Director, Financial Inclusion
Sarah Aasbo
“Freedoms are not only the primary ends of development, they are also among its principal means.” — Amartya Sen
Sarah joined the New York office in 2017. She is the director for several financial inclusion initiatives in East and West Africa that focus on the digitization and delivery of payments, particularly G2P and P2P payments. She also provides strategic and operational guidance to domestic sponsored projects focused on issues ranging from education to the protection of indigenous cultures. Sarah has functional expertise in project management as well as subject matter expertise in digital financial inclusion, tech innovation, and international development.
Prior to joining the Sponsored Projects and Funds team, she managed operations and partnerships for a tech startup focused on improving regulatory compliance in the financial services industry. She also worked for an international economic development organization providing project and grant management support to US Government grants. Her work has taken her overseas, most frequently to the former Soviet Union where she consulted on venture capital and microfinance in Central Asia.
She graduated from Wellesley College with a B.A. in Russian Studies and received a Masters of International Affairs from the School for International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. When she isn’t dreaming up her next baking project she enjoys coaching for Girls on the Run, an organization that teaches elementary age girls social and emotional skills through running.
Areas of Focus
Leadership Council,
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Senior Advisor
Meenakshi Abbi
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." — Henry David Thoreau
Meenakshi Abbi joined the San Francisco office in May 2012 as a member of the Sponsored Projects & Funds team. She manages a portfolio of projects and donor collaboratives focused on a range of issues including education, diversity, improving philanthropy, impact investing, and other issues. She works with internal partners to ensure that each sponsored project has the operational resources needed in order to be impactful and efficient. Meenakshi draws on extensive experience to serve as a resource on fiscal sponsorship, financial management, project management, and operational efficiency.
Meenakshi has a diverse background ranging from directing programs and computer programming, to workforce development, and volunteering for social justice organizations. Prior to her current role, Meenakshi worked at Tides for over four years as a program manager for fiscally sponsored 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) projects, and helped re-launch Tides Advocacy Fund. She was also Director of the Small Business Development Center Technology Advisory Program, a nonprofit dedicated to helping small businesses effectively utilize technology.
Meenakshi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. Her passions include civic engagement, financial inclusion, and social justice. She is on the advisory board of Fund the People, Justice Strategies and is the co-chair of Asian American Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy San Francisco’s Steering Committee. In 2009 she volunteered for a month in Liberia with the International Rescue Committee, where she worked with schools, health clinics and women’s shelters around Nimba County, met wonderful individuals and was humbled by the strength and resilience in the post-conflict region.
Areas of Focus
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Senior Advisor
Segilola Adeola
“True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves and the world around us.” ― Socrates
Segilola joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors as a consultant in October 2019. She serves as a Senior Advisor on the Sponsored Projects and Funds team and is responsible for projects, grants and knowledge management for digital finance and economic inclusion projects.
Before joining RPA full-time in November 2020, Segilola managed a number of workstreams in Nigeria and supported RPA’s work across the African continent. Prior to this, she was a Manager at Accenture and worked the under Accenture Development Partnerships (ADP) which focuses on providing consulting services to the global development sector. She also worked with Schlumberger as a value and risk consultant.
Segilola holds a BEng in Electrical Engineering and Electronics, from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, an MSc in Mobile and Satellite Communications, from the University of Surrey, and an MBA, from the Warwick Business School, UK. She’s passionate about economic empowerment, climate change and girls child education.
Grants Administrator
Natalie Aguilar
Natalie joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in October 2022 as the Grants Administrator, Grants and Knowledge Management. In this role, her work supports the management and implementation of all components of grants processing, both from donors (grants-in) and to grantees (grants-out). This includes legal and regulatory compliance, collecting and reviewing all grantmaking requirements, data entry, and reporting data to internal and external clients.
Before joining RPA, Natalie was a Grants Associate for the Rudin Family Foundations. She managed the Rudin Family Foundation’s charitable portfolio in the areas of health, education, the arts, and social services. She worked on keeping their online grants database organized and managed the monthly grant payments lifecycle including processing checks, entering payment data, monitoring account balances, and creating monthly spending reports. Through her experiences in non-profits and volunteer work, she has built a passion for the philanthropic sector.
Natalie received her Bachelor’s Degree in Economics with a minor in Sociology from Queens College, CUNY. Natalie is from Queens, New York. She is fluent in Spanish and enjoys music, dancing, and exploring new food spots.
Areas of Focus
Business Systems
Grants Administrator
Esther Akitobi
Esther joined the Grants and Knowledge Management team in 2022 in the role of Grants Administrator. She supports the management and implementation of all components of grants processing, both from donors and to grantees.
Before joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Esther worked at the Urban Institute where she administered government and foundation grants, contracts, and subawards for social and economic policy research projects. Prior to this, she provided research administration services to military, medical, academic, and government clients at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, managing domestic and international subawards and subcontracts under federal grants and cooperative agreements.
Areas of Focus
Business Systems
Director, Grants & Contracts Management
Alex Alberti
"Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching." - C. S. Lewis
Alex joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in April 2020 as the Grants and Contracts Manager. In this role, his work is centered on ensuring that the Sponsored Projects and Funds grantmaking process is compliant, transparent, and streamlined, especially following the implementation of the Fluxx grants management system, with which Alex has extensive experience. He is also responsible for reviewing and evaluating grant agreements and other contracts for potential business risks.
Prior to joining RPA, Alex spent seven years in grants management at The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, leading efforts to increase interfacing between grants management and programs, finance, and senior leadership. He also helped systematize proposal review; evaluate, recommend, and draft policy updates; and maximize the potential of technology, including Fluxx, to streamline grantmaking operations.
Alex stays at the forefront of grant management best practices through his membership in PEAK Grantmaking and the PEAK Northeast regional chapter. He holds a Master of Music in Music Business and Entertainment Industries from the University of Miami, and a Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Performance from Florida International University.
Areas of Focus
Business Systems,
Leadership Council
Advisor
Le Anne Alexander
Le Anne believes you are not able to be truly philanthropic unless you are thoughtful—that mindfulness and thoughtfulness spur true love of humanity.
Le Anne is an Advisor with the New York Advisory Team and supports the provision of research, learning opportunities and best practices across the client portfolio. Her work touches on issue areas of education, social and economic justice, and the environment. She also drives donor-grantee relationships and enjoys engaging in donor education activities.
Prior to joining RPA, Le Anne worked as a finance and development assistant for a non-profit, where she helped facilitate fundraising, managed donations, and was an instrumental part of outreach initiatives.
Le Anne is a current student at the CUNY Graduate Center. She is very proud of her Trinidadian heritage and unhealthy shoe buying habits!
Areas of Focus
Advisory
Accounts Payable Specialist
Shirley Alvarez
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'" - Eleanor Roosevelt
Shirley joined the Finance and Accounting team in January 2018 as a Finance Assistant. Shirley loves executing her role in an effective manner to support the smooth operation of the accounts payable process. She reviews and approves incoming invoices, and handles and updates data in the financial system.
Previously, Shirley worked as a full charge bookkeeper and program director for a Non-profit organization called Dorian Artists Corp, which focuses on public appreciation for historical, contemporary and progressive music and performance art. She played a crucial role in handling the Accounts Payable and Receivables department, implementation of fundraising initiatives, donor management, program measurement, on site concert production and artist outreach. Shirley also worked as an Accounts Payable Associate for One Peloton.
Shirley graduated from Berkeley College in 2014 with her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Accounting. She also became a member of the National Honor Society, recognized by the Financial Management Association International. In her spare time, Shirley loves discovering music and attending concerts, learning about art and natural sciences, seeking volunteering opportunities, playing drums, raising funds for the Scleroderma foundation and designing her clothes and accessories.
Areas of Focus
Finance
Vice President, Europe
Alejandro Alvarez von Gustedt
As RPA’s Vice President in Europe, Alex works to further extend RPA’s advisory, project hosting, research, and analysis services to assist European donors, trusts, corporations, and foundations in their grantmaking, social impact investments and other philanthropic activity.
After spending the core of his career in corporate strategy consulting with Monitor Group, and later in international development finance as the Director for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Europe, Alex focused on building pan-continental networks of social investors in Africa and Latin America: He is a co-founder and board member of Latimpacto, a Latin American network of philanthropists and social investors and earlier, as Partner of the International Venture Philanthropy Center (IVPC), he also co-led the establishment of the African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA). He recently also supported the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) in the establishment of a Representative Office in Mainland China and led a consortium on behalf of the World Economic Forum to test specific approaches to unlock financing for MSMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Alex is a dual national of Spain and Germany, holds Law and Business Administration degrees from the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas in Madrid, and a Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) from Georgetown University, Washington, DC.
Areas of Focus
Leadership Council,
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Senior Associate Advisory and Grants Management
Marisa Arellano
“Caminante, no hay puentes, se hace puentes al andar. (Voyager, there are no bridges, one builds them as one walks.) ”― Gloria Anzaldúa
Marisa joins Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors as a member of the Advisory team working closely with the Grants Management team. She provides administrative and operational support to both teams.
Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in 2022, Marisa worked with The Juilliard School as a member of their Institutional Relations team, helping steward several high-profile foundational and corporate donors on behalf of the school. Marisa was also a sound designer for theatre and live performance who worked with organizations along the east coast including New York City Center, Chautauqua Theatre Company, and Spoleto Festival USA.
She is a graduate of the technical internship program in sound engineering at the Yale School of Drama and received her B.A. in Latino Identity and Performance from Bryn Mawr College. In her free time, she enjoys old video games, reading long novels, and attending concerts.
Areas of Focus
Advisory
VP, Economic Inclusion
Henrietta Bankole-Olusina
"If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude." - Colin Powell (Retired General)
As the Program Director in Nigeria, Henrietta liaises with Nigerian government stakeholders to assess the needs, challenges and opportunities to enable the government to drive financial inclusion regulatory reform. She works in financial services with a focus on pro-poor and financial inclusion policies driving regulatory requirements for Digital Financial Services (DFS) and engaging Financial Service Industry (FSI) regulators in order to provide advisory to strengthen regulatory policies especially in developing markets, risk management, the application of data analytics to support financial stability, and shape the evolution of fintech regulations to drive financial inclusion, amongst other areas.
Before joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in November 2020, Henrietta was the Managing Director at ARM Financial Advisers where she was responsible for digital financial services, innovation, and distribution and Group Corporate Transformation and IT. Prior to that, she was Head of Payments and Mobility and the Management Consulting Lead for Financial Services at Accenture. She has served as the Financial Inclusion Channels Working Group and member of the National Financial Inclusion Technical Committee for the implementation of Nigeria’s Financial Inclusion strategy.
She is a graduate of the University of Lagos, Nigeria and holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) with specialization in Corporate Strategy and Economic Policy from the Maastricht School of Management, The Netherlands. She is a certified trainer, Change Management and Balanced Scorecard professional.
Areas of Focus
Leadership Council,
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Latest Blog Posts
Director, Global Philanthropy
Donzelina Barroso
Donzelina Barroso ("Donzie") serves as Director of Global Philanthropy at RPA, working with RPA’s major individual, family, corporate, and institutional donors from across the globe to implement their philanthropic strategies. In 2017, Donzie launched RPA’s first international office, in London. She has two decades of experience in international grantmaking and project management at RPA, including work in education, the arts, health & human services, community development, environmental issues, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Donzie regularly participates in RPA’s major thought leadership initiatives and carried out research on global philanthropy for clients. She has led a donor initiative to improve social services for children in Portugal, has designed and implemented educational funding for disadvantaged communities, helped develop an arts center in the U.S., and developed policies, programs, and governance procedures for new foundations in Europe and the U.S. She is a frequent speaker at philanthropic conferences and events.
Donzie serves on the STEP UK Philanthropy Programme Programming Committee. She also serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board at NOVA School of Business and Economics, Lisbon, and the board of the Portugal-US Chamber of Commerce, New York. Previously, Donzie served on the inaugural Steering Committee for International Grantmaking at Philanthropy New York. Donzie holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from Columbia University, a Master’s in Public Administration from the Wagner School of Public Service at New York University, and a B.A. from Barnard College at Columbia University. A dual citizen of the U.S. and Portugal, Donzie is fluent in English, Portuguese, French, and Spanish.
Areas of Focus
Advisory,
Leadership Council
Latest Blog Posts
President & CEO
Melissa A. Berman
Philanthropy – whether through giving, investing or advocating – has embarked on an exciting age of exploration with new horizons, new tools and new commitment. We’re creating the maps as we discover opportunities.
Melissa is the founding President and CEO of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc., an innovative nonprofit philanthropy service launched by the Rockefeller family in 2002. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ mission is to accelerate philanthropy in pursuit of a just world. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors develops strategic plans, conducts research, manages foundations and trusts, structures major gifts, coordinates donor collaboratives, and provides regranting and fiscal sponsorship services. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors also publishes, convenes and speaks about innovations in thoughtful, effective philanthropy. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors annually manages or facilitates over $400 million in giving to more than 70 countries. It has offices in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Lagos, and London.
Melissa has led Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors since its inception, building it into one of the world’s leading philanthropic advisory, grantmaking, research and project management services. Under her leadership, RPA developed and published the “Philanthropy Roadmap” series of donor guides with support from the Gates Foundation. She developed and leads Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' research initiative, “The Theory of the Foundation,” and is the author of multiple reports in that initiative.
A frequent speaker, Melissa has been a guest lecturer at universities across the U.S., Europe and Asia including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Duke, IMD (Lausanne), Oxford, Sun-Yat Sen, and Beijing Normal universities. As a widely-recognized expert in philanthropy, Melissa has been profiled in the New York Times and the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Recent articles she has authored appeared in the Foundation Review and in the International Family Offices Journal. Her ideas and views are featured in the Economist, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Financial Times, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy. She has been interviewed on the Today Show, NBC Nightly News, NPR, BBC Radio, CNBC-TV, and Bloomberg TV.
An adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s Business School, Melissa is also a director/trustee of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the Adrian Brinkerhoff Foundation and Candid. She serves on the Advisory Boards of the Marshall Center for Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship at the London School of Economics and the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise at Columbia University.
Melissa holds a B.A. from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from Stanford University. She’s proud to have majored in Folklore and Mythology.
Areas of Focus
Executive Team,
Leadership Council
Senior Advisor
Shermane Bilal
“When you learn, teach. When you get, give." - Maya Angelou
Shermane has more than 20 years of experience in family philanthropy, nonprofit management, fiscal sponsorship and grants administration at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. She oversees Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' grants administration unit and manages the grantmaking programs of individual donors, collaborative charitable giving vehicles, and the Marilyn M. Simpson Charitable Lead Trusts. She is also responsible for the content and development of RockLinks, a quarterly publication created exclusively for the Rockefeller family by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.
Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in 1992, Shermane served for five years as Grants & Program Manager/Assistant to the Director of Long Island University’s Institute for the Advancement of Mathematics and Science. Shermane has served on the Program Committee of Grantmakers for Children, Youth and Families; Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE); and the Increasing and Diversifying Philanthropy Committee of the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers.
Shermane holds a M.S. in Nonprofit Management from The Milano School for Management and Urban Policy at The New School, and a B.S. from Long Island University in Management and Marketing.
Areas of Focus
Sponsored Projects & Funds
HR Business Partner & Talent Acquisition
Nikki Biratsis
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” - Pablo Picasso
As HR Business Partner and Talent Acquisition specialist, Nikki supports the existing team with HR needs as well as the growth of the organization.
Nikki brings 20+ years of experience in leadership, training and talent acquisition across multiple sectors. The past 14 years she was heavily focused on recruitment at the executive level within healthcare organizations nationwide in; community, university, for-profit, and not-for-profit hospitals.
Nikki is a first-generation Greek-American who was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. While she will always be a Buckeye at heart, she now resides in central Florida with her husband, daughter and two rescue puppies. She has a love for travel and learning about different cultures and ways of life.
Areas of Focus
Human Resources
Deputy Director, Advisory
Patrick Briaud
Patrick believes a flourishing donor is the seed of social good—within the individual, then in the world.
Patrick loves to see an asset owner come alive. As Deputy Director, Patrick helps individuals, foundations and corporations use a range of assets to achieve their social impact goals. He works closely with institutional funders to make strategic shifts in order to best steward their resources and confidently deploying capital to achieve their impact goals. As lead for RPA’s Impact Investing Practice, Patrick supports mission-driven asset-owners to build investment strategies aligned to their individual values or organizational mission. This support includes education and consensus building, Investment Policy Statement (IPS) development, operating plan implementation, and full-service outsourcing of Program Related Investments (PRIs). Patrick also manages five customized portfolios across direct debt, direct equity, and funds – including sourcing, diligence, execution, monitoring and exit. Patrick also leads RPA’s impact investing thought leadership including the 180-page Impact Investing Handbook and companion Workbook, as well as two primer guides: Introduction and Strategy & Action.
Prior to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Patrick was head trader and investment analyst of Lee Financial’s $900M portfolio. As a professional tennis player, he earned a world doubles ranking of 125 and played in Wimbledon 2008. Patrick has a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from Yale’s School of Management. He serves on the board of Briaud Financial Advisors and Fifth Third Bank’s National Community Advisory Forum. Outside of work, Patrick can be found searching for the coziest NYC speakeasy with his wife Angela, and dancing with his son Louis.
Areas of Focus
Advisory
Vice President
Cordell Brown
Cordell believes that the foundation for success comes from creating connections across people, process and planning.
Cordell joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in February, 2017. He provides leadership for business systems, grants management, and knowledge management. He is responsible for all non-IT components of systems management including information design and management, workflow analysis, training, and user adoption. He directly manages the grants and contracts management team, overseeing the compliance and efficiency of the $300 million grant portfolio, driving policy, and monitoring of our largest client-facing system. Additionally, Cordell leads the knowledge management team, focused on knowledge capture and knowledge dissemination strategies, leveraging people, process, and technology to facilitate learning, training, and onboarding across the organization. He drives the effectiveness and efficiency of operations, internal systems, organizational learning, policies and procedures, and ensures those policies and practices are reflected in the systems that support them.
