(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – McAllister & Quinn is excited to announce that Deanna Nelson, M.P.A., has joined the firm’s growing Higher Education practice as Director of Grants & Federal Affairs.
Deanna joins McAllister & Quinn following her role as Vice President for Advancement at Avila University. Avila University is a small private Catholic university located in Kansas City, MO. During Deanna’s tenure at Avila, she helped raised more than $50 Million in grant funding primarily to support low-income, first-generation college students. Deanna helped establish, develop, and grow a thriving grant seeking culture on Avila’s campus, including developing faculty and administration’s understanding of and comfort with pre- and post-award grant processes, resources and management. Prior to her work as Vice President for Advancement, Deanna served as Senior Director of Development of Major Gifts and Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations at Avila University.
“As we continue to grow our Higher Education practice, Deanna will help us to manage the firm’s thriving small and mid-sized college and university clients,” says John McAllister, who founded the firm in 2004 with Andy Quinn. “We see her as a key resource for our Higher Education practice given her experience in development and managing grant application submissions during her tenure at Avila University. Deanna is talented, smart, and savvy and we are thrilled to have her join our team of professionals at McAllister & Quinn.”
Deanna holds a B.A. from The University of Memphis and an M.P.A. from The University of Missouri in Kansas City. She is a native of Memphis, TN, and currently resides in Olathe, Kansas.
Based in Washington, D.C., with 50 full‐time employees, McAllister & Quinn specializes in consulting on behalf of numerous private and public colleges and universities. Over the past ten years, McAllister & Quinn has helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars in grant funding for its higher education clients. McAllister & Quinn’s grant writing network consists of more than 250 subject matter expert grant writers whose backgrounds range from accomplished academics to seasoned professionals.