Who We Are.
Jeff Hamond
Vice President
Contact
Jeff Hamond is an accomplished advocate for philanthropic organizations, the communities they serve, and the people and organizations that fund them. He began his career working on tax and economic policy at the Progressive Policy Institute. He further developed his policy expertise over a 12-year career in the U.S. Senate, working as the top economic policy advisor for Sens. Charles Schumer (D-NY), John Kerry (D-MA) and Evan Bayh (D-IN). His work with charities, nonprofits, and foundations led Sen. Schumer to be named co-chair of the Senate Philanthropy Caucus in 2008.
During his tenure on Capitol Hill, Jeff played a key role in developing several initiatives benefiting nonprofits and foundations, including private foundation tax simplification, legislation to reform the IRA charitable rollover, reform to the charity mileage rate, and a bill to provide tax relief to individuals who were wrongfully convicted (which eventually became law).
“I left the Hill knowing private foundations had certain lobbying restrictions,” Jeff says, “but I was still surprised at how few grantmakers engaged directly with elected officials to talk about their work. The funder’s perspective is important; public and private foundations both have great stories and ideas to share, and it’s not lobbying to talk about what you do. Members of Congress need to hear more from them directly, not just from membership groups or during Foundations on the Hill. There’s this old saying in Washington: ‘If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.’”
He also worked on several innovative economic and tax proposals, including the HIRE Act (passed during the Great Recession to encourage the hiring of unemployed workers), the American Opportunity Tax Credit (originally a Schumer bill and now permanent law), and less costly approaches to providing marriage penalty relief in the tax code.
Jeff has worked closely for many years with Congressional staff and Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, and he collaborates closely with others to make sure that no stone is left unturned. He is skilled at developing messages and strategies that will convey his clients’ points of view to different audiences. Policy creativity is his specialty; he works hard to develop alternative approaches to initiatives that seem “stuck.”
Jeff earned a Bachelor of Arts in Quantitative Economics at Tufts University, then obtained a Master in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Susie Gorden
Associate Vice President
Contact
Susie Gorden oversees the daily interactions with the 170 plus partners in the Community Foundation Awareness Initiative. She is regularly on the Hill with community foundations, helping to build robust relationships with their congressional delegations and staff members. In addition, she is the lead on the veterans’ portfolio for a private foundation. She has positioned the foundation’s grantees as go-to experts with the relevant committees, and they have testified in multiple congressional hearings.
Prior to joining VSA, Susie served as a Vice President for the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) for seven years, training over 1500 House and Senate staffers and delivering professional development services. During that time, she also trained as a facilitator and led strategic planning sessions for Members of Congress. In addition, she translated the Hill environment for groups as diverse as Feeding America and the National Association of REALTORS to help them better advocate for their members.
Prior to her time at CMF, Susie was the Policy Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, where she represented the interests of the national organizations 100+ agencies and secured millions in federal funding to support mentoring programs. She started her Capitol Hill career working for Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO), covering most of her Energy and Commerce committee work.
Susie graduated with a Journalism and British Studies degree from the University of Colorado.
Theresa Pattara
J.D., CPA, Strategic Advisor
Theresa Pattara is a seasoned advisor with deep expertise in nonprofit tax law, governance, and public policy. She brings a unique combination of government, corporate, and charitable sector experience—helping mission-driven organizations strengthen their governance, fundraising and overall strategic planning while building sustainable community impact.
Theresa began her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, preparing and reviewing Forms 990 and assisting nonprofits through IRS audits. At the IRS Tax-Exempt & Government Entities Division, she led the $23 million rewrite of Form 990 and updates to related core business processes, while also reviewing and advising on complex applications for tax-exempt status.
As Tax Counsel to the Chairman/Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, she investigated nonprofit organizations and drafted legislation and shaped proposals impacting hospitals, donor-advised funds, university endowments, and other nonprofit organizations.
Her oversight efforts resulted in stronger governance standards and restructured boards for certain charities.
In the private sector, Theresa held senior government affairs roles at Aflac, Iron Mountain, and H&R Block, where she built bipartisan advocacy strategies and public-private partnerships. She also brought her charitable perspective to the corporate sector, serving on grantmaking committees and leading employee-driven giving campaigns—including a $1 million COVID-19 relief fund for employees in need.
Today, Theresa leverages this breadth of experience to advise foundations, charitable organizations, and nonprofit boards on:
- IRS and state compliance, including Form 990 strategy and exemption applications
- Governance and board best practices
- Grantmaking strategy and program design
- Public policy engagement and advocacy in Washington
Theresa is deeply committed to service in her own community. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the University of Scranton and on the Board and as Treasurer of CASA, Prince George’s County, advancing permanency for foster youth. She also volunteers with the Annandale Volunteer Fire Department, supporting fundraising and outreach efforts, and has previously served on boards for trade associations, condominium associations, and social service charities.
A Certified Public Accountant, Theresa holds a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Scranton and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center. She lives in Northern Virginia and continues to advise and partner with nonprofits across the country.
Jennifer LaTourette
President and Chief Operating Officer
Jennifer LaTourette is the President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Van Scoyoc Associates providing firmwide leadership, team management, and vision in the implementation of VSA’s forward-focused strategies. Jennifer has spent nearly two decades at VSA and brings a deep understanding of our business and record of successful advocacy to the leadership of VSA.
In addition to serving as the President and COO, Jennifer represents a broad array of clients utilizing her unique bipartisan and bicameral Capitol Hill experience to successfully advance client goals, even in the most difficult of political environments. Clients call on Jennifer to help raise the profile of their companies, issues, or individuals. She successfully advocates and secures funding and legislative language for her clients’ priorities and initiatives. Over the course of her career, she has effectively represented both individual organizations and consortium projects.
Jennifer’s clients have included a wide variety of healthcare stakeholders, including world-renowned hospital systems, research institutes, laboratories, medical device manufacturers and non-profits. In addition, she works on behalf of trade associations, municipalities, and a variety of corporate and non-profit entities across sectors, providing counsel and advocacy around federal activity. She also served as the lead advocate for a coalition of over 100 members including large businesses, scientific organizations and academic entities dedicated to enacting a national agenda. Jennifer is consistently recognized as one the The Hill’s top lobbyists.
Before becoming a lobbyist, Jennifer worked for Members of the House and Senate for nearly a decade. She has a wealth of experience covering issues for both Republican and Democratic Members of Congress.
Jennifer served as a Chief of Staff and associate staff for senior members of the House, including Rep. Steve LaTourette (R-OH). In this capacity, Jennifer was responsible for advising on all legislative issues, managing press operations, and working directly with a number of federal agencies and the White House. She began her career in the office of former Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) when he was Ranking Member of the EPW Committee and later Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. When working for Rep. Robert Borski (D-PA), she represented him on the conference committee for a landmark piece of comprehensive legislation.
Jennifer earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College and her Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center.