Cordell holds a strong quantitative and qualitative background in strategic planning, sophisticated metric and trend analysis, and program/project management. With over ten years of experience in nonprofit leadership, serving as Chairman of the Board and Strategic Planning Officer of CapraCare, he leads an organization dedicated to providing health services and community development in Haiti. Previously, an Assistant Vice President at MetLife, Cordell held a broad range of diverse roles. As a senior leader in Strategic Planning, he was responsible for driving and implementing strategic planning policies and processes, monitoring performance against plan, and supporting significant initiatives that drive results. Prior to that, he was a Leadership & Management Development Director, where he helped transform the MetLife culture from a mutual company to a high-performance public company, coaching over 1600 senior and executive leaders. His other prior roles and responsibilities included IT Strategy & Planning Director, Strategic Human Resources Director, and IT Project Manager.
Cordell’s Board service includes, Chairman & Strategic Planning Officer of CapraCare, Inc. and Vice-President of Diving For Life, Inc. He is a Fordham University graduate, who received a double-major B.A. degree in Mathematics and Computer Science, then a double-major MBA in Management, and Information & Communications Systems, graduating summa cum laude and first in his class. He also holds a Certificate in Executive Nonprofit Leadership from the Fordham Graduate School of Social Service, and is a certified Facilitator, from Development Dimensions International. Cordell is a native New Yorker who enjoys travel, downhill skiing, and SCUBA diving around the world.
Areas of Focus
Business Systems,
Leadership Council,
Operations
General Counsel
A. Nicole Campbell
A. Nicole Campbell specializes in creating peace of mind. She has provided strategic legal, governance, and operational guidance as a senior advisor for two of the world’s most prominent philanthropists, and has spoken on and trained senior management teams and board members in nearly every region of the world in grant making, governance, and organizational design.
A. Nicole Campbell specializes in creating peace of mind. She has provided strategic legal, governance, and operational guidance as a senior advisor for two of the world’s most prominent philanthropists, and has spoken on and trained senior management teams and board members in nearly every region of the world in grant making, governance, and organizational design.
With more than fifteen years of experience in the public and private sectors, Nic has deep expertise in designing and building nonprofit organizations from concept phase to full independence and designing innovative organizational, grant-making, and governance structures. For her entire career, she has been a sought-after strategist and thought partner to philanthropists, philanthropies, collaboratives, movements, and nonprofit organizations in the United States, the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, and around the world.
Nic is founder of the Build Up Companies, a federated group of companies comprised of Build Up Advisory Group, The Campbell Law Firm, and Build Up, Inc. and focused on transforming outcomes for vulnerable and marginalized communities. She is Chief Executive Officer of Build Up Advisory Group, an advisory firm that specializes in improving governance, grant making, and organizational design for brave philanthropists, philanthropies, movements, and nonprofit organizations to provide them with the structural capacity to deliver on their missions. She is Managing Partner of The Campbell Law Firm, a boutique law firm that serves as a trusted advisor to brave grant-making nonprofits, movements, philanthropies, and philanthropists to interrupt cycles of injustice and inequity. She is also President of Build Up, Inc., a nonprofit capacity builder that supports leaders of color and incubates and fiscally sponsors charitable projects and organizations that work with under-resourced and invisibilized communities around the world.
Prior to founding the Build Up Companies, Nic was Senior Director of Operations and Foundation Counsel for Dalio Philanthropies, Ray Dalio’s global, multi-million dollar family philanthropy; Deputy General Counsel and Secretary for the Open Society Foundations, George Soros’s global, multi-billion dollar philanthropic network; and Associate General Counsel for the New York Community Trust, a multi-billion dollar community foundation. Prior to her in-house roles, Nic was a tax associate attorney in private practice working with both nonprofit and for-profit clients.
Nic received her B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law, and her LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law.
Areas of Focus
Executive Team,
Leadership Council,
Office of the General Counsel
Marketing Deputy Director
Kimberly Campbell
Throughout her career, Kimberly’s work has focused on positioning non-profit organizations and higher education institutions as thought leaders in their communities.
Before joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Kimberly worked at BPI Chicago as the Director of Communications and Marketing and served as the Director of Law Communications and Marketing at DePaul University College of Law. She has consulting experience with media companies, higher education institutions, and associations.
Kimberly holds a BA in Journalism and Marketing from Columbia College Chicago and a Project Management Certificate from DePaul University.
Areas of Focus
Communications & Partnerships
Accountant, SP&F
Matthew Cerullo
Matthew is a member of the RPA Finance team based out of the New York office. Matthew works to provide financial reporting, budgeting, and advisory services to RPA’s sponsored projects. He works closely with the Sponsored Projects and Funds team and the projects they support.
Matthew is an experienced accounting professional who has years of experience in the non-profit sector. He previously worked at Greater Bergen Community Action, Inc. as a Grant Accountant and then moved on to work at the County of Bergen, NJ as a Fiscal Analyst for the Department of Human Services, Division of Senior Services. Prior to that, he worked as Editorial Assistant and Project Editor in the book publishing industry. He holds a bachelor’s degree of Science in Business Administration with a major in Finance.
Areas of Focus
Finance
IT Manager
Steven Chang
"I cannot think of a more personally rewarding and appropriate use of wealth than to give while one is living.... Interventions have greater value and impact today than if they are delayed." – Charles Feeney
Steven joined RPA in May 2021 as IT Manager to oversee internal support for global RPA staff and the technology systems the organization uses for their work in the philanthropic sector. He manages the logistical aspects of staff onboarding and departures in coordination with HR, Operations, and other internal teams, equips and support staff for remote work, and implement the organization’s IT strategy for the current and future business environments.
Previously Steven was a project manager at Open Society Foundations with their National and Regional Foundations Technology Team, advising and coordinating IT cybersecurity and infrastructure strategy with the international network of foundations supported by OSF. He also spent 11 years working at The Atlantic Philanthropies as IT Systems Manager, supporting the foundation throughout the final phases of its over three decades of limited-life grantmaking.
Steven was born in Taiwan, but grew up primarily in New York. He attended New York University majoring in Political Science and International Relations, enjoys world travel and experiencing new cultures and cuisines.
Areas of Focus
Operations
Senior Advisor
Lillian Wambui Chege
"There is no passion to be found in playing small – settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." - Nelson Mandela
Lillian joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in August 2020. As an Advisor on the Sponsored Projects and Funds team, she manages a diverse portfolio of projects focused on culture, education, environment, equity, and sustainability. Lillian also supports the growth of a fund designed to uplift organizations that focus on economic empowerment for women.
Lillian has a diverse breadth of experience in the social impact space. Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Lillian worked for various philanthropic organizations, including the Rockefeller Foundation to help structure philanthropic spend and develop global interventions that aim to secure social and economic resilience of individuals and communities. Lillian has also led a premier talent incubator focused on harnessing the latent power of Africa’s youth to combat high unemployment and help accelerate economic growth.
Lillian has an M.S. in International Affairs from The New School University and serves as a Trustee of the Berkeley Carroll School.
Areas of Focus
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Lead Senior Accountant, SP&F
Nick Chen
As the Lead Senior Accountant for Sponsored Projects & Funds (SP&F) Nick provides financial reporting support to clients and work with the Finance team on month end accounting duties. He also works with advisors and program coordinators in managing budgets, expense analysis, cash flow reports, and burn rate analysis.
Before joining RPA, Nick worked as a Senior Financial Analyst at BTQ Financial. He worked with the client manager and controller in managing their client, a East Harlem non-profit. He worked closely with the Executive Director and Program Directors as well as managing their 30+ government funded contracts/programs. Prior to BTQ Financial, Nick worked at Convene as an accountant helping them grow from three locations to over ten locations in multiple states.
Nick was born, raised, and educated in New York City. He received his Bachelors in Finance in NYC from Baruch College. He enjoys running and has ran multiple NYC Marathons as well as other marathons in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Washington D.C. He hopes to one day qualify for the Boston Marathon as well as complete a full distance Ironman triathlon.
Areas of Focus
Finance
Director, Learning & Knowledge Management
Wanda Colon
"Do or do not, there is no try." - Yoda
As Director of Learning & Knowledge Management, Wanda works with the RPA Business Systems team. Wanda leads the Knowledge Management team, working to build its impact and scope. She focuses on developing strategies for building a culture of learning across the company, implementing onboarding processes, learning and professional development.
Wanda previously worked at Rutgers University where she served in several roles, including Project Management Senior Training Manager and Director of Training and Employee Development in the University Finance & Administration Office. At Rutgers, Wanda led training efforts for business processes, Salesforce CRM, financial systems, and designed and administered Learning Management System (LMS) for employee training on administrative information systems. She developed and facilitated, both eLearning and instructor-led trainings for faculty and staff, working closely with Financial Management, Human Resources, IT, Procurement Services, and Grants Contracting Administration. Prior to Rutgers, Wanda was a Training Manager for the Broward County Government Project Management Office, and Education Coordinator and Training Manager at the University of Miami.
