Anna Barber is President and Principal Consultant for Barber & Associates, a boutique fundraising consulting firm focused on helping non-profit organizations achieve their full fundraising potential.

 Prior to starting Barber & Associates, Barber was a senior major gift officer for the Smithsonian Institution and the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) where she worked for 8 ½ years. She was part of NMAAHC’s inaugural fundraising team that surpassed its $270M private philanthropic goal by $50M. Personally, Barber secured $42M in leadership ($1M+) and major ($100K) gift support, highlighted by the closure of 22 individual one million-dollar gifts, 90% contributed by first time donors to the Smithsonian. She also built and maintained a portfolio of high profile celebrities, including Pauletta and Denzel Washington, LaTanya and Samuel L. Jackson, Magic and Cookie Johnson, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, among many other national individual philanthropists. Leading into NMAAHC’s Grand Opening in 2016, she led the efforts to host a $1M per plate fundraiser at the home of Denzel Washington and a mid-level fundraising event that generated $5M from $25K donors.  

Prior to the Smithsonian, Barber spent 10 years working as a frontline fundraiser in big-time college athletics. She served as the director of major gifts for Michigan State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics where she was part of the team that successfully completed a $100M capital campaign, which was part of a larger $1.2B university-wide campaign. In addition to fundraising, she oversaw the athletics department’s endowment, planned giving and communication programs; and the led the fundraising team for the renovation of the University’s baseball, softball and soccer complexes.

Prior to working at MSU, Barber served as the assistant director of development at Miami University in Ohio where she participated in launching the athletics department’s $30M capital campaign, part of a university-wide $350M campaign. She started her career at Arizona State University where she was mentored under the legendary athletics director Gene Smith.

Barber earned a Juris Doctorate (Intellectual Property) from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Howard University.

Barber is an avid traveler and scuba diver.  

About Shanté Alerté

Shanté Alerté supports Barber & Associates in their work to create and enhance fundraising strategies for non-profit organizations across the United States. Alerté has served as a development and public health communications professional in the nation’s capital for nearly a decade.

Prior to joining this firm, Alerté strengthened development and communications efforts at area non-profits including The Washington Home & Community Hospices, the Global Fund for Children, the Children’s Dental Health Project, and WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease. Stakeholder relations and CRM management, with a focus on social media campaigns, were key aspects of her position.

Alerté holds an M.P.H. in Public Health Communications & Marketing from The George Washington University and a B.S. in Psychology from Howard University. She has a deep passion for the arts and loves all things comedy. 

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About Vicky Lech

Vicky Lech supports Barber & Associates in their work to create and enhance fundraising strategies for non-profit organizations across the United States. Lech has more than 13 years of non-profit fundraising experience, primarily in planned giving.

Prior to joining Barber and Associates, Lech served as a gift planning officer at the National Wildlife Federation. She also worked in development positions at the American Diabetes Association, Smithsonian Institution, and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Lech holds a Master of Arts degree in Public Policy & Women’s Studies from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics & Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh. She loves traveling, visiting Major League Baseball parks, and camping with her husband and pandemic rescue pup. 

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About Samia Khan

Samia Khan assists Barber & Associates with their contracts and copy writing.

Khan has previously worked as a communications regulatory attorney, human resource professional for a community bank, and a writer. She has also worn several more unconventional hats in her career, working for artisanal foods companies and farmstead cheesemakers, volunteering as a zookeeper’s assistant with the Smithsonian National Zoo, and teaching cheesemaking classes for a community kitchen.

Khan holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas School of Law, and Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism and Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Kansas. She loves food, travel, long walks, exploring National Parks, and chasing fireflies with her two children.