Meet Your Community Grantmaker

Prior to joining GBCA, an anti-poverty organization, Lynne served as CEO of Bergen Volunteers. In January 2017, she was named one of 17 people to watch by Northjersey.com. After a 10-year career in independent schools, her interest in civic leadership and engagement evolved as the first Program Manager of The Cleveland Executive Fellowship in 2004.

At GBCA, Lynne has spearheaded a capital campaign to create Unity Health Partnership, a comprehensive health and wellness center to serve the uninsured and underinsured in and around Garfield, NJ. To date, the campaign has raised over $7.5 million. Lynne served as the Councilmember-at-Large for Englewood, NJ (2010-15) and was elected twice by her peers to serve as Council President. She currently serves as Board President for HACPAC, Inc, Secretary of the Northern NJ Community Foundation Board, and is a member of the Healthy NJ 2030 Advisory Committee. Lynne founded H10A Consulting, a practice focused on issues of leadership and effectiveness. In 2023-2024, she will co-facilitate the Black-Jewish Dialogue Dinner Series for NJPAC.

Vicki Bixel is the Chief Executive Officer of Sobel Bixel: Consulting for Nonprofits following twenty-one years with Semple Bixel Associates, Inc., a nonprofit fundraising management consulting firm founded in 1976. Vicki brings a hands-on approach to all the firm’s services and operations, working directly with the Sobel Bixel team to support and provide strategic counsel for client activities.

She has partnered with a multitude of nonprofit organizations, successfully guiding them toward multi-million-dollar goals and assisting them to strengthen their missions while establishing and realizing their visions. Vicki is a high-profile expert in the nonprofit arena and is recognized for her knowledge of the ever-changing philanthropic-supported community.

In 2016, Vicki received the Association of Fundraising Professionals New Jersey Excellence in Consulting Award and, in 2013, she was recognized as a Woman of Influence in New Jersey by the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ). Vicki serves as a member of The Citizen’s Campaign Board of Directors, in Metuchen, New Jersey, a member of the Board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, New Jersey (AFP-NJ), and a member of the Board of Trustees of Mount Saint Mary Academy, in Watchung, New Jersey

Impact100 Garden State is an all-women, all-volunteer nonprofit whose mission is to engage women in philanthropy by collectively providing high-impact grants to nonprofits serving the counties of Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, or Union. Impact100 Garden State provides transformational funds to organizations that reach underserved populations, and to highlight unmet needs in the areas of Arts & Culture; Children & Families; Education; Environment, Preservation & Recreation; and Health & Wellness and has awarded over $3.5 million in grants since 2013.

Celeste joined the organization in January 2023 and previously served as Vice President. Celeste was recently appointed Communications Co-Chair for the Women’s Giving Circle of Southwest Florida, where she supports a web redesign and software selection project. She is also a member of the Governance Committee for Philanos, a national organization that supports and strengthens women’s collective giving circles. Her extensive community service includes various volunteer and leadership roles in education and youth development programs.

Katie began her career on Wall Street at Merrill Lynch and was part of the advancement Team at Oak Knoll School. On the philanthropic side, Katie founded FLAG (Front Line Appreciation Group) of Summit in March of 2020 to address the needs of local frontline workers and struggling restaurants during the Covid-19 pandemic. The impact of FLAG grew over time, and it expanded its efforts to feed not only Overlook Hospital but also other local hospitals, as well as police, fire, and EMS personnel. Through fundraising and grants, FLAG has raised an impressive $950,000 to support front-line workers and help local restaurants recover from the hardships brought about by the pandemic. Additionally, FLAG formed a partnership with The Summit Foundation in the Spring of 2020, serving as their fiscal sponsor.
She accepted the position of Executive Director at The Westfield Foundation in March of 2023 and serves on the Board of The Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation and the Overlook Hospital Community Council, showcasing her commitment to healthcare and charitable causes. Katie has also previously served on The Summit Foundation and Summit Lacrosse Club Boards.

Fred Profeta founded The Maplewood Foundation, a 501(c)(3) community fund with the mission of improving the quality of life in Maplewood by making annual grants to local nonprofits that show they are making a significant difference. The Foundation raised over $1,000,000 in its first year and donated a total of $50,000 to seven nonprofits found to be the most deserving in a competitive application process.

After graduating from Yale and Harvard Law School, Fred started his practice in New York City and established the firm of Profeta & Eisenstein, where he specialized in appeals litigation and won several seminal cases. He is “almost” retired.

Locally, Fred has founded and chaired many groups, including the SO/M Community Coalition on Race, YouthNet, the Maplewood Village Alliance, and the Maplewood Green Team. Fred was the Mayor of Maplewood from 2004 through 2007 and was elected to the Maplewood Township Committee for three terms (2003-11). While serving as Mayor, Fred founded the state-wide Sustainable Jersey municipal environmental certification program, now participated in by over 400 New Jersey municipalities. He has spoken widely around the state on environmental matters and presented at the 2009 Local Government Climate Change Leadership Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 2010, he was awarded the Governor’s Environmental Leadership award. Fred also received Maplewood’s Distinguished Service award in 1999, the Maplewood Rotary’s “Service Above Self” award (along with his wife, Dr. Susan Profeta) in 2014, and recognition by SOPAC for “Contributions to the Arts and Education” in 2015.