Wanda received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Rutgers University, a Master of Arts (MA) in Public Relations from the University of Miami, and a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) from Rutgers University. Wanda has also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Chile.
Areas of Focus
Business Systems,
Leadership Council
Lead Financial Analyst
Katie Cornell
“Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” –Helen Keller
Katie Cornell is Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisor’s Lead Financial Analyst - Accountant, partnering closely with the Controller to conduct financial analysis for the organization and external stakeholders, manage and execute finance and accounting special projects, oversee all general ledger activity and transactions for Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and its clients, and ensure that all accounting and finance functions remain in compliance with applicable laws and standards, internal policies and procedures, and donor/sponsor policies and procedures.
Katie brings 10 years of finance and accounting experience to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. At the start of her career, Katie spent over 3 years in investment banking, first as an analyst at Moelis & Company, then as an associate and senior associate at Deloitte Corporate Finance. Katie was then driven to bring her skills to the not-for-profit sector and spent nearly 6 years in various finance and accounting roles within Marymount Manhattan College’s Business Office. Katie is excited to continue to serve in the not-for-profit sector for an organization with a wider philanthropic lens encompassing an array of global issues.
Katie holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance and a Bachelor of Arts degree in German from the University of Georgia. She also holds a Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Washington and continues to occasionally provide services to individuals that have sustained an acquired brain injury or have been diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease. When Katie isn’t working, she enjoys traveling, learning, and spending time outdoors with her family. In a past life, Katie also practiced aerial dance, sang in early music ensembles, and recorded a metal album.
Areas of Focus
Finance
Vice President, Advisory
Catherine Crystal Foster
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” -Coretta Scott King
Catherine Crystal Foster serves as the Vice President of the San Francisco Advisory team. In this role, she leverages her expertise in social impact to develop and implement major grantmaking programs and provide strategic guidance across program areas for philanthropies of all types.
An entrepreneurial social sector leader, Catherine has worked across disciplines to drive positive change for more than 20 years. As CEO and Co-Founder of Magnify Community, she activated Silicon Valley philanthropists to make bold and catalytic investments in the community, designed innovative philanthropic tools, and advanced an equity-focused giving movement. A respected thought leader, she was honored by Inside Philanthropy and the Silicon Valley Business Journal for her work. Before co-founding Magnify Community, she served as Executive Director of the Westly Foundation, expanding grantmaking and the Foundation's signature prize for young social innovators. Catherine also served as Executive Director of the Peninsula College Fund, where she scaled the organization into its next stage, creating a path for success for first-generation college students. Previously, as founder of Policy & Advocacy Consulting, she provided strategy, evaluation, and policy expertise to leading nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, ranging from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to The California Endowment to the Children’s Defense Fund.
Catherine has years of experience in policy related to children and family economic mobility, and, earlier in her career, authored the District of Columbia’s comprehensive welfare reform legislation, and worked as a public interest lawyer and director of a national children’s policy advocacy program.
She chairs the Advisory Board of the Palo Alto Community Fund, serves as an advisor to multiple social sector organizations, and is a volunteer Court-Appointed Special Advocate. Catherine is a Senior Fellow of American Leadership Forum, and received her BA from Yale University and JD from Harvard Law School.
Areas of Focus
Advisory
Grants Manager
Nancy Delgado
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” – Amelia Earhart
As the Grants Manager, Nancy supports the Sponsored Projects and Funds team by managing and implementing all components of grants processing, both from donors and to grantees. This includes legal and regulatory compliance, collecting and reviewing all grantmaking requirements, data entry, and reporting of data to both internal and external clients.
Before joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in September 2020, Nancy spent 13 years at the Avon Foundation for Women, where she held multiple roles, including Senior Administrative Assistant, Senior Program Administrator, and Manager, Grants and Programs. Throughout her tenure with the Avon Foundation, Nancy was integral to the organization’s operational, logistical, and grantmaking activities. She oversaw U.S. and global grant-making initiatives of the Foundation’s Domestic Violence program, as well as the U.S. Associate Matching Gift Program, U.S. Representative and Associate Scholarships, and the Global Scholarship Program. She has a wealth of experience in grant and programmatic management; and worked closely with the Foundation’s board of directors to ensure soundness of governance policies, responsible budget oversight, and grantmaking compliance; and managing all stages of the grantmaking process, including driving data management collection and quality assurance in the Foundation’s grants management system.
Nancy likes to travel, enjoys reading novels and is especially proud of her two sons and husband of more than 25 years and counting.
Areas of Focus
Business Systems
Program Coordinator
Kelly Diggins
Kelly supports Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisor's global philanthropy team and has managed a number of complex initiatives including the SDG Philanthropy Platform, the Scaling Solutions initiative and individual philanthropy client engagements. She regularly organizes events for RPA’s funder networks and the philanthropy community.
Prior to RPA, Kelly served as a Kiva Fellow collaborating with micro-finance institutions in Costa Rica and Guatemala. She has a diverse background ranging from working in the legal field as a paralegal to volunteering for youth development organizations.
Kelly received a B.A. in Global Economics and Latin American Studies from UC Santa Cruz, and a Trans-Global Executive MBA from Saint Mary’s College of California. Kelly has extensive experience in Latin America as an Amigos de las Américas volunteer implementing community service projects and focusing on sustainable development while living in Honduras, Paraguay, and Dominican Republic. She serves on the board of the Amigos de las Américas San Francisco Chapter and Climate Action Now! (CAN!), which cultivates educational and ecological resilience by removing pavement to create organic gardens.
Accounting Supervisor
Cheikh Diop
“In every day, there are 1,440 minutes. That means we have 1,440 daily opportunities to make a positive impact.” - Les Brown
Cheikh has extensive experience in financial applications of automated systems, as well as financial analysis and reporting, investment planning and monitoring, tax planning, and developing and monitoring accounting plans.
Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Cheikh was the Comptroller of Sloane and Hinshaw, Inc., a specialized management and consulting company servicing grantmaking organizations. Previously, he worked for The Macmillan Publishing Group.
Cheikh graduated from Baruch College/CUNY, with a B.B.A. in Finance and Investments and an MBA in Management and Accounting. Fluent in French, he has a rich multicultural background, and is an active member of several nonprofit community-based cultural and educational organizations in New York.
Areas of Focus
Finance
Director, Global Empowerment & Opportunities
Elizabeth Droggitis
Elizabeth is motivated on a daily basis by the wide array of projects she supports that are working towards positive social change.
Elizabeth joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in August 2017. As the Director of the Global Empowerment & Opportunities Practice Area on the Sponsored Projects & Funds team, she manages a portfolio of projects focused on issues international development, human rights, economic opportunity, gender, and more. In particular, Elizabeth works on RPA’s projects centered on the rights of women and girls. Elizabeth provides key operational support to help each project work towards their mission, and she works closely with project leadership and funders to strengthen relationships and maximize impact.
Elizabeth has over thirteen years of program management and fundraising experience in the nonprofit sector. Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Elizabeth worked as the Membership and Public Education Manager at MADRE, an international women’s human rights organization, where she managed communications and individual giving programs.
Elizabeth has an A.B. in Government & Legal Studies and Spanish from Bowdoin College and a M.Sc. in Gender, Development and Globalisation from the London School of Economics. After graduating from Bowdoin, Elizabeth spent a year in Peru, where she translated for visiting medical campaigns, taught in the local schools, and volunteered at a local women’s empowerment center. In her free time, she loves to travel.
Areas of Focus
Leadership Council,
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Senior Associate
Margaret Elam
“Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it yet.” -L.M. Montgomery
Margaret Elam joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ Sponsored Projects and Funds team as a Senior Associate in October 2022. She directly supports the senior leadership on the SP&F team and lends her time across practice areas as needed.
Before coming to RPA, Margaret worked as a contractor for the Tory Burch Foundation’s Programs team. Other previous experience includes her work on a range of applied research projects focused on women’s entrepreneurship, impact investing, and program evaluation. While working with the Bipartisan Policy Center, Margaret completed her Master’s thesis on Unemployment Insurance Administration design and program improvement recommendations. Margaret still actively participates in public policy forecasting through the University of Maryland.
Margaret earned her Masters of Public Affairs from Brown University’s Watson Institute and her Bachelors in English Literature and Economics from the University of Colorado Boulder. During her undergraduate education she co-founded the CU Bee Club which focused on pollinator conservation and education. She remains an avid outdoorswoman and reader.
Areas of Focus
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Program Coordinator, Operations
Yaremis Felix
“We are all actors: being a citizen is not living in society, it is changing it.” - Augusto Boal
Yaremis joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in September 2019 and serves as Program Coordinator on the Operations team. She offers support to human resources and operations, maintains a welcoming environment for colleagues, clients, staff, and visitors of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.
Before joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, she held various roles as an arts administrator in the non-profit sector, and performed in numerous Latino theater institutions in New York City, and abroad. Yaremis has a B.A. in Drama from The University of Puerto Rico. NY Community Trust Leadership Fellow, National Association for Latino Arts and Cultures ELI Fellow, Commercial Theater Institute Alumni, and American Musical & Dramatic Academy Alumni.
