Meet The Team

AMINAH ABDUL-MAJEED • she • her

Aminah is a seasoned non-profit fundraising specialist with 15 years of fundraising and development leadership experience in the social justice and education sectors. She demonstrates a natural aptitude for expanding donor channels, as well as creating effective fundraising strategies to engage individual, institutional, and corporate donors. 

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Prior to joining the Wingo team, she was the Director of Development at JustLeadershipUSA, where she managed and grew a national portfolio of individual and institutional funders. Her career in nonprofit fundraising started in the education sector, where she led the fundraising departments for private, Catholic, and charter schools. She was also a Net Impact Service Corps volunteer consultant and a Programs Committee Member where she helped NYC nonprofits develop partnership and community outreach strategies. She brings with her an experienced perspective, keen non-profit insights, and tireless dedication to short- and long-range success of the nonprofit sector. She is currently a Board member at Bronx Council on the Arts. 

She enjoys traveling abroad and learning about different cultures and cuisines. She has two more continents to go (Antarctica and Asia) to achieve her goal of visiting all 7 continents. When she’s not traveling or working you can probably catch her on the Peloton leaderboard. Aminah earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Williams College, and a Master of Business Administration from Yale School of Management.

ERIN BARIGHT • she • her

Erin is a digital storyteller passionate about crafting narratives that make a difference. She brings a unique perspective to the team as a former ballet dancer, where she learned the art of expression through movement and developed a keen eye for detail. This dedicated background instilled a sense of discipline and creativity that now permeates her work in digital marketing.

Erin's dedication to the arts led her to the nonprofit sector, where she worked in arts communications for organizations such as Saratoga Performing Arts Center, the New York City Ballet and The Philadelphia Orchestra. With her unwavering commitment to forging positive change, Erin plays a pivotal role in empowering clients to achieve their digital marketing goals.

Erin earned a Bachelor’s degree from Skidmore College, and she enjoys learning languages on Duolingo and surfing at Rockaway Beach.

ALEX BREITMAN • he • him

Alex is here to put the fun in your fundraising events, whether virtual, hybrid or in-person! He joined the Wingo NYC team in 2018 after over 10 years in events and marketing at the National LGBTQ Task Force. It was at the Task Force where he found his passion for working in the field of social, racial and economic justice and taking pride in creating spaces where everyone can be their true selves and live their most authentic lives. Alex is equipped with over 15 years of event expertise, having produced events in New York City, Miami Beach, Washington, DC, Los Angeles and San Francisco. From galas, to conferences, house parties, and dance parties, he brings revenue-generating ideas to life, creating unique and memorable experiences for guests and staffers alike. On top of his event production experience, he has developed successful 360-degree marketing strategies for events. His optimistic attitude and service with a smile brings light to everything he does in his work. In his downtime, he loves to run, go to the theatre, watch TV and movies, see his favorite divas live and travel the world. Alex is a resident and native of New Jersey and graduate of University of Miami.

EVAN BRIGGS • he • him

Evan is Wingo’s resident expert in digital fundraising, multi-channel communications, and virtual donor engagement. He is an innovator with an unwavering commitment to furthering the missions of Wingo’s clients. His creativity shines when producing in-person and virtual events, developing and implementing robust e-mail and social media campaigns, and providing clients the tools and strategy they need to develop lasting relationships with new and existing individual and institutional funders. Since joining the firm in 2016, Evan has worked side-by-side with executive leadership, staff, and boards from over 65 Wingo clients. Evan also shares his expertise with fellow nonprofits professionals as a member of the Communications and Marketing Committee with the Association of Nonprofit Specialists. Prior to joining Wingo, Evan served as a Policy Associate and Legislative Assistant for the Washington State Senate, a fundraiser for political campaigns including the Washington State Marriage Equality Campaign and a successful Seattle Mayoral race, and spent a few years traveling the world as an International Flight Attendant. Evan hails from the Pacific Northwest with a degree from The Evergreen State College. Naturally, he is a lover of nature and a fierce advocate for social justice.

