Jami Anson
Jami Anson is an accomplished event and nonprofit professional with over 32 years of experience in development, marketing, fundraising, and event management. She began her career with the U.S. Chess Federation, designing international publications like Chess Life and Schoolmates, while coordinating large-scale chess tournaments with thousands of participants worldwide. Her early work introduced her to large-scale event logistics and international collaboration, setting the stage for a career defined by strategic leadership and creative innovation.
Over the years, Jami has contributed her expertise to a variety of nonprofit and cultural organizations, including the World Peace Sanctuary, where she collaborated with Jane Goodall at the United Nations on the Peace Pole Project and Peace Pals Art Exhibition. She later designed and executed major community events such as the Hudson Valley Wine & Chocolate Festival and a series of successful farmers and makers markets, drawing thousands of participants and generating significant revenue. Most recently, as Director of Events and Corporate Relations at Walkway Over the Hudson, she managed approximately 20 events annually, including high-profile public celebrations and fundraising initiatives, leveraging her skills in marketing, graphic design, and donor relations to enhance both community engagement and organizational impact.
Recently, Jami transitioned to launching her own project and consulting practice, JADesign-ny.com, where she continues to focus on nonprofit development, sponsorship cultivation, event production, and integrated graphic design. She approaches her work with a relationship-first philosophy, emphasizing meaningful community impact and collaboration without ego. A lifelong learner with a design background from Dutchess Community College and additional coursework at Vassar College, SUNY New Paltz, and Philadelphia College of Art, Jami remains committed to creating memorable experiences and delivering strategic results for every project she undertakes.
• Dutchess Community College - A.A.
• 2024 Service Above Self Rotarian Award
• 2016 Doer & Dreamer Award from Kingston Happenings
• Kingston Happenings Doer & Dreamer Award
• OZZY Award, InsideOUT Magazine (Creative Layout Design)
• Award Winning Photography in the following publications
• Cramer Award, Best Chess Journalism Photography
• Design Resource Consultant, Season 9, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
• World Peace Initiatives
• Plattekill Historical Preservation Society Executive Secretary of the Board
• People's Place Board Member ~ Executive Officer
• Kingston Kiwanis
• Plattekill Grange
• Hudson Valley Rail Trail Board Member
• Highland Rotary ~ The Hudson Valley Ribefest
• Plattekill Historical Society
• Queens Galley
• People's Place, Kingston, New York
• Angel Food East, Kingston, New York
What do you attribute your success to?
I feel that you only have so much time in life, and what good you can give back to the world is good that will carry forth. There's a quote on my website that says an acorn creates a forest of a thousand trees, and I feel that if I can make a little difference, that might make a big difference in the end. I'm my mom's daughter, and my mom was just like me in that way. I always think about it as not hard work, but heart work. Anytime I'm tired, I think that - it's not hard work, it's heart work, and then I get over being tired. I also believe in being a connector. They call me the Great Connector because people call me up asking how to get a band to play at their festival, and I have the number. I see where the need is and then fulfill the need as I go along.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I find that a lot of the younger generation don't know how to do real follow-up. Sometimes you just need to pick up that phone and say, hey, how's your day going? I would love to have a conversation with you. Or just stop by their office and bring them some donuts and some coffee and just say, just thinking of you today. Those little things are missing sometimes in fundraising. We're not just there to say, hey, write a check for us. I love listening to the sponsor to see what their needs are and to see what their vision is, and then for me to come back to them and say I've got a perfect experience for you, or I've got something that you might be interested in. I think that personal connection is lacking. It shouldn't be a conquering of a sponsor, it should be a working with a sponsor. You have to look at it as a relationship, whether it's a business relationship or a friend relationship, it's still a relationship, and to make it a great relationship, you have to be invested.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say keep your mind open for learning. Don't assume that you can do it better than somebody else. Even though I'm in development or I'm a director or working in an executive directorship or working on a grant, I always look at it as I still can learn from you. You could be 18, you could be 80, but you may look at something through your eyes differently than I do. So I think the most important thing I could say to somebody young is don't assume that you know everything. You don't know, and you're building a relationship, and that relationship is going to be a great thing, but to make it a great relationship, you have to be invested. I'm not one with an ego. I'm one of those people that'll come in and see how I can help you, but I'm like a sponge when it comes to learning things. Sometimes it's just a real simple idea that could change a lot of what you're doing, and you never know who has those ideas.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think one of the biggest challenges is that the younger generation doesn't know how to do real follow-up and make personal connections. A lot of the younger folks I work with don't know how to pick up the phone or stop by someone's office with donuts and coffee. The personal touches are missing. I'm getting calls from people since I left the walkway saying please come help us, because they are struggling with their employees to teach them how to connect and how to do follow-up and how to be open without ego. Sometimes it's a conquering of a sponsor instead of working with a sponsor. Another challenge is keeping events fresh and making them an experience rather than stale. I always ask, how many times can you have a twice-baked potato on a dinner plate? What can we do to make this different or make it an experience? I think when we went through COVID, that really highlighted the importance of creating experiences. With my Farmers Market during COVID, I was able to show that you can do things safely and still give people something meaningful to do.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important values to me are giving back and making a difference. I feel that you only have so much time in life, and what good you can give back to the world is good that will carry forth. I believe that if I can make a little difference, that might make a big difference in the end, like an acorn creates a forest of a thousand trees. I'm very focused on the nonprofit sector and seeing where the need is and then fulfilling the need as I go along. It's not hard work, it's heart work. I also value relationships and being invested in them, whether they're business relationships or friend relationships. I'm not one with an ego - I come in to see how I can help you, and I'm like a sponge when it comes to learning things. I believe in being open to learning from anyone, whether they're 18 or 80, because they may look at something differently than I do. I'm my mom's daughter in this way - she was a historian and author, and I maintain her museum now. That sense of preserving history and giving back is something I carry with me every day.