Resource Development

Kristeen Gammon

A Wisconsin native, Kris joined the Valencia family in 2012 as Assistant Vice President of the Resource Development Office. Kris has experience in both public and private organizations. She is has been involved in all aspects of project development and grant closeout. Kris has led teams of people throughout her career and knows that the team process is the key component to development work. Kris has garnered millions of dollars from federal and private funds and promotes the key institutional strategic directions.

Kris attended Marian University in Fond du Lac, WI receiving a Bachelor's of Arts in Education with certification P-8 and the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee earning a Master's degree in Administrative Leadership and Supervision in Education.  Married in 2020 at the onset of the pandemic, Kris enjoys married life! She and her hubby like to travel, watch suspenseful/mystery series on TV, boating on the chain of lakes and spending time at the beach. Her hobbies include cooking/eating healthy, painting, spending time with family / friends! Kris is happy to be part of this innovative, progressive College where work is student centered and those who work here know they make a difference!

Madeline Velasquez

Madeline Velasquez joined the Valencia College Resource Development Office in May 2016.  Prior to joining the college, Madeline worked in the Finance, Health, Defense & Entertainment industries.  She has over 20 years of demonstrated experience as an administrative assistant supporting executives and their teams in multiple industries.  She has experience providing office management and coordinating special projects. 

After moving to Florida, Madeline joined Lockheed Martin in 2003 where she worked for 10 years in various areas including Corporate Program Performance and Supply Chain Management.  In 2014, she went to work for the Walt Disney Company and enjoyed her work in the Enterprise Service Management division providing support and assistance in the implementation of successful IT projects. 

As the administrative assistant for the Resource Development team, she primarily supports the Assistant Vice President of Resource Development in various capacities and helps ensure the day to day operations of the Resource Development Office.  Madeline also works with the Resource Development team to provide support and assistance with coordinating submission of grant applications and managing funded grant projects. 

A New York native Madeline moved from Brooklyn, New York, to Kissimmee, Florida in 2002. In her spare time, Madeline enjoys spending time with her husband and daughters. Her hobbies include cooking, dancing, the arts and spending times with family/friends.  Madeline is happy to be part of the Valencia family that is making a difference in both student lives and the community.  She knows this first hand because both her daughters previously attended Valencia.

Allie Yadav

Allie Yadav joined the Resource Development Office at Valencia College in March 2011. Prior to joining the college, Allie worked in nonprofit and local government. Allie provides guidance and support to government and foundation proposal development across organization initiatives using her project management and technical writing expertise. She collaborates with colleagues from Academic and Student Affairs, Finance, Operations, and other departments to create compelling grant proposals and funding requests. She has assisted the college to win millions of dollars in funding from the Department of Education, National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, United States Department of Agriculture, and other federal, state, and private organizations. Allie represents the college statewide at the Florida Council for Resource Development, as well as nationwide at the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education as a member of the Federal Funding Taskforce. Allie earned the Grant Professional Certified (GPC) designation from the Grant Professionals Association and the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation. Allie holds a Bachelor of Arts in English degree from the University of Florida and a Master of Public Administration degree from Florida State University. 

Lashon Brown

Lashon Brown joined the Resource Development Office as the Grants Administration and Development Manager in July 2012. In this role, Lashon works with grant project directors to ensure that grant projects meet all of the funding source requirements while working within college policy. Lashon assists with grant kick-off meetings and helps establish timelines for project implementation through closeout, including reporting. Lashon works in collaboration with project directors to provide education and support on how to successfully meet grant program objectives. Prior to joining Resource Development team, Lashon worked with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) as the Development Director for Central/North Florida rising raise money for scholarships for students through corporations, community businesses and foundations. Lashon is a member of the National Grants Management Association and the Florida Council for Resource Development.

Lashon received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Florida State University and a Master of Arts degree in Counseling from Webster University. Lashon has a son, William, age 7.

Nancy Mallison

Nancy Mallison joined the Valencia College Resource Development Team in February 2016 as a Manager, Grants Development and Special Projects. Nancy provides pre-award services for all campuses, assisting in proposal development submitted to government and private agencies, along with building foundation partnerships at the community level. Nancy also prospects for opportunities within both public and private sectors, looking to provide appropriate funding sources to match the many student-centered programs sought by Valencia faculty and staff.

Nancy brings pre- and post-award knowledge from her position in the Office of Research and Commercialization at the University of Central Florida. Her foundation building experience began at Quest, Inc., where she became skilled in proposal development and grant management working with a variety of agencies to serve individuals with developmental disabilities.  Nancy holds two credentials:  the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation and the Grant Professional Certified (GPC) from the Grant Professionals Association. Originally from Michigan, Nancy graduated from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo with a degree in English. Nancy has Developer strength, and experiences success when helping others succeed. 

Elvin Cruz-Vargas

Elvin Cruz-Vargas joined the Resource Development Office in 2021. Prior to joining the RDO team, Elvin worked in multiple roles at Valencia since 2010 in faculty development, student affairs and Valencia Foundation. He has experience managing multiple projects, supervising, and training staff, program administration, donor relations and reporting. As the Manager of Grant Compliance, Elvin collaborates and supports project directors from implementation through close out.  He also leads RDO’s Time and Effort reporting for grant personnel. Elvin supports the Director of Grant Compliance with special projects including updating grant database systems, trainings, and contract review.

Elvin attended the University of Central Florida receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities, a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership/Community College Education. Elvin is a member of the National Grants Management Association and serves on the Education committee. Elvin is a proud dad to Harvey, a Maltese.