About
Joe Krol, Co-Founder
Joe Krol is a seasoned nonprofit executive with over 20 years of leadership experience in finance, administration, grant management, and strategic development.
Joe previously served as Executive Director, Director of Development, Grant Manager Chief/Financial Officer.
Joe’s expertise extends to large-scale federal initiatives—most notably, his leadership in securing seven major federal grants totaling $152.5 million for Rise Broadband between 2023
and 2024.
Melanie Luce, Co-Founder
Melanie Luce is an accomplished nonprofit leader and grant strategist with a proven track record of securing over $23 million in federal, state, and foundation funding over the past five years. She served as the Executive Director of an environmental nonprofit, where she leads mission-driven initiatives focused on sustainability and impact.
Melanie previously held key leadership roles, including Managing Director of Grants at TLE, a national nonprofit, and Director of Grants for an animal rescue organization in New Hampshire,
where she advanced programmatic growth through strategic fundraising. Her earlier experience includes managing grant portfolios for Rise Broadband and EV technologies, where she
developed deep expertise in public-private funding alignment.