Alex Koenigsberg
Founder and President
Alex is the president and founder of Arula. He started the company in 2018, having nearly ten years in the nonprofit world, 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 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. During Alex’s tenure (and thanks to the company’s amazing team), Quorum has opened a new 3D printing manufacturing facility.
Prior to Arula, Alex was the Executive Director of the Creative Living Community of CT (CLCC). The mission of CLCC is to provide a farm community with residence, programming, and vocational skills training to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Prior to CLCC, Alex was an Event Coordinator for the MetroHartford Alliance, where he organized over 60 events a year.
As well as his “day jobs,” Alex volunteers with a myriad of nonprofits, including his work on the board of directors for the Northern Colorado Wildlife Center, where they work to rescue and rehabilitate injured and sick wildlife. He is also one of the founders and organizers of the Fort Collins Top Dog event, where the winning dog goes on a can of Odell beer!
Alex has won numerous awards and recognitions including: winner of New Haven Startup Weekend (2012), Connecticut’s 40 Under Forty (2015), Colorado’s Top Five Young Professionals (2021), and Social Entrepreneur of the Year for Northern Colorado (2021). Alex attended Eastern Connecticut State University where he earned a degree in Business Administration.
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. She has 4+ years of experience working for W.O.L.F. Sanctuary, a small nonprofit in Northern Colorado. She started as a volunteer, quickly becoming the Executive Assistant, and now serves as 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 be a part of the Arula team and to help nonprofits in the community further their fundraising and development goals.
Shannon Stutzman
Nonprofit Liaison
Shannon is a Nonprofit Liaison for Arula, and joined the team in November 2021. With a background in marketing, she brings a well rounded view to the nonprofit world. While she is new to serving nonprofits, she strives to bring her passion and skills to Arula. Using research, strategic planning, and strong client relationships, she seeks to give nonprofits from Colorado and beyond a chance to have their voices heard. She will work to support each nonprofit and help them feel comfortable and knowledgeable about the entire grant process. In her free time Shannon enjoys hiking, puzzles, strategic games, and spending time with her family and 2 cats.
Laura Whitney
Nonprofit Strategist
Laura joined Arula in January of 2023 after spending over five years in the nonprofit sector. She brings a myriad of nonprofit experience, including leadership, program management, marketing, and fundraising, among other skills. Prior to Arula, she served as Executive Director for a veteran organization. She is excited to bring her expertise to Arula and help clients determine their best path of success. She has a background in healthcare compliance and information technology and has a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Sociology from Colorado State University, along with three minors in French, Spanish, and Global Environmental Sustainability. While not working, you can find Laura spending time with her two children, doing Crossfit, or watching too much reality television.
Kaila Bryner
Organizational Project Developer
Kaila joined the team in January 2022. She works with both nonprofit organizations and small businesses looking to scale their programming through fundraising and strategic planning. In addition to her role at Arula, she is a full time student at Colorado State University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Innovation and Organizational Management with certificates in Music Business and Marketing Communication and Design. She has worked in a variety of fields including food service, medicine, and education. Her skill set lies in customer service, grant writing, management, and more. Kaila has a deep passion for the music industry and helped to found the student-led organization called the Music Business Collective. In her free time, you can find her volunteering for nonprofits, writing songs, and exploring the beautiful Colorado mountains with her husband.
Samantha McClain
Nonprofit Liaison
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 a nonprofit liaison with Arula. In her free time she loves reading, being with nature, and spending time with her husband and two young children.
Christina Bondhus
Nonprofit Liaison
Christina joined the team in August 2022. She is a proud Chilean-American who grew up in Nebraska but now is happy to call Colorado her home. She is currently enrolled at Aims Community College working to obtain her A.A.S. Christina brings 14 years of office experience and 4.5 years working and volunteering in the nonprofit sector, most recently at Alternatives to Violence. In her free time, she can be found collecting fossils, traveling, reading, writing, practicing the Welsh language, cross stitching, and spending time with family, friends, and her 19 year-old cat.
Hannah Heath
Nonprofit Liaison
Hannah joined the Arula team in December 2022. She graduated CSU in 2020 with a Creative Writing degree and a minor in Global Environmental Sustainability. She also brings experience in the noprofit world having spent 3 and a half years at W.O.L.F. Sanctuary as an intern, volunteer, and now staff. In her spare time, she loves reading, writing, being outdoors, and spending time with her two huskies. At Arula, she is excited to be able to work with nonprofits that make a difference and work with them to help achieve their missions.
Kerry Riley
Social Media and Special Events Contractor
Kerry works contractually with Arula on Social Media and Special Events. Prior to joining the team in July 2021, she worked in Australia as a public defender with Legal Aid cases. In her free time as a lawyer, she volunteered with the community legal centers and at the Association for Employees with Disabilities. Since moving back to Colorado, she had left the legal sphere and refocused her efforts on the non-profit community. In her free time, she is currently organizing the fundraising event, Fort Collin’s Top Dog, at Odell’s Brewery for the Northern Colorado Wildlife Center, and she volunteers at the Wolverine Letterpress. Kerry looks forward to using her time at Arula to elevate non-profits into well-recognized brands within the community and to further develop Colorado’s generous spirit.