First Things First Porter County Welcomes Kasandra Tenbarge as Associate Director

First Things First Porter County (FTF) introduces Kasandra (Kasie) Tenbarge, CFRM as Associate Director. Most recently, Kasandra served as Major Gifts Officer at Valparaiso University.

Prior to her work at Valparaiso University, Kasie managed development and individual philanthropy for United Way of Northwest Indiana. In addition to higher education and philanthropy experience, she worked as Media Consultant for The Times of Northwest Indiana.

A trusted fundraiser and relationship developer with more than 18 years of experience, Kasie has helped to build and execute successful campaigns, programming, events, and volunteer boards across higher education, non-profit, and business sectors in Northwest Indiana.

Kasie has lived and worked in Northwest Indiana for a majority of her life and professes a deep appreciation and love for the Region, currently living in Chesterton.

Inspired by the collective impact model and a clear understanding that early childhood experiences shape nearly every outcome for life, Kasie will leverage her skills of community building, fundraising, and non-profit management to empower FTF to better serve Porter County’s youngest citizens.

Tasked with creating a structure of sustainability for FTF, she plans “to challenge partners and community members to think about how Porter County (and beyond!) will look differently in 25 years if we are consistent in our work now.”

First Things First Porter County looks forward to Kasie’s experience and passion creating a stronger infrastructure of support for local parents, early educators, care providers, and community leaders. You can learn more about Kasie here.