Tom

Thomas Wrobel has been practicing law in the Bay Area since 1997.  He graduated from Miami Univeristy with a Batchelor of Philosophy and received his JD from the Ohio State University College of Law.   After law school, Mr. Wrobel passed the Oregon and California Bar before settling in the Bay Area working for two of the Bay Area's premiere large firms – McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enersen and Crosby, Heafey, Roach & May.  At these firms, he gained experience in litigation, real estate, and business transaction law.

In 1998, Mr. Wrobel started his own law practice focused in civil litigation, but also began working in the non-profit sector assisting non-profits with formation, start-up and attaining tax exempt status.  He has assisted hundreds of organizations in successfully  attaining non-profit tax exempt status.

Masumi

Masumi Patzel, has over 5 years of experience working in the nonprofit industry. Prior to joining T.S. Wrobel & Associates in 2008, Masumi worked with Global Exchange, an international human rights organization, developing and managing cross-cultural delegations to Africa, Asia and Latin America. She was also a grant specialist for Taproot Foundation and worked for the executive offices of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Guatemala. She has B.A. in Political Science from Mills College, specializing in Latin American Politics and speaks 5 Languages . Having worked in the NGO and Nonprofit industry for several years, Masumi Patzel understands the powerful impact that Nonprofits have at large, and the vital role they play in underserved communities.

Krista

Krista Herbe has worked for TS Wrobel & Associates since 2007. She has over 5 years of non-profit experience specializing in grassroots and fundraising development and has worked in client services for over 10. Krista has worked for both national and local California nonprofits including ACORN, CUAV, and SFWAR. As a Canvas Director for Working America, she trained staff while working on a national campaign to keep overtime pay. She also worked in Ohio with a local faith-based organization called Working In Neighborhoods, focusing on environmental justice issues to keep local landfills closed. She also has experience in dealing with issues that include gender equality, anti-violence, protecting animals, and human rights. Krista has a B.A. in Public Relations from Miami University.

Courtney

Courtney Ham has been working with Nonprofits since 2003 when she joined Partners for Youth in Lexington, KY as an Americorps VISTA member. She graduated from Berea College with an English-Writing degree and spent her time at Berea working in Social and Environmental Justice movements on the local and national level. Courtney moved to the Bay Area in 2007, and she has been at T.S. Wrobel & Associates for two years as a Legal Assistant and a Grants Specialist. Her experience as a Grantwriter includes grantwriting projects with Youth Programming, HIV/AIDS funding and Community Development.

Stella

Stella Lawson has been with our firm since 2005. Previous to joining our firm, Stella served as a Compton Mentor Fellow working for food justice through programs bringing healthy foods to low-income communities. Stella  has developed successful grant proposals focusing on youth entrepreneurship, sustainable agriculture and health. She has also worked as a personal chef for people living with AIDS, facilitated cooking classes for young people and has written two cookbooks. Through working in social and environmental grassroots programs throughout high school and beyond she has gained invaluable experience working with nonprofit organizations in areas such as planning, strategizing, budgeting, grant writing and community building. She received her B.S./B.A. at Berea College, in Sustainable Agriculture and Women's Studies.