our team

NFP Partners is made up by a team of financial experts committed to helping nonprofits focus more on their impactful missions and less on their accounting woes. The team members listed below come from diverse nonprofit backgrounds and have sharp accounting technology knowledge to serve the needs of our clients.

To learn more about the team members at NFP Partners, click the names below. NFP Partners’ Managing Principal, Laura Jorstad, and Director of Accounting Services, Stephanie Underwood, share more about the organization in the video to the right.

Mandy Chen - Senior Accounting Consultant

Senior Accounting Consultant
Joined NFP Partners in 2022

Earned her BA in finance and accounting with a minor in economics from Kansas State University,  MBA at MidAmerica Nazarene University

As an experienced professional in the accounting and finance world, Mandy brings valuable skills to the NFP Partners team. She has spent the last 19 years in an institutional accounting setting with exposure to various investment instruments, accounts payable/receivable functions, budgeting, and comes with process improvement and management experience.

Mandy spends time outside of work volunteering for several nonprofits in her community, such as the local mission, and is actively involved with her son’s Boy Scout Troop and school PTO.  She feels it is vital to be involved in the local community and pay it forward when possible.

Trying to capture all the moments, Mandy will often be found outside enjoying time with her son and dog, watching her son play baseball, or traveling to see as much of the world as possible.

Articles Written By Mandy

Check back soon.

Makalah Emanuel - Marketing Director

Marketing Director
Joined NFP Partners in 2016
BA in journalism with an emphasis in public relations and advertising from the University of Northern Colorado

Makalah oversees and supports the organization’s internal and external communications and marketing strategies, brand management, and team culture.

She was first introduced to the nonprofit sector while serving with AmeriCorps then worked for Groundwork Denver, an environmental justice nonprofit organization. She has remained passionate about working closely with community-driven organizations and has served the nonprofit community through roles such as Marketing Associate, Digital Organizing Manager, and Volunteer and Communications Coordinator.

The Denverite loves to travel to state and national parks, visit small coffee shops, and watch the Denver Nuggets.

Rachel Giannini - Nonprofit Accounting Consultant

Nonprofit Accounting Consultant
Joined NFP Partners in 2020
Earned a BSA in Accounting from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Master of Science in accounting from Northeastern University

Rachel helps with NFP Partners’ daily accounting services and many of the company’s financial services and tax filings. She brings almost ten years of experience in public accounting and accounting services.

Prior to joining NFP Partners, Rachel held the position of tax supervisor at Bruno PC, an accounting firm in Massachusetts that focuses on small business accounting. In this position, Rachel managed the company’s financials and ensured their businesses operated efficiently. She also served at PriceWaterHouse Coopers, a top-3 nationally-ranked public accounting firm.

At PWC, Rachel helped prepare tax returns for fortune 500 companies and provided accounting services on every level.

Born and raised in the suburbs of Boston, Rachel currently lives in a small town in Massachusetts with her husband and three young children – Harper, Trevor and Brody. She enjoys going to the beach in the summer, going snowboarding in the winter, New England Sports, and participating in her children’s numerous activities.

Articles Written By Rachel

Check back soon!

Nicci Hardman - Senior Accounting Consultant

Senior Accounting Consultant
Joined NFP Partners in 2018
Earned a BA in business with an emphasis in accounting from the University of Colorado

Nicci is adaptable and approachable and has more than 23 years of experience in the nonprofit sector.

Before joining NFP Partners, Nicci worked as the controller at the American Red Cross and the Denver Botanic Gardens, and as an accounting manager at Rocky Mountain PBS. In her roles, she implemented accounting software systems, set up policies and procedures, managed all aspects of the general ledger operations, and created grant-tracking and grant-reporting processes.

Faith Hanson - Nonprofit Accounting Consultant

Faith hanson NFP PartnersNonprofit Accounting Consultant
Joined NFP Partners in 2022
Earned a BS in Accounting from Concordia University – Seward Nebraska

Faith has assisted nonprofit organizations with daily accounting functions like accounts receivables, accounts payable, and payroll. She brings experience from public accounting and agriculture along with a high knowledge base for programs like Excel and Quickbooks.

Prior to working for NFP Partners, Faith was a staff accountant with a public accounting firm that specialized in nonprofit work. She was on audits for a wide range for nonprofits and prepared 990’s for those organizations.

While in agriculture, she oversaw a region of the United States and helped with the day-to-day activities of the elevators she oversaw.

Faith lives in Omaha, Nebraska with her cat and enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, and cooking.

Articles Written By Faith

Check back sooon!

Laura Jorstad - Managing Principal

Managing Principal
Joined NFP Partners in 2010
Earned a bachelor’s degree in business and healthcare from Concordia College

Laura Jorstad is an accomplished accounting professional who brings more than 20 years of nonprofit financial management experience to NFP Partners’ clients.

Laura has served in numerous fiscal capacities, including for the State of Colorado, where she provided oversight for grant management systems and oversaw multi-million dollar budgets. Furthermore, Laura developed processes and procedures for redesigned economic systems.

