Jack Beckford

President, Beckford Consulting Group

John G. (Jack) Beckford is president of Beckford Consulting Group, providing planning, development, training, and evaluation services to nonprofit organizations and foundations in the Southeast and Carribean.
As the founder of a nonprofit organization, chair of three boards of directors, and with 15 years' experience as a grantmaker, Jack brings a valuable mix of perspectives and experience of assisting non-profit organizations.
Since found Beckford Consutling in 2002, Jack has provided organizational developlment, fund-raising planning, board training, evaluation and related assistance to more than 40 nonprofit organizations and half a dozen private and public foundations.
Previously Jack spent 13 years at the Fund for Southern Communities (FSC), a regional community foundation with offices in Atlanta. FSC raised money from individual donors and private foundations, evaluated proposals and programs for grant awards, and provided technical assistance and training to small community groups in Georgia and the Carolinas.
Jack served as a grants officer, program director, and co-executive director during his tenure. While at FSC, he was a mber of the National Network of Grantmakers, and chaired the "Funders who Fund in the South" working group. He helped form and served on the board of directors for Georgia Shares - a workplace giving federation; and the Southern Rural Development Initiative, a collective of over 30 groups across 12 states working on rural development programming.
Earlier in his career he served as interim associate for National Relief and Development for the Presbyterian Hunger Program, Presbyterian Church, USA, evaluating and recommending programs for funding. Jack was also founder and executive director of the nonprofit Georgia Agricultural Marketing Project and had been planning director for Dekalb Economic Opportunity Authority, where he administered federal Community Service Block Grant and Head Start Programs.
Jack currently chairs two board of directors, the Grant Park/SAND Community Federal Credit Uninon, and the Institute for Development, Evaluation, Assistance and Solutions (IDEAS).
Jack is married to an early childhood education teacher and has one son attending the University of Georgia.

Jack currently teaches the following courses:
GOV230