This page is being updated, please return soon for additional profiles of team members and affiliates.

Christina Ryder, MA

Christina Ryder graduated with a Master of Arts in Social Science with a concentration in Demographic and Social Analysis from the University of California, Irvine and a bachelor of arts in Sociology from Vanguard University of Southern California. While at the University of CA, Irvine Christina assisted and lectured on fundamentals of social science research writing and throughout her academic and professional career has conducted research that has been used to direct national health policy. Christina has also been a grant writer for over 6 years and, as a fundamental area of expertise, has been successful in securing foundational, corporate and federal requests for multiple non-profit organizations, coalitions, and grass-root projects. Since January of 2006 through September of 2007, Christina has assisted in securing $36.1 million for non-profit social service groups nationwide (specifically federal ACF Healthy Marriage Grants, other State and Federal Health and Human Services grants, foundation as well as corporate grants, and other forms of funding assistance). She has served in various capacities within non-profit organizations including in direct service, administrative, training, conference, and academic research review capacities. An activist at heart, Christina has dedicated most of her personal research and volunteer efforts to addressing the needs faced by at-risk youth, those affected by poverty, and women and children victims of violence. Currently she serves as a volunteer on the Board for the Committee for Natural Resources. In addition to her roles at Christina Ryder & Associates, LLC and the Grantwell, LLC Christina is per course faculty at Missouri State University in the Sociology, Criminology, and Anthropology Department.

Jule Colvin

With over 20 years of experience in the non-profit world, Julé Colvin has helped a multitude of people through her work with a wide variety of organizations. Ms. Colvin’s efforts have helped at-risk youth, high school dropouts, developmentally disabled adults, inner-city neighborhoods, low-income homebuyers, the hungry, abused and neglected children and illiterate adults. Her career has allowed her to gain extensive experience in non-profit management as the Executive Director of a Community Housing Development Organization and as the Director of an inner-city Neighborhood Center. Additionally, Ms. Colvin gained valuable experience serving as a Development Officer and as a Director of Development. Ms. Colvin’s professional passion, however, is found in writing grant proposals. Ms. Colvin has been serving as a private grant writing and management consultant for the past 3 years for several faith-based agencies. Julé is a graduate of Kent State University, graduating with both Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa honors. She has been happily married for 18 years and has two children.

Jennifer Willis (Affiliate)

For the past few years, Jennifer worked as the Grant Coordinator at a faith-based grant writing nonprofit called We Care America. In 2005, working for the VP of Grants Development, she led a team of grant writers and editors to write 21 CCF Mini grants, with about a 35-40% success rate . WCA was also a CCF Demonstration grantee, and she assisted in providing trainings for faith and community based groups on how to write CCF grants. In 2006, Jennifer helped write a manual that we published on CCF grants, which included winning samples from grants along with strategy and budget help. Also in 2006, she met Chris Gersten, who was a consultant to WCA. With Chris and the VP of Grants Development, Jennifer led a team of about 20 grant writers, editors, assistants, and a budget specialist to submit 17 HHS Healthy Marriage grants (60 pages each), where they won approximately 45% of the grants and secured $25,000,000 over the next 5 years. Currently, she work at a large disaster-preparedness nonprofit in Washington, DC as a Grant Writer and continues to do grant consulting on the side. She is also the volunteer Development Director for a national volunteer-focused nonprofit called One Brick.