TEAM MEMBERS
Rachel Branaman
Principal Consultant
Rachel's (She / Her) background and bio are available here.
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Rachel lives in Richmond, Virginia. This land was originally home to the Algonquian-speaking tribes, Youghtanund, Powhatan, and Chickahominy which were part of the Powhatan Confederacy. They are also known as Algonquian because of their language and common culture.
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Talem Consulting is a registered LLC in the state of Texas. The Dallas area was a mixed buffer zone for a number of tribes including the Wichita, Comanche, Caddo, Cherokee, Kickapoo, Jumano, Tawakoni, and other smaller tribes.
Saadia Ahmed
Consultant​
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Saadia Ahmed (She / They) graduated in International Studies from Austin College where she intensified her commitment to serving the community. She is a community and thought leader in Dallas/Fort Worth in addition to being the founder and adviser to numerous nonprofit and community initiatives; some of whom include Gem Advisers Mentorship Program, Define 360, Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation, DREAM DFW, Strong Muslimah, and Yaqeen Institute. Her work in the advocacy field includes roles at South Asians for Obama, senior fellow at Wendy Davis for Texas Governor, and deputy director at Bangladeshi Americans for Biden-National Council.
Saadia's areas of expertise include youth development program development, advocacy, community building, event planning, social media optimization, individual major giving, DEI training, and annual fund development. Saadia is fluent in English and Bengali. She has professional working proficiency in Hindi, Urdu, and French. She is currently a board member for Faith in Texas, Women Organizing Women Democrats, Malikah, as well as an advisory board member for American Muslim Professionals of Dallas. She was awarded the “Trailblazer” award by Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation, “ the Community Leader of the Year” award by CAIR Dallas/Fort Worth, and was the inaugural recipient of Radio Azad’s “Unsung Hero” recognition.
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Saadia lives in Frisco, Texas, which like most of North Texas, was a mixed buffer zone for a number of tribes including the Wichita, Comanche, Caddo, Cherokee, Tawakoni, and other smaller tribes.
Nancy Geiger
Administration
Nancy (She / Her) has a Bachelor's in Family and Consumer Sciences from the University of Texas at Austin as well as a Masters in Special Education from Texas Women's University. ​
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Nancy oversees financial management for Talem. She lives and works in Dallas, Texas, which was a mixed buffer zone for a number of tribes including the Wichita, Comanche, Caddo, Cherokee, Kickapoo, Jumano, Tawakoni, and other smaller tribes.
Avia S. Haynes
Marketing & Creative Design
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Avia Haynes (She / Her) has a BA in Mass Communications from Texas State University and an MS in Marketing and Social Media from Southern New Hampshire University. She has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and design working with The Thomas Agency, Rhumb Designs, JCPenney, Dal-Tile Corporation, and National Tile Contractors Association.
Avia has worked with a variety of nonprofits providing marketing, digital and print design, website development, social media planning, digital marketing, brand awareness and promotion, art direction, and increasing traffic and engagement.
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Avia lives and works in the Greater Houston, Texas area where the Akokisa were the indigenous tribe who lived on the land of the present-day Greater Houston area.
Beth Bohannon
Culturally Responsive Education
Beth (She / Her) works as a vocal music instructor for 5-8 grades at Upper Elementary and Middle Schools in Charlottesville, Virginia. She has also worked as a music teacher in Durham Public Schools and Vistation Catholic School. Beth has a bachelor's in music education from Lawrence University and a master's in vocal performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Beth incorporates culturally responsive teaching into her work to bridge gaps between students and educators to understand cultural nuances and support student achievement. She brings that knowledge into work with education-adjacent nonprofits to support DEIA implementation and culturally responsive tools into their work.
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Beth lives with her husband, three kids, and catdog, Roxie, in Waynesboro, Virginia which was settled by the forefathers of bands we now call Sioux, or Cherokee, or Iroquois. She also sings with her church choir in her spare time.
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Amy Fetterman
Project Consultant
Amy (She / Her) serves as a Transitional Pastor in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). She leads workshops and retreats for the greater church in areas such as worship, spirituality, and intergenerational discipleship.
Amy is the mother of an industrious preschooler, spouse of a computer whiz and talented chef, and a friend who will make mediocre crafts for all your big life events.
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Amy lives in Fishersville, Virginia which is thought to have been inhabited by ancestors of the Monacan Indian Nation.
Arub Ahmad
Proposal Writer
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Arub Ahmad (She / Her) is studying Political Science and International Political Economy on the pre-law track at the University of Texas at Dallas. She is a member of the Women Pursuing Law Society, John Marshall Pre-Law Society, UTD's Muslim Student Association, and is a member of the Dean's List.
Arub also serves as the Director of Communications and Legal Researcher for Noorishment, a nonprofit dedicated to exposing students to different careers at a younger age in hopes of helping them find their passion. Her previous work includes Undergraduate Case Analyst for the Innocence Project of Texas. Legal Intern for Badmus & Associates, as well as other activities serving nonprofits.
Arub lives in Dallas, Texas, which was a mixed buffer zone for a number of tribes including the Wichita, Comanche, Caddo, Cherokee, Kickapoo, Jumano, Tawakoni, and other smaller tribes.
Ginny Waller, Esq., CFRE
Collaborative Consulting Partner
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Ginny (She / Her) is a lawyer, seasoned nonprofit executive, professional fundraiser, and published author with 17+ years of experience in nonprofit governance and operations. She has received numerous accolades for excellence in nonprofit leadership development, strategic planning, operational efficiency, change management, governance best practices, and relationship building, including the 2013 Award for Nonprofit Leadership from the South Carolina Association of Nonprofit Organizations and the 2015 Fundraising Professional of the Year from the Association of Fundraising Professionals – Midlands Chapter.
She is a member of the South Carolina Bar, Certified Fund Raising Executives International, Center for Non-Profit Excellence (Virginia), the Association of Consultants to Nonprofits (Chicago), Association of Nonprofit Specialists (New York), Together SC, and the Florida Nonprofit Alliance. She is also a professional interim executive with the Lift Connection (NC/SC) and the Interim Executive Network (Washington, DC).
Ginny prides herself on speaking truth with kindness, living authentically, and effecting massive change for her clients. Ginny’s passion is supporting nonprofit leaders as a thought partner and strategic adviser to build capacity to dream their nonprofits' visions into reality. Find Ginny on her website or LinkedIn.
