerful change in their communities and audiences. Chase loves getting to spend his time working with amazing people and missions.

Fun Fact: Since 2016, Chase has been a hobbyist glassblower. He is also an ordained minister that has performed weddings, and he makes an amazing lasagna!

Elif has worked in development for nine years, wearing different hats in non-profits and collectives. They started writing grants in 2015 while working for a reproductive rights non-profit in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Elif loved the mixture of strategy and creativity it demanded. Since then, they have worked in gender justice, Jewish organizing, youth development, and community arts, getting people the support they need for their wonderful work.

Elif loves that being a grant writer puts them in touch with fascinating people and projects. Grant writing broadens their sense of what people are busy with and passionate about.

Fun Fact: Elif is an avid cook – currently busy perfecting their Massaman Curry and Chicken Musakhan recipes. 

Larissa started grant writing 25 years ago for a community center called Sunflower House. She quickly started working with a variety of nonprofits, including homeless youth art programs, the largest classical Chinese garden in the United States, a Waldorf school, several local library systems, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Larissa helped nonprofits raise grants as small as $500 for gas to bring a medical van to uninsured communities and as large as millions of dollars to create a soaring riverfront building for Portland Opera. She loves learning from passionate people about subjects that are new. She gets personally invested in every project and does everything she can to help people fund their dreams.

Fun Fact: Larissa once threw out the first pitch at a Seattle Mariners game, fulfilling a lifelong dream of appearing on a JumboTron!

Guin brings lots of research, writing and publishing knowledge to the Sunflower team. She has a background in biological research and has helped fellow researchers and peers in a collaborative setting to develop and prepare grants for research.

Guin loves the challenge of new opportunities. She enjoys the research process and learning about new topics.

Fun Fact: Guin has described two new species of parasites and completed hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.

Craig has been involved in grant writing since 2020. He completed his master’s degree in public administration and has always had a love of public policy and grants are a natural extension of how policy can impact funding.

Craig loves a good challenge. He is always amazed by the fact that he can find grants for each of our clients where their mission aligns with funders giving priorities!

Fun Fact: Craig played trombone professionally for 30 years in the United States Air Force.

Sarah Sewell brings more than 15 years of experience supporting mission‑driven organizations through grant writing, proposal development, and program design. Her work spans academic institutions, associations, grassroots organizations, government agencies, and private firms, with a focus on translating complex initiatives into clear, fundable narratives. Over her career, she has helped secure millions of dollars in federal, foundation, and corporate funding and supported programs advancing environmental, digital, and social stewardship. Her work has been recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Baker Leadership Foundation and has been featured by outlets including NPR, Forbes, and Grist.

Fun Fact: Sarah is an avid LitRPG reader and a devoted fan of progression fantasy, with favorite authors including Shirtaloon, Haylock Jobson, and Mark Arrows.

Nzuki brings 15+ years of grant strategy and resource mobilization, translating complex ideas into winning proposals for nonprofits, social enterprises, and global programs. He has helped secure $15M+ from federal, foundation, and corporate sources—partnering with funders like Gates, Rockefeller, Microsoft, Soros, and multi-year awards with USAID, UNDP, and UKAID. His work spans the U.S., Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, where he builds cross-sector partnerships, designs compliant grant systems, and leads high-quality proposals with a consistently high success rate.

Fun fact: A devoted student and teacher of Japanese culture and cuisine, Nzuki is especially passionate about kaiseki cuisine. He also collects regional yukata (Japanese male traditional robes)—with more than a dozen in his wardrobe from all the prefectures of Japan—and is the author of Bridging Japan & Africa, available on Amazon.

Wendy brings experience in nonprofit operations, program management, workforce education, and process improvement to the Sunflower team. Throughout her career, she has led complex programs, developed scalable systems, managed compliance and reporting requirements, and helped organizations operate more effectively. At Sunflower, Wendy supports grant writing, grants management and compliance, reporting, and the development of standard operating procedures that strengthen organizational capacity and support long-term growth.

Wendy loves helping mission-driven organizations build the structure and processes they need to maximize their impact and achieve their goals.

Fun Fact: When she’s not working, Wendy enjoys hiking with her husband and their Maltipoo, playing pickleball, and relaxing at home with their cat.

Jessica has spent more than 20 years helping mission-driven organizations strengthen their fundraising, operations, and long-term sustainability. Her career has included leadership roles in government, nonprofits, and consulting, where she has guided organizations through grant strategy, organizational development, capacity building, and strategic planning. She loves helping clients move beyond simply chasing grants to building the strong foundation that attracts sustainable funding and lasting community impact.

Jessica loves learning about each client’s unique mission and partnering with organizations that are creating meaningful change in their communities. She especially enjoys helping organizations connect their vision to practical strategies that position them for long-term success.

Fun Fact: Jessica has given a TEDx Talk, completed multiple 5Ks, and is always planning her next travel adventure.

Judi brings experience across academia, federal agencies, and consulting to the Sunflower team. She holds a Ph.D. in health communication and has supported clients such as the CDC, FDA, and American Academy of Pediatrics. Her experience as a former federal health communication specialist gives her an understanding of federal expectations and requirements.

Fun fact: Outside of work, Judi expresses her artistic side by creating handdrawn greeting cards.