Leadership

Celeste Earley, CFRE

President

Development Director—Alaska Community Foundation
celestecielearley@gmail.com

Celeste is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) with over 10 years of experience serving Alaska’s nonprofit sector. Born elsewhere but raised under the midnight sun, she is proud to call Alaska home. A graduate of the Anchorage School District and a UAA Alumna with a BA in History and a minor in Women’s Studies, Celeste is passionate about using her education to understand and address social issues.

Celeste’s career spans multiple sectors, including roles at a local art gallery, the Anchorage Museum, and Catholic Social Services. Now, as the Development Director for Alaska Community Foundation, she works to foster a love of philanthropy and build a more inclusive, giving community. Celeste brings her experience of running events, big and small, along with grassroots fundraising to achieve lasting relationships with donors and community partners. She is honored to work for an organization that is committed to connecting communities across Alaska with shared values and causes that matter.

Rachael McPherson

Immediate Past President

Chief Network Officer — Progress Alaska
rach.mcph@gmail.com

Rachael grew up in Fairbanks, then attended The University of Montana where she received a bachelors in Journalism. After some time working in TV news, she decided it wasn’t for her and moved to Laramie, Wyoming where she received a Masters of Public Administration.

Returning to Alaska she started working in development and has been with multiple organizations serving youth and women. Rachael continues to work raising funds and community support with major donors in Anchorage and across Alaska. Rachael believes philanthropy is about connections and creating stronger communities and is excited to see what can be achieved.

Rachael and her spouse, Iain, have 2 kids and family throughout Alaska and can’t imagine living anywhere else.

Jason Dinneen, MBA, CFRE

President-Elect

Development Officer—UAA Athletics
jldinneen@gmail.com

Jason is a lifelong Alaskan and seasoned nonprofit and fundraising leader with more than 20 years of experience advancing mission-driven organizations across Alaska. He currently serves as a Development Officer with the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) Athletic Department, where he focuses on securing philanthropic support for UAA’s athletic programs.

Jason’s career includes senior leadership roles such as Chief Philanthropy Officer at the Food Bank of Alaska, Director of Corporate Partnerships at United Way of Anchorage, and Executive Director positions with the Cook Inlet Soccer Club and the Alaska Marine Conservation Council.

An active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), Jason has served as Vice President of I.D.E.A. (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) for the AFP Alaska Chapter and is currently President-Elect. He holds an MBA from the University of Alaska Southeast and a bachelor's degree in business administration with a marketing emphasis from Gonzaga University.

Jennifer Motes, CFRE

Secretary

Interim Director of Development—University of Alaska Anchorage
jomotes@alaska.edu

Jennifer brings more than 35 years of accomplished experience in nonprofit fundraising and administration. She has served a wide range of organizations—including United Cerebral Palsy, the Long Center for the Performing Arts, and the Seedling Foundation—working across sectors from social services and the arts to education. Seventeen years of her career have been dedicated to educational institutions, including independent and private K–12 schools, art schools, and higher education organizations such as the College of Saint Elizabeth in New Jersey.

Motes has led successful million-dollar annual, capital, and endowment campaigns and coordinated an extensive array of special events ranging from black-tie galas and headline entertainment concerts to the world’s largest line dance and a live 21-hour telethon. Her grant writing achievements are equally notable, including securing the largest National Endowment for the Arts–funded state grant in New Jersey. She has authored and published annual reports and newsletters, earned awards for marketing and advertising, and presented at multiple fundraising conferences.

A committed volunteer, Motes regularly provides pro bono fundraising support to nonprofit organizations. She has served on several state chapters of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, including three years on the board of the Alaska Chapter, and she is an active member of her church’s Finance Committee.

Originally from California, Motes was raised in Louisiana and Texas before attending college in Long Beach, California, where she studied Speech Communication. In 2016, she and her husband relocated to remote Southeast Alaska to live off-grid. In 2020, she joined the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) as Senior Development Officer and now serves as Interim Director of Development.

Kaila Pfister

Communications Chair

Director of Community Engagement—Alaska Children's Trust

Kaila Pfister has a fierce love of Alaska, a love that stemmed from admiration of its natural beauty and grew into a deep appreciation of the diverse, resilient, and caring group of people who call Alaska home. As a previous National Park Service Ranger, Kaila now employs similar techniques to engage with Alaskans as Director of Community Engagement at Alaska Children's Trust. Kaila completed her undergraduate degree in History and Master’s degree in Public Administration in upstate New York, and has lived in Alaska for many years, starting with living in Denali and Wrangell St. Elias National Parks and now for five years in Anchorage with her husband and daughter.