Development

Serving Christian Union's Financial Partners 

Cheryl Ennis Self, ACFRE

Senior Development Consultant

Cheryl was the Founder and Chief Development Officer of the consultancy Funding for Change (FFC). Since 2016, FFC has provided expert guidance to both nonprofit and for profit corporations in the areas of creative visioning, innovative strategic planning, excellence in resource generation, and sustainable attainment of stated goals.

Prior to serving as a Business Consultant, Ms. Self was the Executive Director of Global Social Partnerships at World Vision (WV). WV is a Christian humanitarian organization with 46,000 employees working in nearly 100 countries.  Her prior roles at World Vision over 16 years included leadership of major donor, corporate and foundation development officers, while personally stewarding a strong portfolio of donor relationships.

Her previous experience includes service as National Director of Advancement at Prison Fellowship Ministries, Washington, DC, and Interim Director of Development at The Stony Brook School, Long Island, NY. 

In 2013, The Association of Fundraising Professionals, the largest community of professional fundraisers in the world, awarded its highest professional certification, the Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive (ACFRE) to Ms. Self. Available only to senior-level fundraisers who have worked in the profession for 10 or more years, the ACFRE is a distinguished achievement earned by only 104 professionals since the inception of the program in 1992.

Ms. Self holds a BA in French Language from Gettysburg College, PA.

 

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Juli Chezem

Director of Development
Bio coming soon.

 

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David Cole

Director of Technical Services

David brings over ten years of fundraising operations experience serving organizations across the religious, social service, and education sectors. David specializes in helping non-profits optimize donor databases, streamline processes, and enhance data-driven strategic planning efforts.

David is a native Texan, a devout Catholic, and an Eagle Scout. He lives in Dallas-Ft. Worth area with his wife, Jennifer, and two daughters. He earned a BA in Communications from the University of Texas in San Antonio.

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Landon Eckhardt

Director of Development

Landon represents Christian Union in the Northeast Region, working closely with ministry financial partners, including individuals, churches, and foundations. His role is to steward their participation in developing Christian leaders to impact culture across the country.

Born and raised in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas metroplex, Landon earned a BSBA in finance from Samford University in 2009, an MDiv from Palmer Theological Seminary in 2014, and an MBA from Eastern University in 2017. Prior to joining Christian Union, Landon worked in development at The Bowery Mission in New York City where he managed a team overseeing donor relations, donation processing and receipting, and various data and reporting mechanisms.   

Landon and his wife, Amanda, currently live in New York City and are avid foodies, coffee lovers, and enjoy spending quality time with family and friends.

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Patty Fillman

Administrative Assistant

Patty provides crucial administrative support to the development team. She graduated from Mansfield University with a degree in Early Childhood Education and has worked a variety of secretarial and managerial jobs while fulfilling her primary responsibility of raising her children. 

Patty has three wonderful, grown children: Adam, Rachel, and Hannah. Between them, she and her husband, Jim, have four children and three grandchildren.

 

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Sara Morrill

Donor Care Manager and Development Support

Sara grew up in Nyack, New York and Grand Rapids, MI. She graduated cum laude from Taylor University in 2013 where she studied communications and viola performance. Prior to Christian Union Sara worked in Development at Trinity International University where she managed the donor relations team.

Sara and her husband, Dan, reside in Palatine, IL.

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Deborah Oladapo

Data Director

Deborah grew up in Auburn, Alabama. She attended the University of Alabama where she received her BA in International Studies and Spanish and her MBA. She spent eight years working as an IT professional with Rohm and Haas Company, The Dow Chemical Company, and with a non–profit community college before joining Christian Union. 

Deborah is married to Abiola. They have two children and live in Columbus, Indiana. 
 

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Edit Planas

Senior Development Associate
 



Contact the Christian Union development staff by email using: Firstname.Lastname@ChristianUnion.org