Outside of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, she volunteers for Caborca, a company that makes sprawling, adventurous works in theater and film based in Brooklyn; and curates the International Contemporary Theater Festival Pueblos-Escena in Ciego de Ávila, Cuba.
Areas of Focus
Operations
HR Business Partner, Talent Acquisition
Mildred Garcia
Areas of Focus
Human Resources
Vice President of Client Services
Heidi Hernandez Gatty
As Vice President of Client Services and Arts & Education, Heidi leads RPA's Arts & Education portfolio and provides strategic guidance to the evolving suite of technology and services that support RPA's fiscally sponsored projects and funds.
Heidi has been a leading expert in fiscal sponsorship for almost 20 years and was most recently Vice President of Client Service at Community Initiatives in Oakland, California, where she was responsible for business development and excellence in service provision across a portfolio of 115 fiscally sponsored projects. Heidi came to the practice of fiscal sponsorship by way of the arts. She was a professional stage manager and continues to support visionary leaders through creative problem-solving and developing appropriate infrastructure to support long-term impact.
Heidi has a BA in Theater from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television, and a Certificate in Arts Administration from NYU. She currently serves as a Governing Board Member of the Walnut Creek School District.
Areas of Focus
Leadership Council,
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Vice President
Heather Grady
Heather’s lifelong experience in supporting social progress and economic development define how she helps foundations, philanthropists and impact investors craft effective pathways to sustainable, effective and rewarding systems-level change.
Heather is a vice president in RPA’s San Francisco team and leads the practice area of Environment and Climate Change. This portfolio includes a range of sponsored projects and donor collaboratives as well as advisory engagements, research and publications. She also leads the Shifting Systems initiative that encourages funders to place longer-term, more adaptive resources with grantees who are tackling systemic challenges from the local to the global level. Heather serves as an adjunct professor at the China Global Philanthropy Institute and frequently publishes on philanthropy.
Heather’s approach to this work has been shaped in part by two decades living and working in countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, managing development and humanitarian programs focused on a range of themes including livelihoods, environment, agriculture, health and education, and gender equality. Heather was previously a vice president for Foundation Initiatives at The Rockefeller Foundation where she oversaw an annual grantmaking budget averaging $65 million. Prior to that, she served as the managing director of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative, a decade-long partnership between Columbia University, The Aspen Institute, and the International Council on Human Rights Policy founded by former Irish President Mary Robinson. During this period, she also served as an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
Heather has a master’s degree in Public Administration from the Kennedy School at Harvard and a B.A. from Smith College. She is conversant in Chinese. She serves on boards and advisory councils including the Dropbox Foundation, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, Forum for the Future, the Wildlife Justice Commission, Doc Society, and was a founding advisor to the B Team.
Areas of Focus
Leadership Council,
Sponsored Projects & Funds
HR Business Partner
Johanna Grande
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” - Maya Angelou
As a HR Business Partner, Johanna functions as an internal consultant to help build and strengthen relationships and deliver best practices guidance to our sponsored projects. She has over ten years of progressive HR experience including the areas of HR operations, employee relations, policy interpretation, performance and compensation management, employee engagement, training and development, talent acquisition, onboarding, benefit administration, and management coaching on HR policies and procedures.
Before joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Johanna held various HR roles in a variety of industries and most recently worked as an HR Manager at the American Federation of Arts, a non-profit Arts organization. Prior to that, Johanna held positions as Senior HR Manager at Synechron, Senior HR Business Partner at Insperity and multiple HR roles at New York University. The first several years of her career were spent working for Merrill Lynch where she worked as a Project Manager in the Telecommunications department and traveled throughout South America and Canada while doing so.
Johanna is fluent in Spanish and has a MS degree in Human Resources Organizational Development, and a BA degree in Computer Information Science, both from Fordham University. She is a mother to one daughter, Skylah, who attends Parsons School of Design, and lives with her husband, John, in the city. In her spare time, Johanna enjoys traveling, food, wine, music, weekend getaways and spending time with family and friends.
Areas of Focus
Human Resources,
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Finance Assistant
Ben Goldberg
"Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success." - Henry Ford
Ben serves as an assistant on the Finance Team, aiding the group in all aspects of their work. He plays an important role in the Accounts Payable department. Ben has worked at RPA previously on the Special Projects and Grants Administration Teams, where he made meaningful contributions.
Ben has many years of experience in both Grants Administration and Program work, Finance and Accounting, as well as Hotel Management . He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Delaware - Newark, with a Major in Hotel, Restaurant & Institutional Management.
Areas of Focus
Finance
Business Systems Learning Services Coordinator
Andreas Gonzalez
Andreas is the Business Systems Learning Services Coordinator at RPA, working in the Knowledge Management team.
Before working at RPA, Andreas was a Database Analyst at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. At the Mellon Foundation, they supported grantees and internal staff in understanding how to use Fluxx, produced documentation for board meetings, and managed physical and digital archiving of historical grants. They served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica working as a TEFL teacher and served as a Jesuit Volunteer/AmeriCorps in Portland, Oregon, helping the Latinx and Latin American community in financial inclusion and housing stability projects.
Andreas received their Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Saint Peter’s University. They hold a Master’s in Public Administration from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Andreas resides in New York City and grew up in Puerto Rico and Santa Clara, California. They enjoy traveling, hiking, and binge-watching TV shows. Since moving to New York, Andreas has enjoyed working on fine art projects in their free time.
Areas of Focus
Business Systems
Senior Associate
Sara Lopez Gonzalez
"The best thing about your life is that it is constantly in a state of design. This means you have, at all times, the power to redesign it. Make moves, allow shifts, smile more, do more, do less, say no, say yes—just remember, when it comes to your life, you are not only the artist but the masterpiece as well." – Cleo Wade
Sara Lopez Gonzalez joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in October 2021 as a Senior Associate for the Sponsored Projects and Funds team. In the SP&F team, Mejias works on a portfolio in the practice area of environment, rights, and global development. While the needs of every sponsored project are distinctive, Mejias generally assist clients with project management, contracts, payments, and grants management.
Prior to RPA, Sara was a Coordinator for the Center for Computational Mathematics at the Flatiron Institute, part of the Simons Foundation. Previously, Mejias was the Coordinator of STEM Investments for Boston Public Schools, funded through the GE Foundation. Mejias was also a College Advisor in two Boston public high schools through the College Advising Corps. Mejias, in addition, co-founded a nonprofit to help urban refugees find services in cities through an incubator course at Boston University, and now serves on their Board of Directors. Through her experiences in the non-profit field, Mejias has built a passion for the philanthropic sector and its position to ignite change with the collaboration of on-the-ground partners.
Sara holds an M.A. in Politics from New York University and a B.A. in International Relations from Boston University. Her research broadly focuses on forced migration, immigration reform, and social movements through both quantitative and qualitative methods. During her spare time, Mejias loves to go to CrossFit, read memoirs, explore museums, and bake. A native of Guantanamo, Cuba, Mejias migrated and grew up in Oregon, USA.
Areas of Focus
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Grants Manager
Cristina Guerrero
"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." — Helen Keller
Cristina is a part of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' Chicago based advisory team. She supports a variety of advisory client engagements that include family, independent, and corporate foundations on issue research, grant reviews, and manages operations of the Chicago office. Cristina enjoys researching issue areas for client work that continue to inform and shape her understanding of social impact work around the world.
Prior to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, she spent almost four years in development for an education non-profit focused on supporting Chicago public school teachers. Prior to this, Cristina spent a year as a teaching assistant with AmeriCorps working at Tilden Career Community Academy in Chicago’s southwest side providing academic support to first year students.
Cristina is Co-Chair of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy’s Chicago Chapter helping create a network of emerging professionals in the field cultivate relationships with one another and develop content expertise. Cristina received a B.A. in English from Bowdoin College and is currently working on her masters at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. She serves as a volunteer mentor to current high school students with the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund and remains involved with her college as a regional admissions interview volunteer. Cristina enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with family and friends.
Areas of Focus
Business Systems
Senior Accounts Payable Specialist
Emmanuel Guerrero
Emmanuel serves as the Senior Accounts Payable Specialist on RPA's Finance Team. He started as a Finance Assistant, who was responsible for processing expense reimbursements and invoices for payment.
Emmanuel joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in July of 2013 as a Staff Assistant in the New York office. As part of the Operations Team, Emmanuel was responsible for general front desk administrative duties and mailroom management while also playing a key role in facility management and serving as backup for IT desktop support as needed.
Emmanuel holds a BBA degree with a concentration in Information Systems from Iona College, and has studied business administration and accounting. At Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, he has honed his knowledge and experience on the finance team.
Areas of Focus
Finance
Senior Advisor
Alexandria Hamlette
"You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time." - Angela Davis
Alexandria is a Senior Advisor in Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' New York City office where she works with individuals, foundations, and corporate clients on a range of donor services. She has significant experience in grantmaking and nonprofit management related to workforce development, STEM education, economic development, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and social justice.
