MINDset direct’s leadership team is representative of the best our industry has to offer.
Candice Briddell
Managing Partner, Co-Owner
Candice Briddell, Managing Partner and Co-Owner, has worked within the fundraising and marketing industry for nearly twenty years and has been a part of the MINDset team for over a decade. Prior to that, she was integral in the retention marketing program at AOL.
Throughout her professional tenure, she is proud to have served a multitude of clients including: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, National Jewish Health, LIVESTRONG, Amnesty International, Defenders of Wildlife, The Washington National Cathedral and The Children’s Inn at NIH.
Passionate about data-driven analysis, she helps push her clients to think out of the box and break through old plateaus to reach new fundraising results and benchmarks that have taken many programs beyond all original measures of success. Candice has always prided herself on helping her clients create and leverage multi-channel strategies that maximize revenue, donor engagement and organizational brand power. She understands the need for comprehensive systems to address internal organizational and external environmental challenges, and has created dynamic approaches to help handle these needs.
Erica O'Brien
Managing Partner, Co-Owner
Erica O’Brien, Managing Partner and Co-Owner, has worked within the marketing and non-profit industry for nearly twenty years. Before joining the MINDset team, she worked at Chapman Cubine & Hussey for nearly a decade, where she served as Principal & Senior Vice President.
Throughout her professional tenure, she is proud to have served a multitude of clients including: AARP and AARP Foundation, Volunteers of America Chesapeake, the Democratic National Committee, The World Jewish Congress, Defenders of Wildlife, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Disabled American Veterans, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Smithsonian.
Erica has always prided herself on helping her clients create and leverage multi-channel strategies that maximize revenue, Member/Donor engagement and organizational brand power. She understands the need for comprehensive systems to address internal organizational and external environmental challenges, and has created dynamic approaches to help handle these needs. Further, she is pleased to have created award-winning creative and package strategies that have established reliable controls for her clients.
Kristin McCurry
Founder
Kristin McCurry, Founder of MINDset direct, is a 25-year veteran of nonprofit fundraising. Since founding MINDset direct in 2005, Kristin has partnered with the nation’s most vibrant and visionary charities, including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, National Children’s Medical Center, American Red Cross, Nature Conservancy, ASPCA and others. In the last few years, Kristin has transitioned ownership and leadership of the firm to MINDset partners Candice Briddell and Erica O’Brien. Kristin is still an integral part of the MINDset leadership team, serving our clients as a strategic consultant and high value program subject matter expert.
Kristin is recognized as an industry thought leader and has served in leadership positions including president of the Direct Marketing Association of Washington, chair of the Bridge Conference and member of the DMANF Advisory Council. Her viewpoints and case studies have been published in a variety of publications, including The NonProfit Times, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Fundraising Success, Target Marketing, DM News and Advertising Age. She is also a frequent lecturer, educator and mentor for the DMA Nonprofit Federation, AFP, DMFA and DMAW, and at leading universities, including Georgetown University, George Washington University and James Madison University.
Lisa French
Senior Director, Client Services
Lisa French, Senior Director, Client Services, has over 10 years of experience in non-profit fundraising. She joined MINDset direct in May 2016. In her role as Group Director she has had the privilege to work with a broad range of clients from the Center for Reproductive Rights to Disabled American Veterans and Special Olympics. Prior to coming to MINDset, Lisa spent 4 years running the direct response program at Defenders of Wildlife and 3 years managing its mid-level giving program. She is able to anticipate her clients’ needs and questions because she was once a client herself! Lisa enjoys working on all aspects of direct response, but she is passionate about those “special” audiences, like monthly donors. She has helped build and steward sustainer programs for several clients.
Tara Kagey
Senior Director, Analytics
Tara Kagey , Senior Director, Analytics brings more than 15 years of experience in direct marketing having worked with political/advocacy, non-profit, and commercial programs such as the DSCC, EMILY’s List, National Park Foundation, Genworth, and several individual senate campaigns. Early on in her career, Tara developed an intuitive talent for building successful multi-channel direct marketing plans, leading her clients to record-breaking success. Her experience in the industry spans across fundraising, retail, and lead generation, arming Tara with a vast array of strategies and tactics to draw from. Whether reinstating lapsed donors, tapping into a new data segment, or expanding digital horizons, Tara’s passion is to unlock the growth potential in any program by diving into clients’ results to identify strengths, weaknesses, and untapped opportunities. Having played roles from account management to strategic planning to even being the client, Tara is dedicated to creating a detailed and innovative road map to success. Tara brings a unique blend of leading big picture strategic views while still managing down to the smallest detail.
Laura Colley
Vice President, Production
Laura Colley, Vice President: Production, Laura has been producing and managing direct mail and interactive campaigns for over 20 years. A graduate of National Louis University with a BS in Business Management, she has parlayed her organizational and management skills in her former roles as Senior Production Manager and Production Director and has helped manage production for national nonprofit direct marketing clients including Easter Seals, Humane Society of the United States, AARP, and The Children’s Inn at NIH, just to name a few.
Throughout her career, she has managed the quoting, procurement, execution cost savings analysis and invoicing of all client marketing campaigns, with annual spending of over $15 million, mailing well over 30 million pieces of direct mail. With a vast knowledge of the agency workings, she works very closely with clients and vendors to ensure campaigns are under budget and executed in a way that ensures the highest quality at the most competitive price, never substituting one for the other.