In a separate role, she served as the financial and grants management consultant to a prominent Colorado nonprofit organization. In this role, she selected and implemented a financial management system, participated in the development of a five-year, statewide strategic plan. Laura also developed a $50 million business plan and budget.

When Laura joined NFP Partners, the firm was in the development stage of its accounting services delivery model. Under Laura’s direction, the firm has provided a collaborative model of accounting, CFO, and transitional services to dozens of nonprofits. Some of the firm’s original nonprofit organizations are still receiving accounting services from the NFP Partners’ team.

Laura is a certified Abila MIP Fund Accounting™ consultant and has been instrumental in the training component of NFP Partners’ implementation services. Her background in the public health and nonprofit healthcare sector has been beneficial in guiding nonprofits in the development and implementation of the software.

Laura is married to Tony and they have two children, Robert and Anna. She enjoys playing the piano, gardening, and golfing. You can also find Laura spending her free time walking the country roads, camping, or fishing in the mountains.

Katherine "Kayti" Kloimwieder - Senior Accounting Consultant

Senior Accounting Consultant
Joined NFP Partners in 2021

Earned B.S. degree from The Ohio State University and
M.B.A. from Indiana Wesleyan University

Kayti resides in Dayton, Ohio, and has over 15 years of experience helping nonprofits with their accounting and finance. She has worked both in-house and in outsourcing, supporting nonprofits and their missions as an accountant, finance director and CFO.

In her current role, Kayti provides high-level accounting services to a variety of nonprofit clients, which includes preparing and analyzing financials, creating budgets, managing grant funding, and presenting at board meetings. She has a passion for training and development and enjoys helping those new to the nonprofit arena.

When not at work, Kayti enjoys traveling and spending time with her partner, Daniel, and her cat, Eddie.

Articles Written By Kayti

Check back soon!

Kim Lovejoy - Senior Accounting Consultant

Senior Accounting Consultant
Joined NFP Partners in 2022

Earned a BS in Accounting from the University of South Florida

Kim Lovejoy is a licensed Florida CPA with over 20 years of nonprofit accounting experience. She started her career at a small CPA firm in Tampa, Florida, performing audits of nonprofit organizations, preparing Form 990s, and performing peer reviews. After over a decade of auditing, she decided to see the other side of accounting and became the Controller of a $55 million a year nonprofit.

During her time as a controller, she implemented new procedures to streamline month-end from 15 to 10 days and developed new reports to help senior management make critical decisions about operations.

Kim currently resides in Lakeland, Florida with her husband and three furbabies. When she is not working, she enjoys volunteering for local animal charities, reading, crocheting, and baking.

Articles Written By Kim

Check back soon!

John Maiolo - Accounting Manager

Accounting Manager
Joined NFP Partners in 2023

Earned a BS in Accounting from the University of South Florida

John brings a wealth of experience in finance and accounting, and a strong sense of community to the NFP Partners team. Prior to joining NFP Partners, John worked for 24 years with the prominent private equity firm, General Atlantic. John is known for his creative problem-solving techniques, leading change, and finding a way to work hard and have fun. With NFP Partners. John supports the senior and staff consultants, oversees the hiring and onboarding of new consultants, reviews client financials, and more.

John and his wife Kathy have two married daughters and one grandchild, Lucy Rae.

Articles Written By John

Check back soon!

Anne Messerli - Nonprofit Accounting Consultant

Nonprofit Accounting Consultant
Joined NFP Partners in 2017
Earned a BA in economics from the University of New Hampshire

Anne assists nonprofit organizations with accounting services such as payroll, reconciliations, and processing of month-end financial reports.

Before joining NFP Partners, Anne worked at the Colorado School of Mines, preparing employee contracts and researching discrepancies in Federal, State, and private grant balances. While in this role, she also processed travel expense reports for faculty, students, visitors, and guests of the department.

Anne has served as a Denver Public Schools’ Senior Financial Analyst for Financial Services and a grant accountant for federal programs.

Anne is married to Eric and together, they have two daughters. She loves to garden, ski, and be outdoors. Furthermore, she enjoys traveling and has been to all 50 states and many countries, including Africa.

Connie Pease - Senior Accounting Consultant

Senior Accounting Consultant
Joined NFP Partners in 2022
BA from Michigan State University

Connie Pease is a CPA who brings an extensive finance background in managing accounting functions to NFP Partners. She has spent over 25 years in various accounting and financial management positions. Before joining NFP Partners, she served as the Director of Finance for a nonprofit in Kalamazoo, MI. Over the course of her career, she has overseen accounting departments, implemented a new payroll process and database to more efficiently track and bill funding sources for services provided, and much more.

Connie believes nonprofits provide valuable resources to their communities.  She uses her skills to assist nonprofit organizations in having the support and the information needed to operate their organization and fulfill their mission.

She is married and has three adult children. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, crafting, gardening, and taking her three dogs for walks.

Articles Written By Connie

Check back soon!

