Our Team
The Credentials and Experience to Improve Your Funding Chances
Julie Assel, GPC, CGMS
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Julie Assel, GPC, CGMS, is the President/CEO and a Senior Writer for Assel Grant Services. Julie has a varied background in grant writing including writing for school districts of varying sizes, universities, and non-profit organizations. So far, she has written awarded grants totaling more than $156 million since 2003.
Tom Assel, GPC
Tom Assel, GPC, is the Vice-President and a Senior Writer with Assel Grant Services since 2012. He provides administrative and technology support for the consultancy, in addition to grant research, proposal writing, and editing. Tom has successfully raised over $4 million in grant funding since 2014.
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Julie Alsup, PMP, GPC
Julie Alsup, PMP, GPC, is Assel Grant Services’ Vice President of Operations and oversees all operations within the nonprofit division of the firm. She has over 20 years of experience in development and has successfully secured over $45 million in grant funding since 2016.
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Tracey Diefenbach, MA, GPC
Tracey Diefenbach, MA, GPC, is an Assistant Director with Assel Grant Services. She leads the Reviewing Services division of the company focused on quality assurance. She has successfully secured more than $51 million in grant funding since 2005.
Michele Ryan, GPC
Michele Ryan, GPC, is an Assistant Director with Assel Grant Services. Michele joined the firm in 2019, bringing twenty years of non-profit sector experience in elementary, secondary and higher education, performing arts, and social services. Michele has successfully secured over $16 million in funding over the course of her career.
Megan Campbell, MPA, GPC
Megan Campbell, MPA, GPC, is a Senior Grants Specialist with Assel Grant Services. Megan has over 20 years of experience providing grant writing, development strategy, and communications support for nonprofit agencies in the Kansas City region. She has successfully secured over $20 million in federal, state, and private/foundation grants over the course of her career.
Leah Hyman, GPC
Leah Hyman, GPC, is a Senior Grants Specialist with Assel Grants Services. During her first two years of writing grant proposals, she secured over $100,000 in funding for small nonprofit agencies in the Manhattan, KS area, and has successfully secured $5 million in grant funding since joining AGS in 2020.
Kellie Brungard, GPC
Kellie Brungard, GPC, is a Grants Specialist with Assel Grant Services, joining the team in January 2022. Kellie began her career in experiential marketing, planning and executing large-scale events for Fortune 500 companies. In 2019, Kellie fully transitioned to grant writing and has successfully secured over $3.5 million in various foundation, corporate, city, state, and federal grant applications.
Amy Knudsen, GPC
Amy Knudsen, GPC, is a Grants Specialist with Assel Grants Services. Amy has a Masters Degree in Applied Sociology from University of Massachusetts-Boston and has spent her career in non-profits including direct service, program development, and leadership. Amy has secured more than $15 million in federal, state, and private/foundation grants in the past 15 years.
Katrina Kuntz, GPC
Katrina Kuntz, GPC, is a Grants Specialist with Assel Grant Services. She has a Masters Degree in Modern Art History, Theory, and Criticism from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and has over 15 years of experience in the fields of higher education and nonprofits. Katrina has successfully secured over $8 million since 2015.
Shauna O’Toole, MA, CFRE, GPC
Shauna O’Toole, MA, CFRE, GPC, is a Grants Specialist with Assel Grant Services, joining the team in 2023. She has secured over $1.5 million in foundation, corporate, federated, and local government funding in the St. Louis area since 2015. She holds the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential, the Grant Professional Certified (GPC) credential, and is the current GPA Greater St. Louis Regional Chapter president (2022-2023).
Charlie Sagona, GPC
Charlie Sagona, GPC, is a Grants Specialist with Assel Grant Services. He joined the firm in 2024 and has over 25 years of experience in grant writing, development, communications, and nonprofit management. Charlie is on the national board of directors for the Grant Professionals Association (GPA) and has successfully secured more than $109.5 million in federal, state, and private/foundation grants.
Ana Teslik, Ph.D., MPA, GPC
Ana Teslik, Ph.D., MPA, GPC, is a Grants Specialist with Assel Grants Services. She earned her Ph.D. in politics from the University of Miami and has over 10 years of experience in writing grants for nonprofits, research projects, and higher education. Ana has secured over $5 million in funding from federal, state, county, and private foundation sources over the course of her career.
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Ashley Dooley, MBA, GPC
Ashley Dooley, MBA, GPC, is a Grants Specialist with Assel Grant Services. She joined the firm in 2022 and has over 20 years of experience in grant writing, grant management, and nonprofit sector management. Ashley has written awarded grants totaling more than $3.5 million over the last seven years.
Roxanne Jensen, Ed.S., GPC
Roxanne Jensen, Ed.S., GPC, is a Grants Specialist with Assel Grant Services. She brings a strong background in education to our practice, specifically elementary education, special education, and English language learners. Roxanne has written awarded grants totaling more than $10 million since 2011.
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Michelle Dykes-Anderson, Ed.D., CFRE, GPC
Michelle Dykes-Anderson, Ed.D., CFRE, GPC, is a Grants Specialist with Assel Grant Services. She completed a doctorate in Education Policy Studies and Evaluation from the University of Kentucky in 2011 and has more than 20 years of experience in higher education and nonprofits. She has secured over $20 Million in grant funding over the course of her career.
Whitney Gray, MA, GPC, CGMS
Whitney Gray, MA, GPC, CGMS, is a Grants Specialist with Assel Grant Services. Whitney has over fifteen years of experience in the nonprofit sector, including professional presentation expertise. She has secured over $12 million in grant funding since joining Assel Grant Services in 2016.
Hayley Waynick, GPC
Hayley Waynick, GPC, is a Grants Specialist with Assel Grant Services. She has over 10 years of experience working with non-profits in the areas of development, event planning, community relations, and volunteer coordination. Hayley has successfully secured almost $13 million since 2014.
Laura Kuschel
Laura Kuschel is the Human Resources/Payroll Specialist for Assel Grant Services. She started her career in human resources in 2015 while living in Wyoming. Upon returning to Wisconsin, she continued her career in different industries including manufacturing, hospitality and healthcare.
Linda Bahrke, MOAM
Linda Bahrke, MOAM, is a Project Manager with Assel Grant Services. She has experience as a leader as the chief executive of a health insurance company and an accountable care organization, and her scope of experience encompasses strategic planning, community-based population health models of collaboration, effective deployment, and leader development at the group and individual levels.
Timothy Harvey
Timothy Harvey is a Training Coordinator with Assel Grant Services. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design and provides graphics, marketing, and website support for AGS, as well as managing AGS’s library of grant trainings.
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Katie Kendle
Katie Kendle is an Administrative Assistant with Assel Grant Services. She studied mathematics and music at Texas Tech University, began a career in computer programming, and uses her experience in programming and organizing to support the staff at Assel Grant Services in an administrative capacity.
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Michelle Jensen
Michelle Jensen is an Associate with Assel Grant Services. She brings a strong background in business and administration and provides administrative and logistical support for the business, in addition to working on various database projects.
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