History
John Davis and Yana Myaskovskaya first met in 2014 while working at the Leadership Institute, a 45-year-old legacy nonprofit dedicated to political training and leadership development. Even after Yana transitioned to an executive career in the technology sector, they remained trusted colleagues.
In 2023, an opportunity to collaborate again emerged when John, then serving as Vice President for Growth at the Leadership Institute, invited Yana back to help manage a rapidly expanding development team and refine the organization’s strategic direction.
Working together, they quickly realized that their complementary expertise—John’s deep experience in nonprofit growth and Yana’s background in high-scale operations and data-driven strategy—created a powerful formula for transformation. Their collaboration led to the realignment of ten divisions, record-breaking revenue growth, and the first clearly defined cultural strategy in the department’s history.
Recognizing that their Strategy + Growth Blueprint could help other nonprofits accelerate revenue and achieve long-term impact, they founded Deserve Victory Advisors. Their philosophy is simple:
Sustainable growth is straightforward with the right, elegant toolset.
Every nonprofit has unique challenges that can be uncovered through thoughtful, well-honed listening.
At Deserve Victory Advisors, they apply these principles to help mission-driven organizations scale faster, engage donors more effectively, and build lasting legacies that support human flourishing.
Get in touch
We at Deserve Victory Advisors know that finding the right advisor to collaborate with you is a choice not to be taken lightly. That’s why we offer free consultations to walk you through your needs, the scope of your goals, and your budget.
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Leadership Team
CO-FOUNDER & CEO
John Davis
For twenty years, John Davis has been an organization strategy and fundraising innovator. With experience in both programs and development, John used his vision for a capital campaign called Leaders for America to change the trajectory of the Leadership Institute, a bi-partisan nonprofit “do-tank” founded in 1979.
Under John’s leadership, the development department at the Leadership Institute raised $52 million in 2024, nearly doubling its revenue from 2021 when he took over the Vice Presidency and increasing 643% since he first took over the Donor Communications team in 2011.
For the past four years, John has intensified his understanding of the foundations of American politics while attending Steve and Amy Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College in Washington, D.C. He lives in Falls Church with his wife, Emily, eight children, and no hobbies.
Education
HILLSDALE COLLEGE
M.A, American Government, 2025
LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITY
B.A., Philosophy, 2005
Practice Specialties
• Executive Advising and Organizational Strategy
• Direct Mail Strategy and Analytics
• Data Architecture and Business Insights
CO-FOUNDER & COO
Yana Myaskovskaya
A seasoned tech executive, Yana Myaskovskaya has led teams at established organizations like Salesforce and at multiple entrepreneurial software startups. After beginning her career in the nonprofit space as the youngest curator on the eastern seaboard, Yana managed revenue expansion and complex implementation management across four startups, six funding rounds, an acquisition, and a startup promotion to “unicorn” status.
In the entrepreneurial sense, Yana has seen it all and done it all, and is essentially impossible to faze – a valuable asset in organization building. She cares deeply about bringing proven business best practices to the nonprofit sector, which she had tested most recently in her role as Chief of Staff, Development at the Leadership Institute.
Education
GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
M.A., History of Decorative Arts, 2012
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
B.A., Art Theory & Practice, Computer Science, 2009
Practice Specialties
• Executive Advising and Change Management
• Major Giving Strategy and Training
• Data Architecture and Business Insights