Job Title: President & CEO

Organization: The Helen Brown Group, LLC

Degree(s): Bachelor's degree in psychology; masters’ degrees in arts administration and higher education administration

Melissa Bank Stepno is President & CEO of The Helen Brown Group, a prospect development consulting firm, where she also serves as Managing Director of DAFinitive®, an online research tool for donor advised funds. Melissa joined HBG in 2023 and acquired the company from its founder, Helen Brown, in 2024. A 25-year industry veteran and executive, Melissa previously worked for Blackbaud, Boston University and Boston Ballet. For the majority of her career, Melissa has consulted with non-profit organizations across on using wealth screenings, predictive modeling and other analytics to drive prospecting efforts and strategic decision making. As a frequent speaker at industry events and contributor to white papers and articles, Melissa’s areas of interest include the growth of donor advised funds and their impact on the philanthropic industry, the effective use of data and analytics to drive fundraising growth, and the impact of high-net-worth philanthropy on major giving programs. Based in NH, Melissa served for 6-years on the Apra board, having led the organization as President from 2021-2022. She has also served on the boards of NEDRA, AFP NNE, and the Brandeis University Alumni Association. Melissa received NEDRA’s Ann Castle Award in 2021, which acknowledges outstanding effort or achievement in the field of development research or related fields. Melissa received a BA degree from Brandeis University and master’s degrees in both Arts Administration and Higher Education Administration from Boston University.