Our Team
M. Gale & Associates believes it takes a top-quality team to produce top-quality work for our nonprofit clients. We’re proud that 80 percent of our fundraising professional consultants are Certified Fund Raising Executives (CFRE), with a combined total of more than 220 years of fundraising experience.
Missy Gale, CFRE – President
As president and founder of M. Gale & Associates, Missy Gale, CFRE, has dedicated almost three decades to crafting unique strategies and solutions to complex fundraising projects and organizational issues, resulting in transformational fundraising success for her clients.
Barbara Shelton, CFRE – Vice President
Barbara Shelton, CFRE, is a veteran fundraiser and nonprofit executive with 35 years of experience working with a wide variety of nonprofit organizations and providing consultancy services.
Laura Hutyra, CFRE – Director of Client Engagements
Laura Hutyra, CFRE, applies her deep knowledge of and extensive experience in fundraising to serve a broad array of clients. Her expertise in communications helps clients implement consistent and mission-focused messages throughout fundraising engagements.
Karen Perry, CFRE – Client Engagements Consultant
Karen Perry, CFRE, approaches her clients with a deep understanding of the work of growing a development program over time, as well as experience in addressing broad nonprofit management concerns.
Barbara H. McColm, CFRE – Senior Associate
Barbara McColm, CFRE, has more than 30 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, working with clients in healthcare, retirement living services, and community service organizations.
Anna Hammonds, CFRE – Associate
From healthcare and the arts to community service organizations, Anna has worked with dozens of M. Gale & Associates clients to help them achieve their missions.
Anne Robillard, CFRE – Associate
Anne Robillard, CFRE, brings 30 years of experience in sales and marketing to optimize M. Gale & Associates’ strategic approach to fundraising to benefit the clients with whom she works.
Jill Dalager Brunner – Associate
Jill Dalager Bruner has more than 20 years of experience in program management, leadership and fundraising with arts, higher education and social service agencies.
Shay Dickerson, Executive Assistant
Shay Dickerson is engaged in many aspects of M. Gale & Associates’ work with clients. Shay is a master at keeping things running smoothly in the M. Gale & Associates office and is often the first person you’ll meet if you stop by or call.
Missy Gale, CFRE – President
As president and founder of M. Gale & Associates, Missy Gale has dedicated almost three decades to crafting unique strategies and solutions to complex fundraising projects and organizational issues, resulting in transformational fundraising success for her clients. Her career includes fundraising and public relations for hospitals, museums, educational institutions, community service organizations, faith-based organizations, and many others.
Prior to launching M. Gale & Associates in 2009, Missy served in public relations and fundraising positions with Harris Methodist HEB Hospital, the Harris Methodist Health Foundation, and Fort Worth Zoo, and as a consultant with Lawson Associates. From the moment she launched her own firm, Missy has taken pride in building a team of proven professionals who bring a variety of experience in the nonprofit sector and a track record of success in fundraising practice. She and her team have helped nonprofit organizations all over the country develop campaign strategies, implement major giving and relationship-driven fundraising programs, and elevate the fundraising prowess of staff, CEOs and board members.
Missy completed undergraduate studies at the University of Delaware and obtained her B.S. in Journalism from the University of Texas at Arlington. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive, and has served as national chair of the Association of Philanthropic Council and as a board member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Fort Worth chapter. In 2014, Missy was named Outstanding Professional Fundraiser by the AFP Fort Worth chapter. She has served on a number of nonprofit boards and committees, including Big Brothers Big Sisters International and Cristo Rey High School Fort Worth.
A resident of Fort Worth, Missy is a passionate cyclist and is a member of the Health’s Angels cycling team. She and her husband have two grown daughters.
“The business of nonprofits and the business of fundraising are conduits to the greater good that most people strive for to better society, better humanity and, ultimately, to live happy and health lives. What better career could there be?”
Barbara Shelton, CFRE - Vice President
A veteran fundraiser and nonprofit executive, Barbara Shelton joined M. Gale & Associates in 2018 as vice president. Barbara’s 35 years of professional experience includes working for a wide variety of nonprofit organizations, as well as consulting. Her interest in fundraising started at an early age, when she began raising money for the American Cancer Society after her mother died from cancer.
Prior to joining the M. Gale team, Barbara most recently served as chief development officer for ACH Child and Family Services in Fort Worth, providing strategic direction for fund development, marketing and volunteer services. During her career, Barbara has led fundraising and communications efforts for organizations including the Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains, the Diocese of Birmingham (Alabama), the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dallas. Barbara founded a full-service philanthropic fundraising, marketing and consulting practice in Birmingham, Alabama, which she led for more than a decade, helping to fund significant rural and urban nonprofit fundraising expansion projects in Alabama.
A Certified Fund Raising Executive, Barbara earned her degree from the University of Akron (OH). Early in her career as a social worker, she was driven to use her passion for others to make a difference. Barbara currently resides in Fort Worth, where she serves in a leadership role for several civic, local and national professional organizations and is a national trainer and author. She is a creative strategist, who builds strong relationships to help nonprofit organizations, staff and volunteer leaders reach their highest fundraising potential.
