About Us / Our Team

Bonnie McEwan, President
Bonnie founded Make Waves in January of 2007 after working over 20 years in nonprofit marketing and communications.  She is the firm’s chief strategist and directly manages its qualitative research activities, moderating focus groups and analyzing the competitive landscape of the various fields where our clients operate.  Immediately prior to opening Make Waves, she served for six years as Executive Vice President of Douglas Gould and Company, a communications consultancy that works with public interest organizations.  There she led the firm’s practice in Economic and Social Justice, working with clients such as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Center for Reproductive Rights, the United Nations Population Fund and the Ford Foundation.

She has held the top communications position with two national nonprofit organizations, Girl Scouts of the USA and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and has been on the part-time faculty of the Milano Graduate School at the New School for 14 years.  During the 1997-98 academic year, Bonnie served as Acting Chair of Milano’s Nonprofit Management master’s degree program.  In January 2009 she received a regular faculty appointment as a Visiting Lecturer.

Bonnie is a published author who has served on several nonprofit boards, notably the Empire State Pride Agenda, and is profiled in the leadership book, “Thriving in 24/7: Six Strategies for Taming the New World of Work,” by Sally Helgesen. Her awards include a national Silver Anvil from the Public Relations Society of America.  She is a Top 1,000 Reviewer on Amazon.com.  Bonnie holds an MS in Nonprofit Management from the New School and was trained in focus group moderation at the Burke Institute.

   

Kathleen Duncan, Executive Vice President and CFO
Kathleen started her career in retailing, holding buying positions with Bloomingdale’s and Bonwit Teller. She later became a vice president at Hanover Direct, a catalog mail order company, where she oversaw product development and the visual presentation of merchandise in multiple catalogs.

In 1992 Kathleen was recruited by Girl Scouts of the USA to become the first woman to direct their national merchandising operation, which develops and sells products carrying the Girl Scout trademark. There she pioneered a more aggressive branding and licensing approach for the organization, expanding the business to generate over $50 million in annual revenue.

At Make Waves Kathleen specializes in analyzing nonprofit organizations to assess their potential for carrying out earned income initiatives and develops earned income strategies for those organizations that show promise. On occasion, she also directs stage productions, video and photo shoots and handles the sourcing of photographers and other visual professionals for Make Waves clients.

Joan Grangenois-Thomas, Senior Media Strategist
Joan brings over 20 years of consulting experience to her position as Senior Media Strategist for Make Waves.  She also oversees our company’s training activities.  Joan’s previous experience includes more than four years with Douglas Gould and Co., where she focused on conducting message and media trainings for clients and foundation grantees.

Since joining Make Waves Joan developed and delivered message trainings for the Open Society Institute, Barnard College and the Revenue Watch Institute and coached executive staff members at Americans for UNFPA and Girl Scouts USA on presentation skills.  She was the lead media strategist for Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, garnering publicity for the group’s Run for Our Sons mini marathon, including a story that aired on the ABC-TV affiliate in Philadelphia, where the event took place.

Over the course of the last two years, Joan has generated over 70 media hits in seven states for our client, Wider Opportunities for Women, and the launch of its Elder Economic Security Initiative, a multi-year advocacy project to promote the economic well-being of older Americans.

Joan is certified by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) as a facilitator in their WORLD OF DIFFERENCE Institute, where she delivers anti-bias and diversity training on behalf of ADL to a variety of audiences, including students and teachers in middle and high school. Joan is co-chair of a community coalition that works to decrease risky behavior of youth in Port Chester, NY, where she resides with her family.

Leah Kopperman, Senior e-Strategist
Leah is an experienced nonprofit e-communications professional who focuses on the integration of online and offline marketing strategies.  She has broad online knowledge in development, membership, social networking, interactive content and media relations. An online native since 1989, Leah’s understanding of electronic communications has grown along with the Internet.  During the seven years she spent working in various e-communications roles at Barnard College, she took the school from a small, static website to a multifaceted online presence, which now includes an e-newsletter, a private alumnae networking directory, a podcast series, an online course catalog, message boards, blogs, and a Facebook application.

Beyond e-communications, Leah has substantial offline experience in the non-profit sector, where she has worked in event management, media relations and publishing for organizations such as the Women’s Prison Association and Hadassah. Leah is a former board member of The Stonewall Chorale, where she still sings, and a current member of the communication committee of the Gay & Lesbian Anti-Violence Project.  She holds an MS in nonprofit management, an MA in sociology, and a BA in psychology.