Virginia Association of Fundraising Executives

• Nina Abady Honoree Kelly del Campo Merricks, CFRE, MBA (pictured above at left)
• Rising Star Honoree Katy Latimer (pictured  above at right)

Kelly del Campo Merricks, CFRE, MBA, is the Vice President at Sheltering Arms Foundation. For more than 25 years, she has served the greater Richmond community by connecting donors’ passions to community needs. She spent the first years of her career with the Arthritis Foundation, American Red Cross, and the Central Virginia Foodbank (now FeedMore), followed by 11 years with Westminster Canterbury Richmond where she managed their foundation, public relations, and volunteer services departments.  In 2014, she joined Sheltering Arms Foundation where she helped reignite philanthropy and make Sheltering Arms Institute, a collaboration with VCU Health a reality. After exceeding the $50 million capital campaign, the Sheltering Arms Foundation team and their community of donors are creating the “Margin of Excellence” that makes Sheltering Arms Institute the number one rehabilitation hospital in Virginia and among the top in the nation (US News and World Report Best Hospitals 2023-2024)

Kelly is a graduate of Washington and Lee University, holds an MBA from VCU, and is a member of Leadership Metro Richmond’s class of 2024.  She is married to her lifelong friend and partner, Jason. They have a 15-year-old daughter, a sophomore at James River High School and graduate of Richmond Montessori School where Kelly served on the board of trustees for 7 years, chairing the advancement committee and serving on the committee on trustees.  She is a past president of both AFP Central Virginia Chapter and Virginia Gift Planning Council and a member of VAFRE.

Katy Latimer is the Development Director at Sportable, where she champions opportunities to make sports, recreation, and wellness accessible and inclusive for adults and children with physical disabilities. Before joining Sportable, she held development roles at Rx Partnership and Daily Planet Health Services. Katy earned her B.A. in Sociology from the University of Mary Washington in 2013 and is a proud graduate of the Emerging Nonprofit Leaders Program, an initiative of the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond. She currently serves on the VAFRE Board of Directors and is a volunteer with the Virginia Public Health Association. Born and raised in Richmond, she enjoys live music, camping, cooking, and quality time with her cat, Sushi.