Mentorship Matters

Heidi Lee leads the major donor advising team in building lasting relationships with donors who support MVP and grassroots organizations across the country. As a development professional she knows that lifting the voices of women and women of color in the philanthropy world will make an enormous impact in our society.

Her experience includes over twenty years in the philanthropic environment, working with and for social justice organizations, educational institutions and political action committees. She has seen first hand how passionate people can make a difference. Born in South Korea and raised in Las Vegas, NV to immigrant parents, she learned at an early age that giving voice to the voiceless was her calling. After spending over eighteen years in California, she is back in Las Vegas with her spouse, son and cat.

Jennifer Mora is the Senior Director, Major Gifts, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Community Initiatives at the University of San Francisco.

As Senior Associate Dean of Development at UNC Kenan-Flager Business School, Shontel Grumhus leads a team of 27 development professionals and reports to the dean of the business school. Under her leadership, the UNC Kenan-Flager has exceeded a $400 million campaign goal for the School, overseen a successful new building campaign; and broke the record for best fundraising year ever at UNC Kenan-Flagler in '21 and '22. She has personally closed more than $33.3 million in gifts and commitments in FY21-22 and $50 million in FY20-21.

Damon Sununtnasuk is the founder and CEO of two award winning companies - Natural Cure Labs LLC and Sunt Group LLC. He has an internationally decorated career in health, technology, and entrepreneurial leadership. Damon has led business efforts at several technology companies, including Microsoft, Google, and Samsung in London, Berlin, and Seoul, respectively. Damon’s work and travel has taken him to more than 70 countries across six continents.

Damon earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Florida and his Master of Business Administration (First-Class Honours) from the University of Cambridge, England. Damon current serves on the Board of Directors for the University of Florida Alumni Association and lives in Mexico City, Mexico.

Anthony L. Jenkins, Ph.D., became the eighth President of Coppin State University (CSU) on May 26, 2020. A respected higher education leader, he is an advocate committed to creating opportunities for all students, especially those from underrepresented communities.

He is a champion of public policy issues that foster meaningful dialogue within the landscape of higher education. President Jenkins has delivered keynote addresses to audiences across the United States and internationally. His speeches, research, presentations, and publications have been focused on economic development, crisis management, enrollment and retention, diversity, leadership, African-American male initiatives, social justice, first-generation college students, funding higher education, mentoring, and high-risk college campus behavior such as alcohol consumption and sexual misconduct.

President Jenkins is leading the Coppin State University family with an unwavering commitment to student-centeredness, excellence, transparency, and accountability. Through collaboration with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the Baltimore community, President Jenkins is positioning Coppin State University to become a national leader in urban higher education that transforms the lives of students, from all backgrounds. Coppin State University is recognized, nationally, for its healthcare, business, psychology, criminal justice, teacher education, social work, and STEM academic programs.

President Jenkins has expanded the academic portfolio by developing and implementing new, high-demand academic program offerings, such as: the certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the Master of Science in Health Information Management, the Bachelor of Science in Data Science, the Master of Science in Applied Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and the Master of Science in Polymer and Materials Sciences. Greater emphasis has been placed on adult learners and, therefore, three fully online degree programs are under development with the Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems recently receiving full approval for online offering. The Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education – Human Development, Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management, and the Doctorate of Nursing Practice will be submitted for approval to offer through online modality.

As President of Coppin State University, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Hippodrome Foundation; the Baltimore chapter of President Obama’s national initiative, My Brother’s Keeper; Healthcare Access Maryland; the Maryland Zoological Society; the Boy Scouts of America – Baltimore Area Council; the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities; and the national advisory council for Ninety To Zero. He is also a member the President’s Council of the Greater Baltimore Committee.

President Jenkins has been honored by several civic organizations and universities for his leadership on social change and community engagement. He has been invited to discuss important higher education issues on various media outlets, appearing on Maryland Public Television, Fox News, CBS News, The Jim Strawn Talk Show, HBCU’ish, Hoppy Kercheval – WV MetroNews, IHeart Radio, TEDCO Talks, WOLB, HBCU Digest, C-SPAN, The Box Podcast, NPR and the Roland Martin Show. President Jenkins has been inducted into several prestigious academic honor, business, and leadership societies, including Alpha Kappa Psi; Phi Kappa Phi; Sigma Alpha Pi; Alpha Sigma Lambda; Omicron Delta Kappa; Alpha Phi Sigma; Pi NU; and Order of Omega. The Baltimore Business Journal included him in their 2021 cohort of “Faces to Watch.”

Born in Washington, D.C., and raised between the nation’s capital and North Carolina, Jenkins is a United States Army veteran who began his path to the presidency as a first-generation college graduate of Fayetteville State University. He earned a master’s degree from North Carolina Central University and a doctorate from Virginia Tech. President Jenkins is the first graduate in the history of Virginia Tech’s Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) doctoral program to become a college or university president.

President Jenkins is married to his college sweetheart, Toinette Jenkins, who proudly serves as the First Lady of Coppin State University. They have two daughters.

Dr. J. Michael Bonnette joined the University of Lynchburg team as the vice president for advancement in 2016. Prior to joining the Lynchburg team, Dr. Bonnette served as the assistant vice chancellor for development at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, where he increased the amount of scholarships awarded to students from private funding sources and implemented capital fundraising campaigns, in addition to other accomplishments. Earlier, he served as associate director for development at the University of Southern Mississippi Foundation, where he rebuilt the development and stewardship programs. He also served in several development and alumni programming positions at Clemson University.

Prior to his work in higher education, he was a project manager for a technology firm that provides and analyzes data for the agricultural chemical industry.

Dr. Bonnette earned three degrees from Clemson University, completing his Ph.D. in 2015 with a dissertation entitled, “A Case Study for Complex Systems Leadership in Higher Education Fundraising.”