Prior to joining RPA, Alexandria was the Senior Director of Development for All Star Code, a nonprofit serving young Black and Brown men, where she served as a member of the senior leadership team, developed, and implemented the organization's fundraising strategy, and was responsible for board management and recruitment. Before joining All Star Code, she was a Senior Associate at the Surdna Foundation in New York City, where she managed a national grantmaking portfolio, working to create economic opportunities for marginalized communities.
Alexandria received her Master's in Public Policy from the American University School of Public Affairs and her B.A. in Spanish and International Studies from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. She is an Indiana basketball enthusiast, a lover of true crime, and a burgeoning wine connoisseur.
Areas of Focus
Advisory
Senior Vice President & COO
Nick Hodges
"Be Kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." - possibly Plato
Nick joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in 2014 as Chief Operating Officer and oversees Finance, Investments, IT, Operations and Sponsored Projects and Funds. In this capacity he is responsible for end-to-end client experience across programs managed and supported by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. He leverages Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' risk/opportunity framework to advise leadership and clients on risk management and mitigation. He provides leadership to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' impact investing consulting business, bringing both financial and philanthropic perspective to the practice.
Nick was the inaugural COO at Schwab Charitable responsible for launching the first wide-scale investment management solution for donor-advised funds and was also COO for Tides. In addition to COO roles, he headed Philanthropic Services for the San Francisco Foundation, providing guidance to some of the Bay Area’s most philanthropic families. Prior to philanthropy, Nick spent 15 years in financial services.
Nick received his bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of San Francisco and is a certified trainer with 21/64. He has held numerous securities licenses and completed management curriculum at Stanford University. He has held board positions with Horizons Foundation and Community United Against Violence.
Areas of Focus
Executive Team,
Leadership Council,
Operations
IT Support Services Coordinator
Ian Holly
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
At RPA, Ian is responsible for managing the IT helpdesk and assisting with day-to-day tech support. Ian is also helping to manage RPA's cloud-based management system. While no task is too big or too small, Ian is willing to step in where needed to make sure the job gets completed.
Previously, Ian has worked for LISC (most recently), PMC, WNET, NYC Housing Authority and Royal Bank of Canada. From video editing to desktop support, Ian has been in a wide range of roles over both large and small organizations. Ian’s most memorable moment was working with PBS Weekend Newshour on Saturdays and Sundays for 4 years.
Ian graduated from BMCC with his associates in Mathematics. He plans to attend City College in the Spring of 2023 to continue with his bachelor’s in computer information systems. When not working and in school, Ian loves to Travel, attend live music concerts, and play video games. Ian used to build robots in high school and attend competitions with FIRST robotics, and he used to play the drums.
Areas of Focus
Operations
Director
Amy Holmes
Amy believes that giving can create meaning for donors, inspire generosity in others, and build connections between people.
Amy leads the New York Advisory team, and directs strategic planning and program development for families, donor collaboratives and private foundations. She helps donors define their philanthropic goals and implement giving programs to achieve them. She manages philanthropy focused on music, literature and the arts, arts education, green spaces, and criminal justice system reform, and has overseen large-scale disaster response and community resilience initiatives. Amy joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in 2004, and has researched and led giving programs in youth development, education, and the Afghan Women Leaders Connect collaborative fund.
Amy previously served as Development Associate for the Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center, a settlement house in Yorkville and East Harlem in New York. She serves as Chair of the board of the Support Center for Nonprofit Management, and as Secretary of the board of Harlem United, an agency providing medical, social, and supportive services for adults with HIV/AIDS.
Amy received a Master of Public Administration degree from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University, and a B.A. from the College of William and Mary in English Literature. She lives in Queens with her young sons, and has gotten pretty good at cleaning smashed banana off Lego blocks.
Areas of Focus
Advisory,
Leadership Council
Vice President
Mae Hong
“I’m not saying I’m gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.” — Tupac Shakur
Mae opened the Chicago office of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in 2009 and is responsible for serving individual donors, families, foundations and corporations throughout the Midwest. In addition to providing high-touch, custom services to help clients manage their charitable giving, develop effective strategies, and discover joy in their philanthropic journey, she is also a frequent speaker and writer about issues, trends, and ideas in philanthropy. With a deep knowledge of major giving trends, Mae advises clients on best practices to create innovative funding programs or initiatives.
With nearly 20 years of nonprofit and philanthropy experience, she previously served as Program Director at the Field Foundation of Illinois. Her funding expertise includes children, youth and families; poverty alleviation; women and girls’ issues; and advocacy. She has also been actively involved in Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' leadership on the issue of diversity in philanthropy. Prior to entering the nonprofit sector, she worked in the publishing industry for several years.
Mae currently serves on the boards of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations and Illinois Humanities. She completed her graduate work in social service administration at The University of Chicago, and is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Mae is a serious shoe collector.
Areas of Focus
Advisory,
Leadership Council
Latest Blog Posts
Assistant General Counsel
Ajani Husbands
Ajani Husbands is passionate about finding innovative solutions to complex problems. Ajani received his B.A. in International Relations and minor in African/African-American Studies from Stanford University, his M.A. in International Development from American University, and his J.D. from NYU School of Law. He is a Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellow and a Root-Tilden-Kern Scholar.
Ajani began his career as a U.S. diplomat, where he served in Eritrea, Haiti, Pakistan, and South Sudan, liaising with a wide range of local organizations, artists, activists, and business owners to support foreign policy objectives. After a decade of service, Ajani obtained his law degree, and transitioned to working as a transactional attorney at major law firms, where he advised public companies, private equity firms, and financial institutions on an array of capital market transactions. He also maintained an active pro bono practice representing asylum seekers and providing transactional legal support to nonprofits.
Ajani currently lives in Botswana with his wife and two sons. During the day (in Botswana) he runs both a rum company in South Africa and a Botswana-based nonprofit focused on connecting African startups with financing and other resources. He also enjoys photography, reading africanfuturism, and watching nature shows and PBS Kids with his sons.
Areas of Focus
Office of the General Counsel
Senior Associate
Carissa Ibert
Areas of Focus
Sponsored Projects & Funds
HR Business Partner, Strategy & Analytics
Austin Jarred
“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.” - Marie Curie
Austin joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in October of 2020. As an HR Business Partner, Austin is involved in all aspects of HR plays a key role in human resources operations and programs, balancing people and business operation needs.
Prior to RPA, Austin worked in the performing arts industry as a dancer, choreographer and dance teacher. After wearing many hats at various performing arts organizations, Austin founded her own dance school, Lumina Dance Arts, in West Caldwell, NJ. She enjoyed running all business operations, teaching and mentoring young dancers, providing need and merit-based scholarships and work studies, and directing live productions for the community for three years. Thereafter, she relocated to Raleigh, NC and worked in the business office at Carolina Ballet as the Accounting and Benefits Manager, expanding into an HR Generalist role over three years. She has also worked for Northwell Health as an HR Operations Associate and at NYU’s Office of Global Services in Immigration and Visa Sponsorship advising.
Austin is a SHRM-CP and has a master’s degree in HR Management and Development, concentrating in Organizational Effectiveness from NYU. While she is an East-coaster at heart (she has lived in Virginia, New Jersey, North Carolina and New York), she loves to travel: Her favorite place is a tie between Lisbon and Rome.
Areas of Focus
Human Resources
Advisor
Chase Jaz
Chase Jaz joined RPA in 2021 as an Advisor for Sponsored Projects & Funds, and he manages a portfolio of projects focused on environment and climate. Chase brings a diverse background of experience in strategic grantmaking, fundraising, and non-profit operations from his work with several global environmental and conservation organizations.
Most recently, Chase co-managed a grantmaking strategy at The David and Lucile Packard Foundation focused on ocean conservation and sustainable fisheries management. There he designed and executed against strategic goals including natural resource management, policy and governance improvements, and capacity development. Prior to that, Chase held various development and fundraising roles at environmental organizations such as Wildlife Conservation Society and The Nature Conservancy.
Chase has a bachelor’s degree in advertising, marketing, and communications from the Fashion Institute of Technology. He also holds a certificate in conservation and environmental sustainability from Columbia University and a master’s degree in conservation science from Imperial College London. His graduate research focused on the effectiveness of stakeholder collaboration toward cetacean and sea turtle conservation in the Adriatic Sea.
Directly before joining RPA, Chase was a stay-at-home dad to his young daughter, River. He and his husband live in Hudson, New York and enjoy the arts, food, and nature throughout the Hudson Valley region.
Areas of Focus
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Senior Advisor
Tina Joh
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world” — Desmond Tutu
Tina works with Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' advisory team to provide thorough and practical strategy and consulting services to families, foundations and corporations. As a certified philanthropic advisor, she imparts guidance and advice that fosters thoughtful giving and meaningful philanthropic experiences, facilitates meetings with families, couples and individuals, assesses community needs and funding opportunities through ongoing communications with nonprofits, and aligns donors’ interests and strategic initiatives with the work of nonprofits, while prioritizing the goal of donor fulfillment in their giving.
Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Tina was a senior philanthropic advisor at the Marin Community Foundation, one of the largest community foundations in the country, where she led a client portfolio of high net worth clients with combined assets of $147 million, all with diverse needs, interests and values. She also provided strategy and evaluation consulting to foundation clients with Blueprint Research + Design. Tina began her career over 20 years ago in Minnesota with the Women’s Funding Network and the Minnesota Council on Foundations and has lived in the Bay Area since the early 2000s.
Tina holds a BA from Indiana University and an MA from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. When not working, Tina enjoys delicious meals cooked by her husband and is constantly fielding requests for boba tea and electronic devices from her two young boys.
Areas of Focus
Advisory
Executive Assistant, Office of President; HR Operations Partner
Dana Joyce
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
As Executive Assistant, Office of the President, Dana provides complex, high-level administration and office support to RPA’s Office of the President, which includes the President, VP of Human Resources/Corporate Secretary, COO, SVP of Advisory Services and VP of Communications/Marketing. In addition, she serves as a central point of coordination for all activities related to the organization’s board of directors and its committees.
Before joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in 2019, Dana held the position of office coordinator at a legal recruiting firm, SJL Attorney Search, for five years. Prior to that role, Dana held the position of business manager for four years at Ingenuity Cleveland, an arts and technology nonprofit, whose mission is “to ignite the creative spark where the arts, science, and technology intersect.” Dana also has experience working in the sports industry, including at the Cleveland Cavaliers and the AST Dew Tour.
Dana has a certificate in nonprofit management from Johns Hopkins University, a master’s degree in business administration from Cleveland State University and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ithaca College. She’s a proud mom to daughter, Julia (AKA JJ), and Boston Terrier puppy, Louie, who she hopes will one day be best friends! As a native Clevelander, Dana is a dedicated fan of all Cleveland sports teams…no matter how miserable their seasons are!
Areas of Focus
Human Resources
Business Intelligence Lead
Halit Karagoz
Areas of Focus
Operations
Senior Vice President & Corporate Sect'y
Renee Karibi-Whyte
“We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be..." - Martin Luther King Jr.
Renee Karibi-Whyte leads Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' efforts to share its research and expertise on impactful philanthropic practice with individuals, families, and organizations seeking to accelerate social change. As a member of the executive team and head of communications & partnerships, Renee is intimately involved with RPA's Theory of the Foundation initiative, Strategic Time Horizon research, Philanthropy Roadmap guides, and other knowledge-based projects that help clients and the sector accelerate philanthropy in pursuit of a just world. She works closely with RPA's client services teams on convenings, speaking engagements, presentations, and partnerships domestically and internationally. Renee also develops RPA’s internal and external communications strategy, manages and stewards RPA’s brand, and oversees public relations.
Before joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in 2017, Renée held various senior marketing roles in Thomson Reuters and worked as a Senior Division Manager for the American Conference Institute. Prior to that, Renée practiced law at Morgan Lewis & Bockius in New York and at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. The first several years of her legal career were spent working for judges in the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague (Netherlands), and in Federal District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan in Detroit.
Renée has a law degree from Harvard Law School and a bachelor’s degree from Florida A&M University School of Business and Industry. She is an active volunteer and a mother of four.
Areas of Focus
Communications & Partnerships,
Executive Team,
Leadership Council
Latest Blog Posts
A ‘Winning’ Approach to Corporate Social Responsibility: How Companies Can Get Started in Prize Philanthropy
How Diverse Organizations Differ: Insights from The Philanthropy Framework Self-Assessment Tool
A Win-Win for Social Impact: Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Releases New Guide on Prize Philanthropy
Operations Manager
Maddie Kinzie
Maddie is motivated by the opportunity to ensure good ideas become good solutions that can lead to positive social change and sustainable philanthropic impact.
Maddie joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in July 2020. As a Manager for the Sponsored Projects and Funds team, she partners with our Advisors to develop and maintain strategic partnerships for a portfolio of fiscally sponsored projects across a span of issue-areas, including education, environment, financial inclusion, arts & culture, and social justice. As a key contact for client relationships, she oversees the active coordination of operations to ensure timeliness and efficiency of services across platforms. She provides support to the projects’ staff, responds to all operational needs, oversees enforcement of policies and procedures, manages the review and execution of independent contractor and vendor agreements and contracts, and supports grantmaking activities, including grant agreements, facilitating grant payments and reporting and processing approved payment requests.
Prior to joining RPA, Maddie worked a variety of roles in J.P. Morgan’s Private Bank. As a Philanthropy Advisor in their Philanthropy Centre, she provided individuals and families with insights and services to help them meet their philanthropic goals. The team's advice centered around infrastructure development, governance, mission, programmatic measurement and evaluation, family dynamics and succession planning, among other areas. Prior to that, Maddie coordinated day-to-day strategic operations for the Global Head of the Endowments and Foundations Group, a team of investors dedicated to serving the firms largest institutional and charitable clients. In addition, she has worked with ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families around estate planning and wealth management advice in J.P. Morgan’s Private Bank.
Maddie received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Oklahoma in Finance and International Business, Magna cum Laude. She also studied French and economics at the Université Paris Dauphine in Paris, France.
A native Oklahoman, Maddie now resides in New York City and loves to travel.
Areas of Focus
Sponsored Projects & Funds
HR Operations Specialist
Kristina Lytovchenko
“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.” — Joel Arthur Barker
As an HR Operations Specialist, Kristina is responsible for handling essential HR functions, such as: coordinating onboarding and offboarding activities, facilitating staffing changes, and supporting the objectives and policies of RPA. Before joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Kristina worked in the human resources field for an international IT company and historical and cultural reserve, where she implemented onboarding, people strategies, employee records, updated policies, disciplinary actions, and benefits analysis.
Kristina strongly associates with RPA's values because she believes that every person is directly responsible for the well-being of humanity and that an individual's actions can make a difference. Kristina has volunteer experience in three non-profit organizations: Raising A Village Foundation, Horton's Kids, and Bloomingdale Family Program, where she established and enforced optimal and engaging learning processes, secure guidelines for safety precautions and regulations, and successful community service projects.
Born and raised in Ukraine, Kristina is a native Ukrainian and Russian speaker. Kristina holds a B.A. in Psychology and Marketing from Fordham University, where she graduated with honors and became a member of the Psi Chi society. In her spare time, Kristina enjoys traveling, exploring gastronomy, hiking, visiting art exhibitions, watching documentaries, reading literature, and spending time with family and friends.
Areas of Focus
Human Resources
Head, Gender Centre of Excellence
Loise Maina
“Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance.” – Koffi Annan
Loise Maina is the Head, Gender Centre of Excellence at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors where she supports the effective implementation of the Framework for Advancing Women’s Financial Inclusion in Nigeria. In this role, she leads RPA’s efforts to increase capacity within the Nigeria Ecosystem to advance financial inclusion of women and girls and make the regulatory environment in Nigeria conducive for the expansion of digital financial services (DFS) into rural/remote areas and promote solutions that serve the needs of those who are most financially excluded, particularly women.
Before joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in November 2021, Loise held several senior gender specialist roles with various international organizations including the United Nations. She most recently served as the Associate Director of Women’s Economic Power, at Women for Women International where she led WfWI’s global economic empowerment programming. She also previously worked for Practical Action as Global Gender Advisor and for UN Women Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa (ESARO) as Regional Programme Manager for Women’s Economic Empowerment.
Loise has a Finance degree from the University of Nairobi, an Msc in Organizational Development from the United States International University, and an M.A. in Gender and Development from the University of Nairobi. She is also currently a PhD Candidate in Gender and Public Policy at the University of Nairobi and is a recipient of the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research and Carnegie Corporation of New York Doctoral Scholarship Award.
Areas of Focus
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Latest Blog Posts
Senior Associate
Maureen Mahoney
Maureen Mahoney joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in November 2022 as a Senior Associate for Sponsored Projects and Funds.
She comes to RPA with over two years of experience in the fiscal sponsorship space. She previously worked for Arabella Advisors, who oversees a variety of fiscally sponsored 501(c)3 and 501(c)4 projects. She provided operational, programmatic, and financial support to a range of social impact focus areas such as education, election protection, criminal justice reform, food insecurity, and more. Prior to Arabella, she has worked in communications, development, and research positions within the philanthropy sector.
After growing up in the Washington, DC area, Maureen now lives in Chicago. She moved there after receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy from University of Michigan. During her coursework, she focused specifically on education and criminal justice policy. In her free time, Maureen enjoys listening to country music, yoga, and cheering on the Washington Commanders.
Areas of Focus
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Program Coordinator
Mahlet Moges
“Sometimes we have to do the work even though we don't yet see a glimmer on the horizon that it's actually going to be possible.” ― Angela Davis
Mahlet is a Program Coordinator in Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' New York City and Chicago offices where she works with individuals, foundation, and corporate clients across the country on a range of donor services. Her work touches on issue areas of climate change and environmental conservation, social and economic justice, and workforce development.
Prior to joining RPA, Mahlet worked as program administrator and grant coordinator for a non-profit, where she managed grants and facilitated grantee relationships while tracking and processing departmental trainings and operations.