GWENN CAGANN • she • her

Gwenn joined Wingo in 2016, and she believes that a critical piece of nonprofit event fundraising is bringing people together so guests can learn, celebrate and ultimately, become advocates for organizations. She teaches our clients the power of sharing their stories so we can do a lot of good and raise incredible support for the missions that are dear to us. Gwenn is a trusted and valued thought partner to our clients, and her gift is honing in on the most impactful event strategy to grow and exceed fundraising targets. Gwenn brings creativity, positivity and an unparalleled attention to detail to each project. Her goal for clients is to reduce stress and allow them to focus on donor relationships and cultivation.

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Gwenn brings over 25 years of experience with nonprofit and for profit organizations. She is currently a board member of Heights and Hills, which supports Brooklyn’s older adults, and she is active in the leadership of the giving circle, Allinbklyn. Gwenn is an avid yogi, cook and dog lover. She holds a Masters of Management from Northwestern University and a BS from University of Illinois.

CHERISH CARRILLO • she • her

Cherish is passionate about bringing awareness and social and economic change to underrepresented communities, particularly for women in New York. She credits her mom for her lifelong dedication for helping others and feels inspired to continually give back to her community. Her experience as an intern at Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders, Ubuntu Pathways and Give2Get has allowed her to utilize different techniques to ignite donors and sponsors as advocates for varying organizations. She also has experience with fundraising events and cultivating long-lasting relationships between a non-profit organization and donors. In the same manner, she understands how an in-person or virtual fundraising event can greatly contribute to the organization’s mission and fundraising goals. Her creative and detail oriented nature allows her to execute successful fundraising events that keep people engaged from start to finish. Cherish brings this energy to the Wingo NYC special events team and our clients. She hails from southern California and moved to the New York/ New Jersey area to earn a BA and MA in Diplomacy and International Relations from Seton Hall University. In her free time, she enjoys binge watching a good TV show, planning new adventures, and cuddling up with her cat.

MIKAILA DOWNING • she • her

Mikaila is a multidisciplinary designer, illustrator and motionographer with a passion for social justice. She came to Wingo in 2018 with a background in galleries, social media and student activism. At NYPIRG, Mikaila initially worked as a canvasser, soon realizing she was most fulfilled serving movements bigger than herself. She used her many talents as a board member and volunteer project leader for NYPIRG, working on food drives, registering hundreds of young people to vote and helping students become politically active through graphics and outreach. At Wingo, Mikaila designs everything from nonprofit clients’ gala invitations, year-end fundraising campaigns, infographics and online digital collateral for social media and the web. She specializes in design that tells moving stories to compel donors to give. One of Mikaila’s favorite projects was working with Brooklyn Community Foundation on their #BrooklynGives campaign and event, including creating a type-motion video for a billboard in Times Square. In her free time, she loves to draw, go to art museums and shows and explore Brooklyn. Mikaila has a BFA in Communications Design from Pratt Institute, with a concentration in illustration. It is a dream come true to combine her love for art & design and doing good at Wingo.

GINNY KWAK • she • her

Ginny is a designer that values empathy and believes that design initiates necessary conversations. Before joining Wingo NYC, Ginny’s deep interest in pursuing design for the greater good inspires her creative endeavors and fuels her work with non-profit organizations. Previously, she collaborated with Guardians of Flushing Bay and the Participatory Budgeting program for District 35, working across a spectrum of print, digital, and branding. Her passion for amplifying voices is communicated through her careful approach to visual details and meaning. 

Ginny holds a BFA in communications design with a concentration in Graphic Design from Pratt Institute, completing her thesis on integrating early cultural education in the American public school curriculum. In her free time, she enjoys running, browsing used bookstores, and shooting film photography.

