Cheryl L. Kester, CFRE is owner of the grants firm Thomas-Forbes & Kester, LLC. She frequently makes conference presentations on grants topics and presented at the 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2009 AAGP national conferences. She has published in "Grants and Foundation Review," the "National Charter School Clearinghouse Newsletter," and the AAGP Journal. She is a CFRE subject-matter expert and an experienced grant reviewer. Prior to joining Thomas-Forbes, she was Director of Grants and Foundation Relations at John Brown University (JBU). Kester holds a B.A. in Honors English from John Brown University and an M.A. from Georgetown University.