Our People of Purpose series is a monthly program that highlights our Diligent Community team members who are here to support you. Each month, you’ll meet the friendly faces, both familiar and new, who work hard to help you reach your goals and make your experience better. Take a moment to get to know the people who are dedicated to helping you succeed.
Get to know our 2025 People of Purpose here.
We’re proud to recognize Jeff Schaefer as our Diligent Community Person of Purpose.
As Regional Vice President of Customer Success within Diligent's Mission-Driven Organization business unit, Jeff partners with clients who serve the public and help keep their communities running. Over more than a decade, he has come to know them as some of the kindest, most dedicated people, and he is grateful for the relationships he has built along the way.
Jeff lives in Colorado with his wife, Katie, and their two boys, Tommy and Ben. He is happiest outdoors and is always up for an adventure. In the winter, you might find him snowboarding; the rest of the year, he enjoys surfing, dirt biking, fishing, and hiking.
His favorite Diligent Community feature is Policy Publisher, especially the timeline. He appreciates being able to see activity in one place: who has been in the platform and what they have done. That visibility helps boards and district teams stay informed and aligned.
We’re grateful to have Jeff as part of the Diligent Community team. Congratulations, Jeff, on being this month’s Person of Purpose!
Barry is a Senior Client Operations Specialist at Diligent, working across support, customer success, and development. From testing new releases and investigating client requests to developing Community templates, Barry’s role gives him the opportunity to jump into a little bit of everything.
More than anything, Barry loves solving problems. When a unique customer challenge comes up, he’s often the person who dives in, digs into the issue, and helps find a creative way forward. It’s one of the things he appreciates most about Diligent Community: the team genuinely listens to customers and looks for ways to turn their feedback and needs into meaningful solutions.
Outside of work, Barry brings that same curiosity to his many hobbies. One of his biggest passions is disc golf, a game he describes as “a bit like Frisbee, but with some golf rules.” He also has a lifelong love of game design and currently experiments with cloud code to rapidly build games in Godot. He’s always up for trying something new, whether that’s cooking curries, learning Japanese, or picking up another hobby.
We’re excited to spotlight Barry this month and grateful for the curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving mindset he brings to the team!
This July, we're proud to recognize Drew Wareham as our July Person of Purpose.
As a Senior Regional Sales Director at Diligent, Drew is passionate about helping mission-driven organizations strengthen their governance so they can better serve their communities. "My favorite part about my job is helping organizations better govern their board," Drew shares. Knowing his work helps clients build stronger, more effective governance makes every day rewarding.
Outside of work, Drew loves traveling and experiencing new cultures. Whether he's exploring a new city or trying local cuisine, he's always looking for opportunities to broaden his perspective. One of his favorite adventures was traveling through Italy, where he had the chance to visit several incredible cities.
One of Drew's favorite Diligent Community features is Workflow. He loves how it streamlines the process of creating board meeting materials, especially for organizations where multiple people contribute throughout the process. Instead of chasing people down for the latest version of a document (or sending that fifth follow-up email), Workflows keeps everything organized in one place so teams can spend less time tracking files and more time getting work done.
We're excited to spotlight Drew this month. His dedication to helping clients strengthen transparency, improve security, and build better governance reflects the passion and care he brings to every relationship.
Kristin has spent nearly a decade helping public sector organizations do their best work, and it shows in everything she does.
As Director of Sales for Public Sector at Diligent, Kristin works closely with school districts, community colleges, and local governments, supporting teams that serve their communities every day. What motivates her is ensuring these organizations have the tools they need to operate efficiently and stay focused on what matters most.
Outside of work, Kristin stays active thanks to her dog, Lula. Long walks, finding new ways to keep Lula entertained, and exploring the food scene in Washington, D.C. are all part of her routine.
When it comes to Diligent Community, Kristin finds it hard to pick just one favorite feature, but Policy Publisher consistently stands out. With version control and merge-and-compare capabilities, it simplifies policy management in a way that feels both practical and powerful, especially for customers managing complex workflows.
Kristin brings a thoughtful, people-first approach to her work, making her a trusted partner to public sector teams and a valued leader at Diligent.
This month, we’re excited to highlight Nicole Mariano, a Senior Account Manager for Diligent Community on our Mission-Driven Organizations team.
Nicole works closely with customers every day, helping organizations get the most out of Diligent Community and supporting them throughout their governance journey.
Outside of work, you’ll likely find Nicole soaking up time at the beach, heading out on running adventures with her partner and their two dogs, Duke and Bailey, or enjoying anything coffee-related.
When it comes to Diligent Community, Nicole’s favorite feature is Policy Publisher. She loves how it integrates directly with Microsoft Word, making it easy for customers to manage their entire policy lifecycle in one centralized place—simple, efficient, and practical.
We’re lucky to have Nicole on the team and grateful for the care and energy she brings to supporting mission-driven organizations every day.