“The cornerstone of any consultant-led service is knowledge and trust in your advisors. Our M. Gale & Associates team are dedicated professionals with a proven track record that drives results for nonprofits in the most creative, heartfelt way.”
Barbara H. McColm, CFRE - Senior Associate
A founding member of the M. Gale & Associates team, Barbara McColm has more than 30 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, including healthcare, retirement living services, and other community service organizations. With experience in internal assessments, development administration, major gift fundraising, planned giving, facilitation, strategic planning, and capital and endowment campaigns, Barbara offers guidance to a variety of M. Gale & Associates clients for successful philanthropic initiatives.
Before joining the firm in 2009, Barbara served in senior leadership roles with the Harris Methodist Health Foundation and the Sears Methodist Retirement System. Barbara joined the ranks of nonprofit philanthropic consultancy in 2005, when she opened McColm & Associates and joined Douglas M. Lawson Associates.
Barbara is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive. In 2004 she was honored with the Association of Healthcare Professional Rockies and Southwest Region Professional award. She has spent many years volunteering and serving her community in various endeavors with the Gladney Center for Adoption, Junior League of Fort Worth, Junior Women’s Club, Kappa Alpha Theta Alumnae, Community Foundation of Abilene and St. John’s Episcopal School in Abilene. Currently she serves as a board member of the Episcopal Foundation of Dallas.
“Nonprofits serve an important role in our world, passionately and economically serving those who are in need. I have been fortunate to initiate programs that exist today because they were built on the concept of helping others with dedicated planning, strong relationship building and passionate leaders.”
Anne Robillard, CFRE - Associate
Anne Robillard applies 30 years of experience in sales and marketing to fortify her work with M. Gale & Associates nonprofit clients. A founding member of the firm, she joined M. Gale in 2009. From the beginning, Anne’s focus has been on identifying potential nonprofit organizations that could benefit from the M. Gale team’s strategic approach to fundraising. Over the years, she has worked with a wide variety of clients, from healthcare to museums to those that provide much-needed community resources.
Prior to joining M. Gale & Associates, Anne served in various marketing and sales positions for Fort Worth Country Day School, The University of Texas at Arlington, Kinko’s, and IBM. Anne approaches her work with the mindset that consulting is an art and a science – there are processes and steps to take in client work, and each client engagement warrants customization unique to its needs and culture.
Anne is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and she is a Certified Fund Raising Executive. She has served in many volunteer leadership roles on UT councils, including chairing the McCombs School Associates Council for the Center of Leadership & Ethics. She is a member of the board of directors of the Dallas chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
A native of Fort Worth, Anne and her husband currently reside in Flower Mound. They have two grown daughters.
“As a fundraising consultant, it’s gratifying to know that what we do at M. Gale & Associates benefits a nonprofit organization’s ability to fulfill its mission. When nonprofits succeed, it genuinely makes the world a better place. That’s why I chose nonprofit consulting.”
Laura Hutyra, CFRE - Director of Client Engagements
As Director of Client Engagements, Laura Hutyra works closely with M. Gale & Associates consultants to oversee the work of all client engagements and deliverables. As a consultant, she applies her deep knowledge of and extensive experience in fundraising to serve a broad array of clients. Laura also brings expertise in communications to help clients implement consistent and mission-focused messages throughout fundraising activities.
Prior to joining M. Gale & Associates, Laura held development positions with All Saints’ Episcopal School of Fort Worth, Hill School, and the Fort Worth Zoo. Since joining the M. Gale team, Laura has partnered with a large number of clients on a variety of projects, including feasibility studies, development assessment and plans, campaign management, implementation and coaching.
A native of Fort Worth, Laura currently calls the city her home. She earned a bachelor of arts in English from Texas A&M University. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Fort Worth Chapter, a member of Leadership Fort Worth’s Leadership Class of 2020 and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive.
Laura’s volunteer activities mostly revolve around her children and church, having served as chair of her church’s capital campaign, teaching in the children’s ministry, and coaching girls in youth sports. She considers herself fiercely competitive and grew up playing a number of sports. When she was just 15, she had the opportunity to travel to Nagaoka, Japan with the Sister Cities program to compete in volleyball.
“I like knowing that my work makes a difference, and it’s amazing to see the impact of philanthropy on our community. I love people, and fundraising is all about connecting with people.”
Karen Perry, CFRE - Client Engagements Consultant
Karen Perry, CFRE, brings extensive nonprofit fundraising and leadership experience to her work with M. Gale & Associates clients. The foundation for Karen’s consulting practice is more than 10 years in lead development roles with two organizations in Atlanta, Georgia, where her experience included annual giving, major gifts, grant writing and events, as well as marketing, strategic planning, planned giving and capital campaigns. A self-described generalist, Karen has worked with many nonprofits, including human service, healthcare, historic preservation and literacy organizations.
Prior to joining M. Gale & Associates, Karen was an independent fundraising consultant specializing in small shop fundraising, coaching, development planning and grant writing. A Certified Fund Raising Executive, Karen is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and has served on the boards of the Fort Worth chapter and the Greater Atlanta chapter.
