Mary Beth Congdon, guest speaker at the Norwalk seminar, is Deputy Director, planned giving, at Yale University. She previously served as director of planned giving at Quinnipiac University, director of planned giving at Simmons College, and associate director of development and planned giving at The Masonic Charity Foundation. She holds a B.A. from Albertus Magnus College, an M.S. from Southern Connecticut State University, and a J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law. Mary Beth has spent more than 20 years working in the major and planned gift field, and has spoken at conferences sponsored by CASE, LEAVE A LEGACY® CONNECTICUT, and at regional Planned Giving Councils. She is a former board member of the Planned Giving Group of New England (PGGNE), and a past president of the Planned Giving Group of Connecticut (PGGCT).[top]

Frank W. Estes, guest speaker at the Philadelphia seminar, recently retired from his position as Gift Planning Officer for the American Red Cross, a post he arrived at by a somewhat circuitous route. After earning a B.A. from Yale and a law degree from Stanford, he sojourned with the U.S. Army in California and Vietnam before entering private law practice in Connecticut, concentrating on the estate and trust area. He moved on to the banking industry, where he served as General Counsel for two Connecticut regional banks that eventually succumbed to industry consolidation. This spurred Frank to return to his estate planning roots by entering the development field as a planned giving specialist. After gaining experience in major gifts development as well as planned giving at Trinity College in Hartford, he created the planned giving program at Yale-New Haven Hospital and then reorganized the Hospital's entire development program. He joined the Red Cross in December of 2000, working with a consortium of six Connecticut chapters to create effective Planned Giving programs. Frank has been a presenter at national and regional conferences and his articles have appeared in Planned Giving Today. He currently serves on the Board of PGGCT[top]

Thomas P. Lockerby, guest speaker at the Boston seminar, is Vice President for Development at Boston College, where he also serves as Campaign Director. In these roles, he directs an emerging comprehensive campaign effort, which is likely to be launched with a goal of $1 billion or more. In addition, Thom oversees BC’s Principal Gift, Leadership Gift, Gift Planning, School Development and Organizational Giving areas. Thom has spent his entire career working in or consulting with charities, primarily focusing on major and planned gift fund raising. His expertise is advising donors and families about strategies to effectively maximize their philanthropy in concert with overall financial, estate planning, and wealth transfer goals.
Prior to joining BC, Thom served as director of gift planning at Dartmouth College. Previously, he was relationship manager at Kaspick & Company, an investment firm specializing in charitable trusts and endowments; vice president at PG Calc Incorporated, a development software company; and director of development relations at Harvard Business School. Thom has been a presenter at regional and national conferences, and his articles have appeared in Planned Giving Today and the Journal of Gift Planning. He currently serves on the Board of the National Committee on Planned Giving, and is a past president of the Planned Giving Group of New England. Thom is a graduate of Harvard College. [top]

Wallace Munro, guest speaker at the New York City seminar, is Director of Planned Giving at The Actors' Fund of America, where he has worked for 30 years in the areas of planned giving, general fund raising, public relations, and administration. Previously Wally had an exciting theatrical career performing in Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, including "Fiddler on the Roof" with Zero Mostel and Harold Prince's legendary 1977 production of "Candide". Wally is a Past President of the Planned Giving Group of Greater New York (PGGGNY) after having been President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. He has served as a member of the board of the National Committee on Planned Giving (NCPG) and is a past Chair. He also belongs to the Estate Planning Council of New York City, the Planned Giving Round Table of Southern California and the European Association for Planned Giving. [top]

Ellen O'Connor Shugart, guest speaker at the Sturbridge seminar, is vice president for planned giving for the American Heart Association. Previously, she served as associate vice president for planned giving at the Arthritis Foundation, and as director of planned giving and major gifts for the Connecticut chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, where she established the chapter's first formal planned giving program. Ellen formerly served as director of development and public relations at the Hartford Camerata Conservatory of Music. She is a past president of PGGCT, and a regular speaker at conferences across the country. [top]