Tara began working in the development field in 2002 at Simmons College in Boston, where she was hired as a major gifts and development research assistant and ultimately went on to serve as Assistant Director of Prospect Research. Later in her career, she worked as a Senior Research Analyst at MIT, as Associate Director of Prospect Management & Research at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and as Director of Development Research at Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP).
Tara first joined The Helen Brown Group in 2007 as a Research Associate and ShareTraining Coordinator. After rejoining the firm in 2013, she progressed through multiple leadership roles and now serves as Director, Research & Consulting.
Tara has been an active volunteer with NEDRA for many years. She currently serves on the faculty of NEDRA’s High Finance for Prospect Researchers program and, since 2020, has also been a member of the Research Basics Bootcamp faculty, co-teaching a tri-annual course on the fundamentals of prospect research. From 2010–2016, Tara served on NEDRA’s Board of Directors, holding leadership roles including Vice President, Secretary, Editor of NEDRA News, and Chair of both the Website & Technology and Volunteer Committees. She has also volunteered with Apra International, serving on the Membership Committee, Chapters Committee, and Bylaws Task Force.
In 2022, Tara received NEDRA’s Ann Castle Award, which acknowledges outstanding effort or achievement in the field of development research and related fields.
In addition to her work in prospect development, Tara is also a professional wedding officiant based in Salem, Massachusetts. She is a founding board member of the Sisterhood of Salem, a membership-based networking and empowerment organization for local women, and serves as president of the board of the Salem Playhouse, a former church now reimagined as a vibrant home for the performing arts.
She earned a B.A. degree in fine arts, education, and psychology from Smith College.
Tara joined The Helen Brown Group in 2007.
Today I’d like to talk about executive compensation and the fun perquisites (“perks”) that make looking at a company’s proxy statement really interesting. Perks are those little extra somethings that make the financial lives of company executives and board members just a little bit easier. Like a shiny lure, perks attract the most talented ‘big fish’ and help retain them once they’re hooked.