Meet the Team
Our team is committed to excellence and service to our clients and the communities that they serve.
Maddy Bynes-DeVaney, MPP
Maddy has worked in non-profits and government for the past decade with significant experience in public policy, research, analysis, grant writing, management, and communications.
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Maddy began Bynes Consulting Group in 2022 with the vision of helping non-profits meet their fundraising goals, reduce expenses, and better serve our communities. Prior to beginning Bynes Consulting Group, Maddy worked in both public and private roles to increase community engagement, innovative policies, and efficient management practices. Maddy's vast experience includes working in local government, the University of Arizona, Arizona Democratic Party, Pima Council on Aging, and AZAging.
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Maddy's professional awards include being one of Tucson's 40 Under 40, winning three Aging Achievement Awards from USAging, and winning the first place Aging Innovation Award from USAging. Being active in her community, Maddy has served on several boards including Tucson Clean & Beautiful, Protecting Arizona's Families Coalition, and the Marana Community Food Bank Advisory Council.
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Maddy holds a bachelors degree from the University of Arizona in Political Science and History and a Masters Degree in Public Policy. As a fundraiser, Maddy holds a Professional Membership to the Association of Fundraising Professionals Washington D.C. and Southern Arizona Chapters. She currently lives in Washington D.C. with her husband, Nick, and their two dogs, Walker and Dusk.
Melanie Emerson, PhD, MA, CIE
Melanie Emerson is a seasoned organizational development and social impact executive with over 25 years of experience across the non-profit, business, government, and academic sectors. She has subject matter expertise in organizational and crisis leadership, social justice, conflict dynamics, JEDI, global development, and acute humanitarian response in conflict zones.
Melanie has served in numerous leadership roles domestically and abroad, including Country Director for the Peace Corps in both Belize and Georgia, Executive Director of Sky Island Alliance, State Director of the American Friends Service Committee, and most recently, Chief Executive Officer of Global Response Medicine, a veteran-founded, women-led international emergency response NGO with offices and field operations in Iraq, Mexico, and Ukraine.
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Melanie has served as a Board Member for several Tucson-area non-profit and quasi-governmental organizations, was appointed as an Ombudsman by the President of the University of Arizona, and is a certified mediator, public involvement specialist, and interim executive. Emerson holds a B.S. with honors in environmental science from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, an M.A. in conflict dynamics and analysis from Antioch University, and a PhD from Adler University.
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Melanie lives in Tucson, Arizona with her dogs, Tulip and Dottie.
Sarah Launius, PhD
Sarah Launius, PhD, is a community advocate, urban researcher, and policy strategist with over 20 years of experience in government, academia, and nonprofit sectors. She specializes in direct service provision, urban planning, community safety, strategic partnerships, and evidence-based programming.
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In addition to working with Bynes Consulting Group, Sarah currently serves as the Reporting and Governance Officer for a multi-disciplinary research and development center that is guiding energy transition for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. This collaborative initiative, which spans nine universities and private partners from both the energy industry and energy intensive sectors, enables Sarah to refine her expertise in translating research into actionable strategies and governance frameworks that fosters adaptive, dynamic teams equipped to tackle complex, evolving challenges.
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In her previous role as a Program Director for the Community Safety, Health & Wellness initiative in Tucson, Sarah led a $1.4 million program aimed at enhancing community wellness and reducing dependence on emergency response services. She also served as Chief of Staff for Tucson's Ward 3 Council Office, advising on climate change, housing, and equitable development policies, and leading community engagement efforts.
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Sarah has a strong background in the non-profit sector, where she led development initiatives for organizations like Reach Out and Read Southern Arizona and Border Action Network, and co-founded community-based services such as a local emergency relief and bond fund as well as pro-bono immigration legal clinic. She has extensive experience in designing and implementing strategies to foster community engagement and address social justice issues.
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Sarah holds a PhD and MA in Geography and Development from the University of Arizona, and a BA in Political Economy from Prescott College. She is passionate about advancing social equity and sustainability, and currently splits her time between Dublin, Ireland and Tucson, Arizona.
Lara Ruggles
Lara Ruggles is a Tucson, Arizona songwriter with a history of fundraising and grant-writing in the Tucson community and beyond. In addition to releasing four albums of original music and receiving grants and awards for her music from the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona, Arizona Commission on the Arts, Groundswell Capital, and Tucson Ideafunding, Ruggles has worked in Fund Development roles with Ben's Bells, the Rialto Theatre, and YWCA Southern Arizona, and served on the board of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Southern Arizona Chapter. She played an instrumental local advocacy role in NIVA's Save Our Stages campaign, which resulted in the passage of the $16 billion Shuttered Venue Operators grant fund in Congress, the largest public rescue of the Arts in US history. Ruggles lives in a mid-century Tucson house with her husband and their cat, and still spends her weekends riding the mustang mare she adopted as a teenager in 2002.
