Power Moves: CLLCTIVLY appoints its first COO

Power Moves is a column where we chart the comings and goings of talent across the region. Got a new hire, gig or promotion? Email us: baltimore@technical.ly.

---

Krystle Starvis has been named the chief operating officer of CLLCTIVLY, the organization focused on supporting Black-owned businesses in Baltimore. In her role, she’ll lead technical and educational assistance to organizations that CLLCTIVLY supports in Baltimore, as well as manage flagship programs like the organization’s annual Day of Giving and the #28DaysofBlack Futures campaign.

“Krystle was one of the first people to reach out at the beginning of CLLCTIVLY’s inception to offer support,” CLLCTIVLY founder Jamye Wooten said in a statement. “Her experience working on a national level with the Aspen Institute, combined with her passion and knowledge of Baltimore, made her a perfect partner to help grow our efforts to connect, support and amplify Black-led social change organizations in Baltimore.”

As Wooten alluded, Starvis comes to this role from an associate director position at the Aspen Institute, through which she launched the Weaver Awards. The Baltimore native sees supporting CLLCTIVLY  and the organizations it serves as her way of giving back.

“I firmly believe that social change will be local and that there is power in relationship and collaboration,” Starvis said in a statement. “Joining the CLLCTIVLY team is a homecoming for me after four years of leading national programs. I am beyond excited to invest my time, energy, and passion into the community that raised me.”

Facet Wealth has a new head of investment

Tom Graff’s new role as local financial services firm Facet Wealth’s head of investment means that he will be responsible for the creation and maintenance of Facet’s proprietary investment models. These are the figures that go along with the financial advice Facet Wealth gives customers.

“Tom grasps that today’s dominant industry incentive model, charging fees on assets, is inherently misaligned with people’s financial goals and needs to change,” Facet Wealth’s cofounder and CEO Anders Jones said in a statement. “He has a wealth of experience across asset classes, a deep understanding of the markets and, most importantly, believes in our mission of empowering people to live better lives. Facet is delivering a new standard of fiduciary guidance where personalized financial planning is just as important as the growth of your assets.”

Graff brings experience from his previous role as head of fixed income at Brown Advisory, where he oversaw approximately $7 billion in assets. Facet Wealth just surpassed $1 billion in assets under management itself.

Local law associations consolidate leadership under Jim Astrachan

Jim Astrachan is now the president of the Baltimore City Bar Foundation, as well as the chair of the Bar Association of Baltimore City’s Professional Ethics Committee.

Both positions are for one-year terms. The organizations will likely benefit from the expertise Astrachan boasts in intellectual property law and litigation, as well as mediation and business, regulatory and transactional matters.

Astrachan practices law at Goodell DeVries, where he is a partner.

Baltimore Corps promote staff to COO and CFO

Karon McFarlane moved up from vice president of programs and administration to second-in-command as Baltimore Corps’s chief operations officer. In addition, Edisha Brandy was promoted from director of finance and operations to the dual role of chief financial officer and VP of technology and measurement.

“This kind of hiring and promotion is more than just ‘box-checking’ on diversity,” Baltimore Corps CEO Fagan Harris said in a statement. “We are proud to lead by example and challenge other organizations and corporations to do the same.”

Harris wants more nonprofits to address the lack of women of color in the C-Suite. White men, at 62%, continue to make up the majority of upper-level positions while women of color constitute only 4%, according to a 2021 report from Women in the Workplace. 

McFarlane and Brandy are leading the expansion of Baltimore Corps, which is facilitated by a three-year, $30 million Campaign for Citywide Service. The campaign is being executed in partnership with the city of Baltimore and community stakeholders like Catalyte, Johns Hopkins Medicine and HOPE Baltimore. The goal is to create thousands of full-time service jobs, especially in healthcare and public health.

Prometric® appoints a new chief assessment officer

Nikki Eatchel is the new chief assessment officer at Prometric and will lead Prometric Test Development Services.

“Nikki has more than 25 years of experience leading innovation in assessments with several global organizations,” said Roy Simrell, the IT services company’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “Her unique background in assessment development and psychometrics will provide tremendous value to our clients and the industry at large.”

Before her current position, Eatchel was the chief learning officer at Mursion, the virtual reality company where she helped create practice and candidate evaluation simulations.

Donte Kirby is a 2020-2022 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation.