About the Planned Giving Team

The Planned Giving Team at CRS is ready to help you meet your goals!  From Charitable Gift Annuities to IRA rollovers. From gifts of real estate to bequests, our team can help provide you the information needed to make decisions with your finacial planner or attorney that meet your goals for your family and your support of charities.

To contact the Planned Giving team, fill out this form, email us at [email protected], or call 1-800-235-2772, and at the prompt select the option for Planned Giving.

Richard Balmadier, Director of Planned Giving

Rich began his career at CRS in 1991 as an intern posted in Morocco. He spent the next 18 years working in a variety of CRS country programs in Africa and Asia and served as a Country Representative from 1994-2009. Rich has been Director of Planned Giving since 2009 and supervises a five-person team. Rich has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University and an M.A. in International Relations from the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University.

Jessica Kingdon, Planned Giving Operations Manager

Jessica joined CRS in 2012 as an intern in the Overseas Operations department. She followed this with a consultancy in the IT department and then spent four years on the Annual Giving team working in direct mail. She has been a part of the Planned Giving department since 2018 and is responsible for assisting the Director with expanding the PG strategy, and developing various fundraising programs. Jessica earned her B.A. in Social Welfare and Justice from Marquette University and then joined the Peace Corps as a Youth Literacy Advisor. She earned her Masters in Social Work from the University of Maryland-Baltimore.

Shonda Lee, Bequest Specialist

Shonda joined CRS in 2021. She is a graduate of Salisbury Universitry where she got her B.A. in English. She received her paralegal certification from Anne Arundel Community College and is responsible for processing the beneficiary designations, wills and trusts.  

Tina Montanarelli, Specialist

Tina joined CRS in 2023 as a Planned Giving Development Specialist. She has previously worked in the Apparel Industry as a Product Manager for 25 years. In 2020 she began volunteering with a non-profit organization that helps children with special needs and veterans learn to groom and ride horses. Tina holds a B.S. in Design from the University of Maryland, College Park. 

Ken Preston, Planned Giving Development Officer

Based in Davis, CA, Ken manages relationships with CRS supporters in the western U.S. (west of the Mississippi River), and facilitates planned gifts of various types. He previously served with CRS as part of the West Regional team of the Mission and Mobilization (M2) Department for nine years, managing relationships with partners and volunteers in the Northern California area while strategically engaging them with various CRS initiatives. Ken participated in an overseas delegation to visit CRS projects in Malawi. Before CRS, he served as Major Gifts Officer with Maryknoll Lay Missioners, and has worked with various other nonprofit organizations. Ken holds a Masters Degree in Theology from Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA, and is close to completing a Masters in Public Administration with Villanova University. 

David Palasits, Planned Giving Development Officer

Since joining CRS in 1990 as an intern in Ethiopia, David has held various positions in CRS headquarters and overseas offices.  David was the CRS Country Representative in Eritrea from 1993-1995 and CRS Country Manager in Timor-Leste from 2018-2020.  In addition, David has done short-term humanitarian response assignments in Sri Lanka and Haiti.  Most of his career has been in CRS headquarters as an East Africa Team Leader for Overseas Operations, Staff Development Manager and then Director in Human Resources, Director in Global Knowledge and Information Management, and Acting Executive Vice-President for Human Resources.  David holds a B.A. in History from Columbia University and a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Michigan.