A Trailblazer in Nonprofit Success

With over three decades of expertise in the nonprofit sector, Karla is a powerhouse in grant writing, program development, and strategic fundraising. Her impressive track record includes securing and managing grants ranging from $50,000 to over $1 million for both public and private entities. A dynamic leader, Karla has held key roles such as Executive Director, Director of Finance and Fundraising and Development Director in several nonprofits prior to joining RayZo. She earned her B.S. in Accounting from Hampton University, an MPA from Rutgers University, and is a prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Fellow.

In 2024 alone, Karla led the way in successfully securing nearly $1 million in funding for a coalition of three small nonprofits, each operating with budgets under $1 million. This achievement resulted in a significant 20-30% increase in their annual budgets for 2025, ensuring greater financial stability and expanded program capacity.  By leveraging strategic grants management and targeted funding opportunities, RayZo helped these organizations strengthen their impact and sustain critical services for their communities.

Driven by a passion for helping organizations thrive, Karla seamlessly blends her financial expertise with a deep commitment to social impact, making her an invaluable asset to any funding initiative.

Pilar is a seasoned, tri-lingual marketing professional in Spanish, English and French, with 25 plus years of experience focused on proposal writing, business development and maintenance of client relations. She possesses essential writing and editing skills which have won clients many grants. Pilar provides translations for any materials created for clients. She also assists in content generation strategies, and has the knowledge to plan and implement relevant social media campaigns that drive results, improving the client’s presence and improve brand-building efforts. This includes creating campaign titles, slogans and tag lines, blogging, and writing engaging content. Graduate of Douglass College/Rutgers University B.A. in Spanish & French.

Raymond serves as a project manager for RayZo’s digital marketing unit with expertise in project management, social media marketing, content strategy and creation, and communications. He worked as a Media Relations Intern at C-Span where he promoted their main programming including “BookTV” and C-SPAN’s “Education Bus” initiative. He also implemented coverage of the 2018 midterm elections and created debate maps showcasing all scheduled debates across the United States over a two-month period. Raymond earned a BS degree from Rutgers University in Political Science with a minor in Business.

Courtney has 10+ years of marketing experience spanning brand marketing, performance marketing, and content creation. As a brand professional, she has partnered across disciplines to create a strong relevance and emotional connection to digital solutions and products.  Using strategic messaging and audience research, Courtney has successfully raised awareness for RayZO clients.  Executing carefully crafted strategies as a performance marketer has allowed her to be hands-on in end-to-end marketing campaigns, touching every aspect of the user journey and finding the most innovative trends in digital marketing.

Caryl R. Lucas is a media and communications expert who possesses strong interpersonal skills. She is experienced in researching, writing and proofreading press releases and media content. She specializes in implementing and managing media campaigns, and delivering public relations and communications plans. 

Caryl Lucas develops content for dissemination via press releases, social media, websites and other distribution channels. Her passion lies in story-telling, pitching media content and public speaking. Early in her career, she worked as a news reporter for The Star-ledger Newspaper and spent two decades covering human interest stories, fashion and news features. Her work has been published in local and national publications including Essence and InStyle Magazines and on several television outlets over the years. 

In addition, Caryl Lucas has served as the media and public information officer for the County of Essex and as communications director for the New Jersey Secretary of State. A published author, Caryl currently works as a social entrepreneur and media consultant when not running her Unstoppable Girls Foundation, an anti-bullying and mentoring nonprofit organization committed to the health and wellness of girls. 

With more than 25 years of experience in print and presentation design, web, product layout, event planning, and marketing. Sophia graduated with a B.A. in Communications Design from New Jersey City University. Her artistic and professional disciplines have helped transform ideas and messages into creative images, creating very simple to intricate, complex designs. She is proficient in creative concept development and design for branding, advertising and community relations. She has extensive experience in Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office Suite, Dreamweaver, Squarespace, WordPress, Email Marketing, and SharePoint. Sophia’s specialties include Creative Direction, Art Direction, Branding,
Graphic Design, UI/UX Design, Web/Mobile Design, Identity Design, 360 Degree Branding, Product Design, Advertising, Concept Design, and Social Media Development/Strategy.

Erica Clyburn-McDay brings over 15 years of experience in hospitality, event management, operations, sales, marketing, and business development. Her love for events and project management skills have made her an exceptional event planner. Erica has worked on behalf of PepsiCo, Congressional Black Caucus, RayZo Marketing, Inc, The Hunter Foundation, Elizabeth Development Corporation, GrassROOTS Community Foundation, Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority and The Washington Convention Center.

Ali Ryan Scott has worked in event production for over 15 years. Always ready to take her projects to the next level, she has shared her talents and creativity with nonprofit organizations, corporations, publishing companies and personal clients. She makes it her personal mission to transform events from ordinary to extraordinary.