Indianapolis, IN -- The National Association of Charitable Gift Planners (CGP) is pleased to announce the 2027 class of Board of Directors. Six members were elected to the board to serve three-year terms beginning January 2027. The members were elected at the Assembly of Delegates during the Annual Business Meeting held on June 23, 2026.

Meet the 2027 Class of Board of Directors below: 

Hal Abrams

Planned Giving Consultant
Hal J. Abrams Planned Giving Consultant
Northwest Planned Giving Roundtable
Northern California Planned Giving Council
South Sound Planned Giving Council

Hal Abrams is a planned giving consultant, based in Portland, OR with clients throughout the West Coast. Hal began his career as an estate planning attorney in San Francisco. He first moved into the nonprofit sector in 1996 and gained experience in the planned giving departments at City of Hope and UC Berkeley. This experience enabled him to lead the gift planning office at the University of Oregon, then spend many years in advancement leadership at Oregon Athletics, Lewis & Clark College and Clark College Foundation. 

In his leadership capacity, Hal has overseen entire development operations and helped teams of major gift fundraisers apply gift planning skills to raise major gifts more efficiently.  Hal is on the faculty of the Fundraising School, as part of the Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. 

Hal is a regular speaker at regional and national gift planning conferences.  Hal has presented at both the 2022 and 2025 National Charitable Gift Planning Conference.

Hal has a law degree from University of San Francisco, a master’s in taxation law from Golden State University and a bachelor’s from University of California, Los Angeles. He has served on numerous planned giving boards, including the Northwest Planned Giving Roundtable and the NCPG Council board. He is a sports enthusiast with two children in college and one with a real job!

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Theresa Boyer

Senior Director of Gift Planning
Washington State University
Inland Northwest Planned Giving Council

Theresa Boyer is the Senior Director of Gift Planning at the Washington State University Foundation, where she leads a team partnering with alumni and friends to realize charitable goals through bequests, life-income gifts, and other complex, asset-based gifts. She has worked in higher education philanthropy for more than two decades, with prior advancement roles at Gonzaga University and the University of Montana.

Earlier in her career, Theresa worked in technology consulting with Accenture and in commercial banking with U.S. Bank, experience that continues to inform her strategic and donor-centered approach to planned giving.

Theresa holds an undergraduate degree in Finance and Law and Public Policy from Gonzaga University and an MBA from Eastern Washington University. She completed the Certified Specialist in Planned Giving program at California State University, Long Beach, and is an Accredited Estate Planner®.

Active in the professional community, Theresa serves as Treasurer of the Inland Northwest Planned Giving Council and is a member of the Spokane Estate Planning Council.  She serves on the board of a local private high school and previously served as President of the Western Montana Estate Planning Council.  Theresa is passionate about helping donors and advisors realize the transformative impact of philanthropy through thoughtful estate and asset-based planning.

Outside of work, Theresa is married and the proud mother of five school-aged children who keep her busy with a wide range of activities. If she is not at her desk, she can usually be found at a football field, baseball diamond, basketball or tennis court, selling Girl Scout cookies, or at a 4-H meeting with her family’s Holland Lop bunny, Benji.

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Margaret “Meg” Cline

Vice President Gift Planning and Trust Services
University of Illinois Foundation
Chicago Council on Planned Giving

 

Margaret A. (Meg) Cline serves as the Vice President for Gift Planning and Trust Services at the University of Illinois Foundation where she leads the team responsible for gift planning, deferred gift administration, and all gift documentation for the University of Illinois System and its three universities. Since assuming this role in 2015, Meg has provided strategic leadership for complex philanthropic planning initiatives and support for transformational philanthropy across the system.

Prior to her current appointment, Meg served as Associate Dean for Advancement for the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Earlier, she served as Director of Principal Gifts and Planned Giving, where she staffed presidential fundraising initiatives and worked closely on principal gift strategies.

Before joining the university in 2005, Meg worked for the Missouri State Employees’ Retirement System (MOSERS) in Jefferson City, Missouri, assisting in the management of institutional investment portfolios and serving as a primary liaison for investment communications with trustees, retirees, the media, and the public. She began her advancement career at the University of Missouri-Columbia and previously worked in the fee-only financial planning industry as a financial advisor with Budros, Ruhlin & Roe in Columbus, Ohio. Meg is a proud alumna of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where she earned her Bachelor of Science and MBA degrees. She holds the Certified Financial Planner® and the Chartered Financial Analyst® designations.

Meg is an active member of many professional associations including the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute; the Financial Planning Association; past president for the Chicago Council on Planned Giving and 2026 recipient of the Russell V. Kohr Award; the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners; past president of the Eastern Illinois Estate Planning Council; board member for the Planned Giving Initiative (PGI), an effort of the Hibel Family Foundation; Regent and Treasurer of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois; and P.E.O. where she has served on several state committees including membership development, the P.E.O. Home Fund, and as chair for the 2024 Illinois State Convention. She is past president of the Illinois 4-H House Alumni Association, receiving their distinguished alumni award in 2018. Meg also serves as an adjunct faculty for the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy teaching courses in the field of planned giving. 

