Meet the Team
Board of Directors
Lindsay Langford
Chair
Lindsay Langford is the Chief Administrative Officer and Vice President of the Johnson Family Foundation. In her role as CAO/VP, she helps shape and implement the foundation’s strategic direction in addition to managing general operations. In recent years Lindsay has led the foundation toward an emphasis on the support of skilled nonprofits looking to ignite their impact and visibility, including a strong focus on local organizations. The ability of nonprofits to be flexible and adapt based on data is a significant strength within the sector, and this is why Lindsay works hard to enrich nonprofit partnerships and build capacity from within the team. She firmly believes that an inclusive culture improves leadership skills and a sense of belonging thus creating a larger impact on society. Lindsay is a true believer in the benefits of professional development, continuous improvement, and the culture of learning. She lives in Point Loma with her husband and two sons.
Vanessa Oshiro
Secretary & Chair-Elect
Vanessa is an nonprofit consultant where she brings an equity and inclusion lens to help organizations address challenges with high impact solutions. With over 11 years of experience in grants and organizational development leadership roles, she has worked to deepen practices of equity, belonging, and organizational capacity building in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors. Vanessa received a B.S. in Economics from the University of California, Irvine and a M.A. in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from the University of San Diego. She is a Senior Certified Professional in Human Resources Management (SHRM-SCP). Vanessa is a founding member of ID2EA Collaborative, an affinity group for equity and inclusion practitioners. Vanessa has also served as Chair of the San Diego Chapter of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy, Treasurer of the Kiwanis Club of Southeastern San Diego, and Membership Chair for PEAK Grantmaking.
Laura Shaw
Treasurer
Laura Shaw is a seasoned operations and program management professional and currently serves as the Head of Operations at Enigma, an early-stage startup dedicated to helping cybersecurity leaders create stronger and more diverse teams. Laura previously held the role of COO at Connect Foundation, a nonprofit tech accelerator located in San Diego, CA. Passionate about promoting STEM opportunities for underserved populations, she has volunteered her time as an advisor and board member to several nonprofit organizations, utilizing her operational expertise to help them make a significant impact in their communities. Laura holds a business degree from the University of Washington and resides in Denver, CO.
Jonathan Bell
Treasurer-Elect
Jonathan Bell is lawyer at Versailles Law Corporation (VLC), where he specializes in counseling companies and individuals in corporate, entertainment, real estate, and financial transactions.
Prior to joining VLC, Jonathan served as General Counsel of StandWithUs, an international nonprofit Israel education organization. He is very active in several organizations serving the greater San Diego community. Jonathan is licensed to practice law in both California (2019) and Illinois (2007), he graduated magna cum laude from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2007 and earned his undergraduate degree in History and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin in 2002.
Holly Baughman
Board Member
Holly Baughman has over 20 years of nonprofit experience from direct service to advocacy to fundraising to independent consultant. She has served on many committees and boards ranging from the ARC of Denver to currently serving as Chairperson of the Board for Nonprofit Solutions. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Holly earned her Bachelors of Science degree from Virginia Commonwealth University with a minor in French. When not working or volunteering, Holly enjoys cooking for her family and friends, reading, and going to the beach to paddle board.
Gretel von Son
Board Member
Gretel von Son is the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology
Transfer (SBIR/STTR) Director at Connect, a position created to support one of the Navy’s
R&D Programs by fostering relationships between government, industry, and academia to drive
innovation.
Although currently working in the government and tech space/sector, Gretel comes from a
science background having received her Bachelor’s in Chemistry, and later pursued a Master’s in
Business Administration. She has experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, and has
published work in Advanced Materials, ACS Nano and Nature Communications.
Gretel is passionate about learning and believes in always being a student in all aspects of life.
Being born and raised in Mexico has also made her have a deep appreciation of cultures,
languages, food, and music. She lives in San Diego with her husband, two pups, and pet lizard.
Staff
Christiana Tasto
Executive Director
Christiana was named Executive Director in February 2021. Prior, she served five years as Nonprofit Solutions' Director of Learning. Christiana has influenced the nonprofit sector with her vision and leadership since 2001. She began her career directing youth development programs at the YMCA before serving a myriad of other organizations and causes within the nonprofit community. At Nonprofit Solutions, she has focused on professional development, consulting, and coaching all with the Diversity-Equity-Inclusion (DEI) lens. She has also served in interim executive director roles for a number of partner organizations. Christiana holds a Masters of Arts in Psychology. Christiana is shepherding Nonprofit Solutions and its members into a bright, new future.
Angie Myer
Associate Executive Director
Angie started with Nonprofit Solutions as a facilitator in 2018 and joined the staff in September 2020. She serves as Associate Executive Director and is responsible for all of our training programs and member engagement. Angie brings 30+ years of experience in education and holds a Master's degree in Curriculum & Instruction. After serving as a public school and community college writing instructor, she transitioned to the holistic health field before working in nonprofit compliance. She is thrilled to support the nonprofit community through professional development and employee engagement. She is a DISC Certified Trainer, a graduate of the Disney Institute and member of the Association of Talent Development.
Helen Black
Operations & Technology Manager
Helen joined the Nonprofit Solutions team in January of 2023. She recently graduated from Union College with a B.S. in Physics. During her four years at Union, she worked at the Kenney Community Center, assisting the community outreach office with programming and campus events. Helen oversees business, financial, and technical operations at Nonprofit Solutions. Additionally, she serves as Lead Producer to our training programs, including provides support for our new hybrid classrooms. She is excited to break into the nonprofit sphere and continue to gain experience.
Johanna Coupe
Innovative Solutions Manager
Johanna began with Nonprofit Solutions as the Business Development Coordinator in the Summer 2021. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in International Business from SKEMA Business School, and had the opportunity to study in France, Brazil and the United States. These experiences developed her cultural awareness and passion for working with nonprofit organizations around the globe. She has experience working with both nonprofit and for-profit organizations, allowing her to be competent in a wide array of subjects. Johanna coordinates Nonprofit Solutions consulting contracts and sponsorship opportunities. She is excited about her career beginning in the nonprofit sector as she gets to learn and grow on the daily while positively impacting the community.
Malik Smith
People & Culture Specialist
Malik joined Nonprofit Solutions in January 2023 He began as an intern and officially joined the team as the People & Culture Specialist upon his graduation from San Diego State University. Malik holds a B.S. in Business Administration, specializing in HR. A San Diego native, he also spent several years living in Tijuana, which helped shape his cultural sensitivity and adaptive personality. Malik oversees a variety of administrative responsibilities, including payroll, creating HR processes, and maintaining financial, employee and client records. He is also an important part of our virtual training production team. Malik is excited to start his professional career in the nonprofit sector, combining his experience, education, and sense of humor to support the community.