A native Virginian, Karen holds a degree in Mass Communication and English from James Madison University and studied at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta. She is a graduate of Atlanta’s Midtown Leadership Program and is a member of the Junior League of Fort Worth. Karen is a committed volunteer in the community, having served on the board of governors for the Care and Counseling Center of Georgia, on committees at her church, and on the Lily B. Clayton Elementary PTA Board.
“In consulting, there are always new people to meet, problems to tackle and opportunities for growth. I love working with new clients, becoming engaged in their mission and helping them set and achieve strategic goals. It’s wonderful to see the outcome of the collective hard work of organizations, their boards and the M. Gale team.”
Anna Hammonds, CFRE - Associate
From healthcare and the arts to community service organizations, Anna Hammonds has worked with dozens of M. Gale & Associates clients in North Texas since 2010. As an associate, Anna’s expertise includes general planning and management, as well as feasibility studies, strategic planning, capital campaign management, board training, coaching, and retreat facilitation. She has assisted M. Gale & Associates clients with business needs, research and data management.
Prior to M. Gale & Associates, Anna served in several development roles with Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star. She has grown with the M. Gale team through the years, earning the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential in 2011.
A graduate of the University of North Texas, Anna currently resides in Midlothian, Texas and is active in her church and in her community. She was named to the 2018 Ellis County 40 Under 40 and she was a member of Leadership Midlothian Class of 2018. She is also a board member of several organizations, including Manna House and the Midlothian Education Foundation.
“I approach each organization with which I work as if I’m personally a new member of their team, ready to serve them and help in any way I can.”
Jill Dalager Brunner - Associate
Jill Dalager Brunner’s work with nonprofits began in the early 1990s, when she was a student radio announcer at the University of North Dakota’s Prairie Public Radio. Since then, she has served in program management, leadership and fundraising roles for arts, higher education and social service agencies.
Dedicated to the nonprofit sector, Jill has served as an executive director, development director and director of annual giving. She joined the M. Gale team in 2018 as an associate.
Jill opened her own fundraising consulting firm in 2014 and moved to the DFW area from Minnesota in 2017. Her broad experience in fundraising includes capital campaign management and counsel, annual giving, prospect research and identification, proposal writing, development audits, and board and staff professional development. In her role with M. Gale & Associates, she works with clients to develop customized approaches for a variety of philanthropic needs.
Jill earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of North Dakota and an M.A. in museum studies from the University of Washington. Jill currently resides in Keller, TX.
“Fundraising consulting provides the freedom to partner with a variety of organizations whose missions make the community better for everyone. Every client engagement is a learning opportunity for me.”
Patricia R. Thomson, PhD - Associate
Patricia Thomson has a wealth of nonprofit experience, including executive leadership roles with multiple organizations in North Texas and New York. Patricia’s formal education focused on environmental toxicology, but she sought deeper fulfillment in her work. When Patricia decided to pursue a role as executive director of a small environmental education organization, she fell in love with nonprofit work. Patricia brings strategic insight and fundraising knowledge to clients to help them achieve success and fulfill their missions.
Prior to joining M. Gale & Associates in 2019, Patricia was executive director of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of North Texas and Oklahoma for seven years. She also served in executive roles with the American Red Cross Chisholm Trail Chapter, Girl Scouts-Circle T Council in Fort Worth, Girl Scouts of Dutchess County in Poughkeepsie, NY and United Way of Columbia and Greene Counties in Hudson, NY. Patricia’s fundraising responsibilities have included implementing and growing giving programs, spearheading special events, grant writing, campaign oversight, donor relations, and more. In addition, she has helped build dozens of boards, developed and implemented strategic plans, and worked to increase staff and volunteer retention.
A native of New York, Patricia has called Texas home since 2004. She is a certified nutritionist, coach, cook and instructor. She loves to hike and is an avid birder.
“ I chose to join M. Gale & Associates because of its outstanding reputation in the field of nonprofit consulting. I have always been impressed by the firm’s professionalism and expertise. With more than 25 years of experience as a chief executive officer/executive director of several nonprofit organizations and in fundraising, I can say that I enjoy it and I have been very successful at it. It is a privilege to come to work with M. Gale & Associates and bring my expertise to the table to help our clients.”
Shay Dickerson - Executive Assistant
As executive assistant, Shay Dickerson interfaces with clients and with our M. Gale team every day. In addition to helping onboard new clients, she is involved in many aspects of our work with clients throughout their engagements.
With a degree in speech, language, and hearing sciences, Shay brings experience in caring for the needs of others and an appreciation of the importance of clear communication to her role. Since joining the M. Gale team in 2018, Shay has completed a certification in nonprofit management at the University of Texas at Austin. She has volunteered for a small arts organization in Fort Worth and is a member of the Fort Worth chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Prior to joining M. Gale & Associates, Shay served in several coordinator, assistant and customer service roles for North Texas companies.
A native of Coppell, Shay currently resides in Fort Worth. She is a graduate of Texas Tech University Health Science Center. In her free time, she enjoys gardening.
“Fundraising chose me. I wanted a career that was fulfilling, exciting, different each day, and a place where I could truly make an impact.”