OUR TEAM

The Champion Group

At The Champion Group, we exist to help Christian schools and ministries advance their mission with clarity, conviction, and purpose.

Executive Leadership

The team that sets the vision, stewards the mission, and leads The Champion Group forward.

Don Carmichael, Owner and Founder of The Champion Group

Don is a true Southern gentleman. He's spent thirty years helping Christian schools and ministries, and he'll remember your name the second time you meet. He and his wife, Vicki, have four daughters and are now enjoying the joy of grandchildren.

Don Carmichael

Founder & Owner

Rick Shaum, CEO of The Champion Group

Rick is a builder of people. He's spent over thirty years coaching leaders, and he shows up for them the way he shows up for his grandkids: fully present and genuinely invested. When he's not developing the next generation of advancement leaders, you'll find him on the pickleball court, and he's not there to lose.

Rick Shaum

CEO

Shelby Wade, President and COO at The Champion Group

Shelby's laugh echoes through every room she enters. She has always had a heart for students, and years of discipling them and running ministries as an Executive Director taught her that advancement truly is ministry. She's a mom to three and a diehard Oklahoma State fan who believes that fun is a core value.

Shelby Wade

President & COO

Directors

The team that turns strategy into action and ensures every client engagement is executed with excellence.

Hayley Cleckler, Director of Finance at The Champion Group

Hayley keeps the finances tight and the spirit high. She's spent over twenty years in finance, and she runs the numbers the way she runs everything else: fueled by Red Bull and fully fabulous. She's the ultimate cheer and band mom, a Disney enthusiast, and a host who's happiest with a full house.

Hayley Clecker

Director of Finance

Bethany Cooler, Director of Strategic Development at The Champion Group

Bethany is the one with the mic in hand and the plan in her back pocket. Thirteen years in corporate and thirteen years teaching taught her how to talk to both rooms, and the team will tell you she turns plans into something close to magic. Off the clock, she's a sourdough baker, a mom to three girls, and always cold but never unprepared.

Bethany Cooler

Director of Strategic Development

Nicole Telaneus, Director of Operations at The Champion Group

Nicole is the keeper of all the things and the conductor of the chaos our team creates. She's spent years supporting ministry leaders, so she knows firsthand the realities they face, and she keeps everything moving with quiet precision. She's a devoted foodie, an avid reader, and a proud girl momma.

Nicole Telaneus

Director of Operations

Specialists

The experts who bring deep knowledge and hands-on guidance to every school and ministry we serve.

Shaun Alspach, Subject Matter Expert at The Champion Group

Alt: Shaun is the team's resident Canadian and a former geologist who came to know Jesus later in life. He's a head of school turned advancement leader with a deep love for theology and an even deeper love for people. He's a dad to two girls and proof that the best stories have unexpected plot twists.

Shaun Alspach

Subject Matter Expert

Connor Baxter, Executive Leadership Coach at The Champion Group

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Connor Baxter

Subject Matter Expert

Alt: Kelly Blake, Subject Matter Expert at The Champion Group

$Kelly will tell you that nothing says fun like charts and graphs, and he means it. Twenty-five years as a head of school and now a fractional head, he has the kind of business mind the team will tell you borders on genius. His wife promises us that he is, despite all available evidence, completely fine.$

Kelly Blake

Subject Matter Expert

Caroline Kelly, Fundraising Consultant at The Champion Group

Caroline has never met a stranger and makes every client feel like her favorite one. She came to advancement through donor development at Texas A&M, and she's the person schools want in their corner on event day, even from a screen. She's a mom to four sweet girls, an avid traveler, and fueled entirely by Dr Pepper.

Caroline Kelly

Fundraising Consultant

Marnie McIlraith, Fundraising Consultant at The Champion Group

Marnie has a gift for knowing what is worth pursuing. She came to advancement through years in youth ministry as a camp director and nationwide recruiter, where she learned to lead under pressure and invest in people. She's a devoted OU football fan with strong opinions about the BCS, the playoff format, and the state of college football.

Marnie McIlraith

Fundraising Consultant

Tom Olmstead, Subject Matter Expert at The Champion Group

Tom is a storyteller at heart, and he'll tell you the best part of his job is hearing other people's. After more than twenty years leading schools, he's the person you want in the room when a donor needs to feel the mission. He's a devoted husband, a father of three, and a basketball fan with his priorities straight.

Tom Olmstead

Subject Matter Expert

Our Team = Your Team

When you work with The Champion Group, you get the whole team.