Presented by Aquanetta Betts, Nicola Lawrence, Katie Evers, and Matthew Treadwell 

About Aquanetta Betts, JD, CAP®, AEP®, CFRE, IPA:

Aquanetta Betts, JD, CAP®, AEP®, CFRE, serves as director of planned giving at George Mason University. Previously, she was senior executive director of planned giving for World Vision's Eastern U.S. region. Before transitioning into fundraising and philanthropic advising, she spent more than a decade as an estate planning attorney in Washington, D.C., and Maryland. 

Betts is a past President of the Chesapeake Planned Giving Council and serves on the board of the National Capital Gift Planning Council. She has held leadership roles with the Baltimore Estate Planning Council, the National Bar Association’s Real Property, Trusts, and Estates Section, and the International Association of Advisors in Philanthropy. She is a former board member of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners, where she currently serves on the Advocacy Committee and as an Assistant Editor for The Journal of Charitable Gift Planning.

Betts holds the following designations: Accredited Estate Planner®, Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy®, Certified Fundraising Executive, and Impact Philanthropy Advisor. She earned her Juris Doctor from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in English from Florida International University. She is committed to mentoring the next generation of philanthropic professionals.

About Nicola Lawrence MSc, MA, PgC, CFRE, CAP:

Nicola Lawrence has dedicated her career to non-profit leadership, amassing over 30 years of experience serving organizations across four continents. Her work spans a range of philanthropic efforts, from billion-dollar campaigns to daily fundraising for large healthcare institutions and grassroots social impact startups.

Nicola holds undergraduate degrees in Business and Finance from Wigan and Leigh College and International Non-Profit Management from the University of Leicester. She also earned a postgraduate diploma in Missional Leadership from York St. John University, an MSc in Non-Profit Leadership and Innovation from Dundee University, and an MSc in Financial Planning from the American College of Financial Services. Additionally, she holds CFRE, Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy, and Accredited Estate Planner credentials. Currently, she is pursuing a doctorate in philanthropic leadership with a focus on next gen fundraising at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University.

 Nicola specializes in revitalizing underperforming development shops and unlocking revenue through adapting to ai, generational patterns and integrated gift planning. Beyond fundraising, she has led several non-profits in operations and senior leadership. By designing effective policies and guiding organizations through risk mitigation, adherence to legislation, and strategic planning, she helps them achieve their missions. Her commitment to ethical practices and impactful philanthropy has earned respect throughout the sector.

As a conference speaker, Nicola shares insights nationwide, focusing on emerging technologies, challenging norms to adapt economic and legislative realities and championing integrated approaches to charitable gift planning for maximizing sustainable revenue.

She serves as the chair of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners and is VP of Arizona Charitable Gift Planners. Nicola is gift planning faculty at the AHP Madison Institute. She is also proud to have served as a foster and adoptive parent.

About Katie Evers M.Ed.:

Katie Evers is the Associate Director of Planned Giving at George Mason University, where she manages a portfolio of planned giving donors and supports the university’s comprehensive fundraising efforts. Prior to joining George Mason, Katie held planned giving roles at WETA and PBS Foundation, with experience spanning donor engagement, gift administration, and planned giving marketing.

Katie’s career in the nonprofit sector also includes seven years with the ASPCA, where she held leadership and operations roles supporting animal cruelty and disaster response. During her time there, she led complex projects, managed a $10 million operating budget, and deployed dozens of times in response to animal cruelty, neglect, and disasters. She was a recipient of the 2021 ASPCA Angel Award.

Katie serves on the board of the National Capital Gift Planning Council (NCGPC). She is passionate about building meaningful donor relationships and helping advance the planned giving profession.

About Matthew Treadwell:

Matthew Treadwell is a Gift Planning Attorney at the Indiana University Foundation. His office is located on the IUPUI Campus where he assists all units at IUPUI, IU East, IU Kokomo, IU Northwest, IU South Bend, and IU Southeast. Along with his fundraising responsibilities, Matthew directs IU’s Planned Giving marketing efforts. 

Prior to joining IU Foundation, Matthew was the Planned Giving Officer for the National FFA Foundation. As the Planned Giving Officer for National FFA, Matthew was tasked with restarting a planned giving program that had been dormant. He revitalized the planned giving legacy group, the Forever Blue Circle, implemented a new event during the National FFA Convention for planned giving donors and prospects, and oversaw a transition in marketing vendors. Along with the planned giving responsibilities, Matthew managed the Foundation’s endowments process and donors. Matthew acted as the liaison between the National FFA and each individual State FFA Foundation/Association to organize and coordinate fundraising goals and methods.

Before entering the nonprofit world, Matthew was a Deputy Attorney General in the Office of the Indiana Attorney General. He began his time in the Office working directly for then-Chief Deputy Gary Secrest. Matthew then made the transition to the Transportation Practice Group’s Litigation team handling eminent domain cases.

Matthew graduated from Indiana University with a major entitled Global Inequalities, through the Individualized Major Program. His senior thesis focused on Land Rights in Cambodia and the issues villagers and farmers have with proving ownership in the post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia