Alex Koenigsberg
Founder and Owner
Alex is the founder of Arula. He started the company in 2018, after realizing that every grant writer he met required payment of their fee upfront. Alex knew there was a more equitable way and decided to tap his own knowledge and experience to provide this service, while sharing in the risk with the nonprofits. Alex and the team at Arula assist dozens of nonprofits and initiatives, mostly in Colorado, but also throughout the country.
Alex also works as the CEO of 1+ and Business Development Officer for Quorum Prosthetics. He is responsible for a myriad of initiatives at each company, including: sales, partnerships, marketing, investments, grants, loans, and more. He has been recognized as Colorado’s Social Entrepreneur of the Year and Colorado Top Five Under Forty.
As well as his “day jobs,” Alex volunteers with a myriad of nonprofits. Alex chairs the board of B-Bold, allowing people to participate in combat sports, no matter their abilities. Alex also serves as a board advisor to One Leg at a Time, delivering prosthetics to those in need. He is on the organizing committee for the Founded in FoCo nonprofit track. Alex also volunteers with Idea Wild, helping to organize their three annual fundraising events in Colorado and South Dakota.
Alex is one of the founders and organizers of the annual Fort Collins Top Dog charity event, where the winning dog goes on a can of Odell “Top Dog” beer. He also co hosts the annual Trout Tank event, a philanthropic take on the show Shark Tank.
Kendra Kellogg
CEO
Kendra joined the Arula team in June 2021 working with nonprofits to write grants, help with fundraising strategies, build websites, and strategically plan for the future. Now as the CEO, she works to grow the company and broaden the support Arula can provide to the community. After receiving her PhD, she spent almost 5 years working for a small nonprofit wolf and wolf dog sanctuary in Northern Colorado. She started as a volunteer, quickly becoming the Executive Assistant, and within a year transitioning to the Development Manager. She is familiar with how nonprofits are run at different levels and intimately understands the limited resources on which they often operate. Kendra is excited to use her knowledge and experience to help nonprofits in the community further their fundraising and development goals.
Samantha McClain
Director of Nonprofits
Samantha joined the Arula team in August of 2022. She has four years of experience volunteering her time at a nonprofit specializing in early childhood education and one year volunteering in literary publishing. She graduated with her BA in Writing, Rhetoric, and Technology from the University of Colorado Denver. Samantha loves the way people and organizations can come together to make a difference in their communities and is excited to be part of that as Arula’s Director of Nonprofits. In her free time she loves reading, being with nature, and spending time with her husband and two young children.
Katrina Petrone
Nonprofit Strategist
Katrina joined the Arula team in October 2024 and with over 13 years in the marketing industry, she has developed and executed successful strategies to enhance brand visibility and drive growth for her clients. Her strong project management skills enable her to effectively oversee multiple campaigns from concept to completion, ensuring alignment with organizational goals. Most recently, Katrina served as the Data and Grant Manager for a small local nonprofit, where she utilized data to inform decision-making and secure funding for mission-driven initiatives. She gained valuable insights into the critical role that grant writing and fundraising play in the success of nonprofits and the communities they serve. Katrina’s combined experience in marketing and data management allows her to optimize strategies and build strong relationships with clients and collaborators.
Christina Bondhus
Nonprofit Liaison & Marketing Specialist
Christina joined the team in August 2022 originally as a Nonprofit Intern from Aims Community College. Since then, she has become a Nonprofit Liaison and Marketing Specialist for Arula. Currently, she is working to obtain her A.A.S. at Aims for admin assistance and marketing. Christina brings 14 years of office experience and 4.5 years working and volunteering in the nonprofit sector, from Reflections for Youth as a CCW/Counselor, to Alternatives to Violence admin work, and most recently, Accent Care Hospice. In her free time, she can be found collecting fossils and rocks, going on adventures, cross-stitching, or raising her new kitten, Blessie.
Dominique Chesson
Nonprofit Liaison
Dominique, a Nonprofit Liaison for Arula, joined the team in June 2024. She has various nonprofit experiences working with grassroots organizations around education, youth development, housing rights, voting policies, and food justice. Dominique is a Fort Collins native and a recent graduate from the University of San Francisco with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a concentration in Critical Diversity and Social Justice. One of her life goals is to elevate community-led organizations and be part of meaningful work. Arula is a foundational piece in this mission as she leads with empathy and is an advocate for systemic change.