The people behind every win.

Christina Tate is the founder and visionary force behind Visions Consulting Group, an accomplished entrepreneur, master grant writer, and trusted advisor to nonprofits, educational institutions, community organizations, and growth-stage businesses. For more than two decades, she has channeled an unmistakable mix of creative strategy and operational discipline into work that moves missions forward.

Christina has personally led initiatives that have secured transformational funding across education, workforce development, youth services, housing, healthcare, and the military and veteran community. She has partnered with global brands including Goldman Sachs and L'Oréal, served as Executive Director for Entrepreneurs' Organization SEVA, and held a senior leadership role as Donor Relations Manager for Habitat for Humanity SHR, where her cultivation strategy unlocked critical funding for affordable housing and community revitalization.

Her work spans the United States and abroad, including projects in Kyiv, Ukraine. In addition to her consulting practice, Christina serves as an Adjunct Professor of Business at Tidewater Community College, where she teaches entrepreneurship and mentors the next generation of business leaders. She holds a B.A. in Government & Politics from George Mason University and an MBA in Entrepreneurship from Regent University.

Pat Smith is the language craftsman behind our most persuasive proposals. With nearly four decades as an educator, writer, and editor, she brings a deep command of structure, voice, and evidence to every submission that leaves our office.

Pat holds a B.A. in English from Virginia Commonwealth University, an M.A. in English from Marquette University, and completed post-graduate work toward an Ed.D. in English and Special Education at the University of Virginia. She has taught at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, Old Dominion University, Norfolk State University, Christopher Newport University, and Tidewater Community College (since 1982), in addition to teaching technical writing focused on grant proposal development.

Her additional experience editing dissertations and books, and serving as a grant writer and instructor at the Christopher Plummer Education Center, makes her an indispensable partner in producing proposals that read as clearly to a funder as they do to the program staff who will deliver them.

Annabella Rickard is the storyteller on our team, a marketing and creative professional who shapes the brand voice that funders, sponsors, and audiences encounter before they ever meet our clients. From digital campaigns to content design, she helps mission and message land with clarity.

Her experience spans both agency and in-house environments, including roles at The S3 Agency, Bakery Agency, and The Lovehoney Group, where she led marketing campaigns, managed social content, and partnered with cross-functional teams to maintain brand integrity at scale.

Annabella holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and brings a sharp instinct for what makes modern audiences click, read, and act.