MADDIE LEGG • she • her

Maddie is one of the multi-faceted leaders of our special events team. Since joining the Wingo NYC team in 2017, she has executed over 50 events (both in person and virtually!) ranging from small cultivation events to large scale galas. Before joining the team, her experience as an intern at Wingo, GLAAD and multiple fashion industry companies taught her that details matter and paying attention is the difference between a good event and a great event. She has deep experience planning creative experiences that both advance our clients' missions and keep donors and sponsors engaged beyond events. And her unwavering cheer and positive attitude are contagious and keep all constituents happy. Hailing from a small town in upstate New York, Maddie is a champion for the underdog, and works tirelessly to provide top-notch support for our clients, doing a lot with a little. In her free time, she enjoys scouring thrift stores, cooking pasta, going to the theatre, and hosting niche-themed costume parties. She received her BA in Communications and Political Science from Fordham University.

TIM LEGG • he • him

As a former member of ACT UP, Tim knows firsthand the important role visual communication and advocacy can play in creating change. Prior to joining Wingo, he led fulfilling careers as a ceramicist, a decade-long staffer at the NYC Non-Profit Coordinating Committee (now known as Nonprofit New York) and a landscape designer. Having been Wingo's creative director for many years, Tim recently shifted to the business management side of Wingo. Tim holds a BFA in Editorial Design and Ceramics from Syracuse University's College of Visual and Performing Arts and a certificate in Landscape Design from the New York Botanical Garden. On weekends he spends most of his time in the garden and reading Yimby to keep up on what new buildings are going to be built in and around NYC. 

MITALI MEHTA • she • her

Mitali loves to visually showcase concepts and mission-driven campaigns through impactful design. As a digital creative working on event branding, identity design, social media marketing and UI design, she brings a wealth of knowledge from her past experiences. Mitali joined Wingo NYC, bringing with her, exposure in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors. Previously, she worked at Tiffany & Co., as part of the global digital creative team, producing assets and artifacts for marketing campaigns, e-commerce enhancements, and contributing to the holistic digital strategy through a user-centric perspective. She has created proposals and marketing materials for a multitude of events hosted by some of the largest multinational corporations in the country at A-List Marketing. Mitali is also dedicated to supporting organizations, who in turn, support their communities. She worked with Sadie Nash Leadership Project to redesign their brand identity and highlight the organization’s mission and values to empower young women of color and gender-expansive youth. Through the use of bold colors, impactful typography and engaging graphics, she produced their “new look”. Mitali has a BFA in Communication Design from Parsons School of Design in New York City and a design certificate from Central Saint Martin in London. In her free time, you can find her baking anything sweet, painting scenic views, travelling across continents and trying out new restaurants.

SARAH OTTOSEN • she • her

Sarah is an expert relationship builder with years of experience in project management and non-

profit writing. Studying an organization’s story and crafting text for case materials in a clear and

creative light is where she thrives. Sarah hails from Auburn, a small town in upstate New York

that is home to the Harriet Tubman National Historic Park, and she holds a BFA in Musical

Theatre from The University of Hartford.

Passionate in social justice advocacy, she believes that it’s the small-scale, daily work, that

snowballs into big systemic change. In her free time, she volunteers as a counselor for The

Trevor Project – a suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ youth.

She also enjoys running, fostering dogs, studying American Sign Language and hanging out

with her bearded dragon, Marge.

DOUG WINGO • he • him

Thinking he would leave Harvard Divinity School and become an ecumenical college chaplain, instead Doug turned his passion for social justice into a decades-long career in the secular ministry of fundraising. After working on the frontlines of the AIDS epidemic during the darkest years, he founded Wingo NYC in 1996, the year the cocktail brought so many people back to life. He believes fundraising is a critical form of advocacy, a tool for creating community and social and cultural change. Focusing on the roles relationship-building and communication play in successful fundraising, Doug has brought his extensive experience in creating and implementing successful, systematic development and donor communication campaigns designed to increase and diversify income for organizations just getting off the ground and to those that have been around for years. He is a coach and mentor to board and staff members and regularly leads trainings and courses on fundraising. He is currently a Board member of Hudson Hall and Lifetime Arts. The fundraising studio grew out of his early years as an art major at the College of William and Mary and a teenage proselytizer in the Bible Belt. Doug is living proof that change is possible.