Barbara De La Rosa - Nonprofit Accounting Consultant

Nonprofit Accounting Consultant
Joined NFP Partners in 2023
Earned a Master of Science in accounting from Purdue Univeristy Global and a Bachelor of Science in business administration with a major in accounting from DeVry University

Barbara holds more than 10 years of extensive accounting experience in various industries, including legal, governmental, and full-service bookkeeping for high-net-worth clients. She is known for adding a unique view and incredible value to the services we provide to our nonprofit clients. Barabara is a Notary Public in Florida and is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Prior to joining NFP Partners, Barbara redesigned internal controls for Miami-Dade County to guarantee accurate financial reporting and adherence to rules and regulations. She has also worked as an independent consultant, handling full-service bookkeeping.

Barbara resides in Boca Raton, Florida with her husband and her dog, Rocko. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her family.

Articles Written By Barbara

Check back soon!

Katie Sullivan - Nonprofit Accounting Consultant

Nonprofit Accounting Consultant
Joined NFP Partners in 2015
Earned a BA from James Madison University and a Master of Architecture Degree from the University of Colorado at Denver

Katie helps bridge support for organizations in transition to hiring a full-time accounting position. She brings over 20 years of experience in nonprofit communication, management, and financial systems.

Over the course of her career, Katie has worked with well-established organizations in addition to small, startup nonprofits. She has vast experience managing federal, state, and local grant funding.

As with many nonprofit professionals, Katie has worn numerous hats to ensure that the organizations she worked for were able to fulfill the obligation to funders, the commitment to the community, and the goal of the mission. To list a few, Katie has worn the hats of AP/AR, database coordinator, grant administrator, HR, and director of operations.

Furthermore, Katie has experience with program development and implementation.

Katie has a passion for nonprofit work and traveling. She has traveled to Europe, Southeast Asia, Latin America, one country in Africa, and Australia. When traveling, Katie typically designates six-to-12 months to explore and always tries to find local NGOs to volunteer with.

Katie said this is important to her because doing so, helps connect her to the community and get a true sense of what life is like.

Articles Written By Katie

Check back soon!

Stephanie Underwood - Director of Accounting Services

Stephanie underwood nfp partnersDirector of Accounting Services
Earned a BA in business administration from DeVry University, Master of Science in accounting from Keller Graduate School of Management

Stephanie Underwood leads the NFP Partners’ team of experienced accounting professionals as the Director of Accounting Services. Stephanie brings over 13 years of experience to nonprofit accounting services and joined the NFP team in 2016.

Stephanie Underwood supports the NFP team with daily accounting services, ensuring all functions and procedures are running smoothly. She is also heavily involved in many of the company’s financial services, such as statement preparations and consulting. Additionally, Stephanie manages contract renewals and client relationships so all of NFP’s clients receive consistent, attentive service.

Before joining NFP Partners, Stephanie held the position of finance manager for a large, private aviation company in the Denver metro area. In this position, Stephanie managed the company’s financial relationships with aircraft owners and ensured operational efficiency. She also worked at the eighth-largest public accounting firm in the United States. There, she helped several nonprofits, both nationally and internationally, develop efficient accounting departments with optimized financial processes and provide accounting services on every level.

She enjoys working in the nonprofit industry because of the purpose-driven focus that organizations have. They are making a difference in the community and Stephanie enjoys being a part of that. As a team member of NFP, she loves impacting the world one accounting challenge at a time. An Iowa native, Stephanie currently lives in the Kansas City metro area with her husband and two children, Caden and Ava. She enjoys traveling, CrossFit, and participating in her children’s numerous activities.

Courtney Wright - Nonprofit Accounting Consultant

Nonprofit Accounting Consultant
Joined NFP Partners in 2022

Earned a BA in business administration from the UMKC

Courtney brings more than 14 years of working in mutual fund accounting and a passion for nonprofit accounting. Courtney has experience overseeing daily expense postings and reviewing accounts payable to multiple fund managers and service providers.

While serving on the Board at her church, Courtney has helped review monthly statements and be on the lookout for month-over-month variances and discrepancies.

She loves to travel with her husband and three boys. As a group, they enjoy many kinds of adventures, from the beach to the mountains.  Her family’s favorite sport is baseball, and all summer long, you can find them on a diamond cheering on the kids.

Articles Written By Courtney

Check back soon!

Jody Zatorski - Senior Accounting Consultant

Senior Accounting Consultant
Joined NFP Partners in 2017
Earned a BS from the University of Maryland University College and an MBA in Accounting from Colorado Technical University

With an extensive finance background in functions such as accounts receivables, accounts payable, and system implementation, Jody Zatorski is equipped with a wealth of accounting management knowledge.

Jody has spent nearly 25 years in various accounting and financial management positions. In a previous role, she served as the Manager of Finance and Administration for the Downtown Denver Partnership, where she not only helped facilitate successful annual audits for multiple companies but also oversaw several payrolls.

Additionally, in this role, Jody standardized procedures to improve record-keeping and efficiencies.

Jody believes nonprofits provide valuable services to better the world, one task at a time. Equally, she finds enjoyment in helping small nonprofit organizations reach their goals through the use of her knowledge and skills.

As an “empty nester,” Jody enjoys traveling with her husband and reading.