OUR TEAM
Gretchen Kelley Bietz
Founder & CEO
Long before founding The Blueprint Collaborative, Gretchen got her start at her family’s fruit orchard, where she learned excellent communication skills and that making good pie crust is a fine art.
Gretchen started fundraising as a college student at the University of Idaho. She has devoted her career to the nonprofit sector and believes nonprofits are vital economic drivers within communities. Gretchen thrives in creating effective fundraising strategy because that is "where the rubber meets the road"—where philanthropy and community impact converge.
Throughout her 30+ years of experience (but, who’s counting because it’s been so much fun!), Gretchen has helped nonprofits create, build, and implement comprehensive organizational and fundraising strategies to strengthen their effectiveness and enrich their impact. She was an integral part of a team that raised $22M to design, build, and open the Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum; advocated for hungry neighbors as Chief Development and Marketing Officer at the Food Bank of Northern Nevada; and worked as the University of Nevada, Reno’s Director of Annual Giving.
Gretchen is a connector and developer of people. Maximizing her relationships, utilizing her leadership skills, and tapping into her energy, she created The Blueprint Collaborative in 2015 – a robust, dynamic, collaborative entity that supports the important work of nonprofits, public entities, and corporations.
When she isn’t connecting people and ideas, Gretchen enjoys cooking, spending time at home and on the road with her husband, Forrest and their (nearly) adult kids; and partnering with her sister Robin to operate that previously mentioned orchard homesteaded by their great-grandfather in the Snake River Canyon of Idaho.
Rachel Tatro
Chief Operating Officer & Partner
Rachel Tatro's work has spanned the political, corporate and non-profit worlds. She is currently serving as the Chief Operating Officer and Partner of The Blueprint Collaborative. Prior to that, she served as the Director of Development and Marketing at Northern Nevada HOPES, a nonprofit community health center in downtown Reno, where she was responsible for managing all development, marketing, and advocacy efforts for the organization.
Prior to joining The Blueprint Collaborative, Rachel worked at the George W. Bush Presidential Center where she oversaw marketing and communications campaigns for a number of high-profile events, including: the Bush Library’s dedication, U.S.-African First Ladies Summits, and the Presidential Leadership Scholars Program – a historic partnership between the presidential foundations of George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Lyndon B. Johnson.
Rachel began her career on Capitol Hill working for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and for Senators John Ensign (R-Nevada) and Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma).
Rachel graduated from Oklahoma State University with degrees in Marketing and Accounting. She serves on the Doral Academy of Northern Nevada Foundation Board and is a member of the Junior League. She is the wife of Don Tatro and proud mommy to their two Tatro tots. If she’s not working, volunteering, or "momming" – you can usually find her on the golf course or skiing at Mt. Rose.
Amelia Lane Keller
Director of Client Strategies
Amelia began fundraising while attending the University of Nevada, Reno. After pursuing an internship with the Renown Health Foundation she knew fundraising was her career. She was born and raised in Reno and has fallen in love with the nonprofit community and the amazing people who make it all possible.
Amelia has spent her career in different local nonprofits in our area including the Renown Health Foundation, STEP2, The Community Foundation of Northern NV, and the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. Her experience has spanned marketing and communications, events, major gift fundraising, corporate giving, and capital fundraising. Amelia served a year long term as an AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteers. She earned her Certified Fund Raising Executive status in 2019 and will complete her Masters in Public Policy and Administration from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2023.
Amelia serves on the board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Nevada Wildlife Record Book Committee. She also volunteers with other organizations close to her heart. Amelia enjoys spending time with her friends, family, animals, and doing anything outdoors. When Amelia is not attending school or working you can most likely find her with her husband, Keegan and their two dogs Mowgli and Louie somewhere in the wilderness.
McKenzie Mendoza
Mission Control
McKenzie Mendoza is our Mission Control here at The Blueprint Collaborative and oversees a variety of behind-the-scenes components that keeps us all moving forward. This includes: supporting client deliverables and The Blueprint Collaborative team, and supervising our client management practices.
McKenzie has spent more than a decade working in nonprofits. Before joining The Blueprint Collaborative, she served as the Development Manager at Sierra Nevada Journeys, a regional nonprofit that provides innovative outdoor science education for students. There, McKenzie lead development operations and was responsible for internal organization, grant and report writing, and individual giving campaigns. Prior to that, she was the Development Coordinator at CARE Chest where she managed the outreach and outcomes of their Wellness Program and lead their two annual fundraising events.
She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon in Geography and received a minor in Nonprofit Administration. After college, she worked as a Development Assistant with Schoolhouse Supplies in Portland, Oregon before relocating to Reno, Nevada in 2015.
Outside of spreadsheets and emails, McKenzie loves the outdoors – she enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, paddleboarding and generally just being near trees and lakes. She also loves dogs, but especially her own pup, Pancho.