Raised on her family’s sesquicentennial farm in Stark County, Illinois, Meg now resides in the Champaign-Urbana community with her husband, Scott. They are the proud parents of a daughter who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

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Karen Gallardo

Senior Director of Major and Planned Giving
Best Friends Animal Society
National Capital Gift Planning Council

 

Karen Gallardo is the Senior Director of Major and Planned Giving at Best Friends Animal Society, where she leads a team of 35. Since joining in 2014, she has enhanced estate administration processes, planned giving marketing, and the individual giving pipeline.  She helps facilitate collaboration across all development functions and was a leader in planning and executing the campaign to Save Them All, Best Friends’ first comprehensive fundraising campaign. In addition, she leads the gift acceptance committee in reviewing different types of gifts and gifts of assets.

Through Karen’s leadership, major and planned giving revenue grew from approximately $28 million to more than $90 million annually, demonstrating the power of an integrated and strategic approach to gift planning.

Previously, she worked for the AARP Foundation, The Aspen Institute, and The Nature Conservancy. She holds a B.A. from the University of New Mexico and an M.B.A. from George Washington University, along with CFRE and CAP certifications. 

A certified yoga and meditation instructor, Karen teaches yoga and meditation to staff and donors at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and in her home state of West Virginia.  Karen shares a home with her husband, four terriers, and a cat.  She and her husband are also active volunteers with Capon Springs Volunteer Fire and Rescue

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Nathana Jackson

Senior Director of Gift Planning
University of Delaware
Planned Giving Council of Greater Philadelphia  

 

Nathana Jackson is a seasoned development professional with more than 12 years of experience in Development and Alumni Relations at the University of Delaware, where she serves as Senior Director of Gift Planning. In this role, she partners with alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the University to design meaningful philanthropic plans that reflect their values and create lasting, mission-driven impact.

Prior to joining the University of Delaware, Nathana built a strong foundation in fiduciary services through her work in trust administration and estate settlement with Wells Fargo Bank and Wilmington Trust Company. This experience continues to inform her strategic, technical, and donor-centered approach to charitable gift planning.

Nathana holds a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management and a master’s degree in Administration of Human Services from Wilmington University. In 2019, she was honored with the Rising Star Award from the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners in recognition of her talent and potential as an emerging leader in the field of charitable gift planning.

A committed volunteer and advocate for inclusivity and philanthropy, Nathana currently serves on the President’s Staff Advisory Council at the University of Delaware and on the Mentorship Committee for the Planned Giving Council of Greater Philadelphia. She has previously served as a Board Member and Mentor with the Planned Giving Council of Greater Philadelphia, as a member of the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Taskforce and Awards and Scholarship Committee for the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners, and as co-chair of the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee within the University of Delaware’s Office of Development & Alumni Relations.

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Talib Nichiren

Associate Director of Planned and Major Gifts
Consumer Reports 
Philanthropic Planning Group of Greater New York

Talib Nichiren is a philanthropic strategist and civic leader whose work focuses on the role philanthropy plays in strengthening democratic institutions and expanding opportunity for underserved communities. Over the course of his career, he has operated at the intersection of nonprofit leadership, public health advocacy, and strategic philanthropy, building partnerships between donors, institutions, and communities to advance meaningful social impact.

Nichiren’s professional work centers on the long-term architecture of giving—how individuals and institutions deploy philanthropic capital to shape public life. He has held leadership roles in nonprofit advancement and planned giving, working with mission-driven organizations to cultivate major philanthropic partnerships and guide donors toward initiatives that promote consumer protection, civic accountability, and social equity. His approach emphasizes disciplined stewardship, strategic generosity, and the idea that philanthropy, when practiced thoughtfully, can serve as one of society’s most effective tools for institutional reform and community empowerment.

In recognition of his leadership in the nonprofit sector, Nichiren was named a 2026 Rising Leader by the ANA Nonprofit Federation, an honor awarded to emerging professionals who are shaping the future of nonprofit communications, fundraising, and public engagement.

Beyond his professional work, Nichiren has played an active role in civic leadership. He previously served as Chairman of the Community Advisory Boards Council for NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest public healthcare system in the United States. In that role, he helped strengthen collaboration between hospitals and the communities they serve, advocating for greater public participation in healthcare governance and for policies that expand equitable access to care.

Nichiren’s interests have also extended into media and film. Earlier in his life he made on-screen appearances in the films The Assassination File and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, reflecting an early connection to New York’s creative and media industries.

Today, Nichiren continues to work at the forefront of philanthropic strategy, advising donors and institutions on how private generosity can support public purpose. Through his professional work, civic leadership, and public engagement, he advocates for a more thoughtful model of philanthropy—one that recognizes charitable giving not simply as generosity, but as a powerful instrument for shaping the civic, economic, and cultural future of society.

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Governed by an all-volunteer Board of Directors, CGP relies on dedicated leaders representing diverse perspectives and experiences to help advance our field and to support our members’ professional interests. The board represents more than 70 councils and 6,000 professionals in the field of charitable gift planning.

Service on the CGP Board of Directors is a three-year volunteer commitment. Professionals will shape the future of CGP and the field of charitable gift planning and engage with fellow leaders from across the country during four meetings annually. 

The Board is composed of members representing diverse backgrounds and professions who bring varied skills and experiences to CGP. Their collective expertise ensures a high-performing and effective Board that represents multiple perspectives to address the evolving needs of CGP’s members and its diverse communities.
 
The next application window will open in March 2027.

Learn more about CGP Leadership here.

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About CGP
The National Association of Charitable Gift Planners (CGP) is the leading organization setting standards for charitable gift planners. CGP helps enrich and advance members’ work and careers through education, resources and advocacy. We are a robust network of gift planning professionals at all levels, including the leaders who defined our field, and the innovators who will transform our profession and the world.