She is a baker, traveler, and when inspired, a writer.
Areas of Focus
Advisory
Advisor
Dean Morris
As an advisor on the Sponsored Projects and Funds team, Dean Morris is an advisor on the Sponsored Projects and Funds team. Dean’s experience includes several years of having worked at organizations that were fiscally sponsored. Dean brings a rich background of experience to RPA, including most recently having served eight years as the director of programs at the West Harlem Development Corporation.
Prior to that, at Ford, Dean coordinated grant-making and programmatic activities in the Freedom of Expression Unit with a focus on ethnic media and social justice. Dean also served on Ford’s Good Neighbor Committee as an education program officer and oversaw grants to organizations whose missions were to increase access to education and economic opportunities for underrepresented communities. Dean’s non-profit background also consists of having served as an ombudsman for individuals coping with homelessness, mental illness, and substance addiction.
Dean has a certificate in Mediation and Conflict Resolution, a B.S. in Social Theory, Social Structure & Change, and a M.S. in Organizational Change Management from Milano – The New School for Management & Urban Policy. Highlights of his studies at Milano include serving as a project leader for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon Design Challenge and a thesis that explored the use of action research as a community organizing tool to empower residents in the South Bronx to make choices that benefit themselves and the environment.
Dean enjoys arts and cultural programming, has too many books and plants, and a long list of wood restoration projects.
Areas of Focus
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Senior Accountant
Michelle Ng
“The results of philanthropy are always beyond calculation” — Miriam Beard
Michelle joined the Finance Team as Revenue Accountant in June 2015. She is responsible for generating invoices for advisory clients in all of the four offices. She is also responsible for processing all funds received and reconciling the accounts receivable ledger on a regular basis.
Prior to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Michelle was the Accountant for four years for N. Cheng & Co., a public accounting firm providing financial management services for mainly nonprofit organizations. She was responsible for preparing monthly financial statements and creating annual organizational budgets for clients.
Michelle earned a BBA degree in Accounting with minor in Mathematics from Baruch College/CUNY. She was an intern at Morgan Stanley in the Tax Compliance department during her last year in college. She loves food and travelling.
Areas of Focus
Finance
CHRO & Senior Vice President of People & Culture
Yogita Naik
Yogita Naik is a senior human resources executive who works at the intersection of strategy, people and culture to drive performance and growth across international markets, highly regulated industries, non-profit sectors and Fortune 100 companies. Yogita is recognized for bringing an analytics-driven, strategic yet pragmatic approach to human capital decisions and solutions. She is a sought-after advisor to CEOs and other C-suite business executives for all leadership and human capital management matters.
Yogita comes to RPA with deep global experience in talent strategy, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) and strategic human resources. She has served in Senior HR Executive roles at AXA Equitable, AIG, and Pfizer, working with international teams across the U.S., Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australia and Asia. She has built workforce and talent planning strategies, led major change management initiatives, handled complex regulatory and risk issues, and developed successful DEI programs. RPA’s values are a natural fit for her focus on mission and people.
Born and raised in India, Yogita holds a Master of Arts in Human Resources-Industrial Relations from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Mumbai, India. Yogita has been invited to speak at various conferences and she also served on her school’s Alumni Board in various capacities. She is a mentor and career coach to university students and HR professionals and helps veterans and their spouses, as a member of American Corporate Partners. Yogita has served as an Adjunct Professor in Leadership and Management at New York University, and a Senior Fellow at the Conference Board.
Yogita is passionate about the importance of education as a human right and a platform for growth, equity and life-opportunities. She believes in learning one new skill every year and is certified in Pastry Techniques from the International Culinary Center.
Areas of Focus
Executive Team,
Human Resources,
Leadership Council
Program Coordinator
Germain Ngaba
My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style." - Maya Angelou
As Program Coordinator, Germain works with the Sponsored Projects and Funds team where he oversees a portfolio spanning a variety of issues areas including health, education, and arts & culture. As a key contact for clients, Germain is responsible for the project management, contracts, payments, and grants management.
Prior to joining RPA, Germain interned as a Human Resources Assistant at the College of Mount Saint Vincent, and was an Administrative Assistant at Sudler and Hennessy, an advertising, marketing & communications firm in the healthcare industry. Germain worked with RPA in a temporary capacity from February until officially joined the Sponsored Projects & Funds team in August 2019. During his time as a temp at RPA, he gained familiarity with the nonprofit sector, specifically fiscal sponsorship and grantmaking.
He has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a minor in Healthcare, from the College of Mount Saint Vincent. His outside interests include competitive sports and music production.
Areas of Focus
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Program Coordinator, Financial Inclusion
Tobechukwu Mary-Ann Njideaka
Tobechukwu joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in April 2021 as a Program Coordinator working with the Sponsored projects and Funds Team, where she manages a portfolio of projects within the economic inclusion practice area providing project management, operational and technical support. As a key contact for client relationships, she oversees the active coordination of operations to ensure timeliness and efficiency of services across platforms and manages the review and execution of contracts and MoUs.
She leverages her expertise and experience in financial and economic Inclusion to build and manage relationships with key stakeholders and partners, liaise with the RPA teams, and ensure compliance with policies and procedures. In addition to providing client service for projects’ operational needs, she supports grant making activities, including grant agreements, facilitating grant payments, and reporting and processing approved payment requests.
Before joining RPA, Tobechukwu worked as a research associate in the Sustainable & Inclusive Digital Financial Service Initiative, Lagos Business School focused on conducting in-depth exploration into the digital financial services industry in Nigeria to provide an understanding of the regulatory landscape, economic and business models for delivering products that improve the financial well-being of Nigerians, particularly the poor, women and rural dwellers. She is particularly interested in financial inclusion as it cuts across sustainable growth and national development.
With a background in information science, Tobechukwu have a view of charting a path that goes beyond career advancement to pioneering innovative research and data/information management systems towards sustainable business growth and national development.
Areas of Focus
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Business Systems Training Manager
Vivian Nunez
As the Business Systems Training Manager, Vivian supports the Learning and Knowledge Management team by improving existing training and creating new training materials for the organization.
Before joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in November 2022, Vivian worked for NYC Cyber Command, where she developed a Workforce Development program for the Agency.
Vivian loves reading and writing books, she is the author of Today everyone learns, and her favorites things are her two children, competitive swimming and a well brewed cup of espresso.
Areas of Focus
Business Systems
Payments Expert, Financial Inclusion
Deji Oguntonade
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible" - Walt Disney
Deji joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in November 2020 as the Director, Digital Payments (Nigeria) with a focus on deepening Financial Inclusion via G2P, B2P and P2P initiatives by collaborating with all stakeholders in the Digital Financial Services sector.
Up until October 2020, Deji was the Divisional Head For FinTech & Innovation in GTBank, before that, he was the Group Head, Electronic Payments; managing E Commerce initiatives, Internet Banking, POS Deployment, Mobile Money and Mobile Banking and the fastest growing USSD based payment system – Bank737.
He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree (1989) in Chemical Engineering from the University of Lagos and an MBA in Information Technology from Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA). He has attended various management and technical courses in Nigeria, Switzerland, India, UK, USA, Singapore and South Africa.
Deji started his Banking career in 1991 with Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, and subsequently also worked in for Equitorial Trust Bank and First Inland Bank Plc before returning to GTBank in 2011. His Banking experience has spanned Operations, Financial Control, Marketing, Technology Management, E-Business, Fintech & Innovation.
Deji’s major area of interest is developing payment solutions as a competitive and developmental tool within communities. Since 2001, Deji has pioneered several cutting-edge and award-winning solutions that are in wide application nationwide. Worthy of mentioning are products like: FlashMeCash (2002) and Bank 737 (2014).
Areas of Focus
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Latest Blog Posts
Advisor
Rena Peng
Rena joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in 2019 and is part of the New York advisory team. She works with individuals and families to define and implement their philanthropic goals, providing mission and values guidance, issue area research and expertise, and grantmaking best practices. She also works with donor collaboratives, community foundations, and corporate foundations to provide strategic planning, advise on governance and structure, facilitate collaborative giving, and conduct sector scans and benchmarking analysis. She has focused on a variety of issue areas and approaches, including reproductive health, criminal justice reform, food insecurity, education, and economic mobility. She is fluent in Chinese and works with the Global team on Chinese philanthropic and impact investing initiatives.
Prior to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Rena served as Program Manager at the Human Rights Campaign in Washington, DC, where she managed the Corporate Equality Index report rating Fortune 500 companies and AmLaw 200 law firms on their policies and practices pertaining to their LGBT workforce.
Rena holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a B.A. in Government from Smith College.
Areas of Focus
Advisory
Advisor
Trevor Pollack
Trevor Pollack joined RPA in 2022 as an Advisor for Sponsored Projects & Funds, and manages projects focused on the environment and climate change. He brings rich experience in grantmaking, fundraising, and organizational development across a range of disciplines, including work on funder collaboratives and equitable philanthropic practice.
Most recently, Trevor served as Director of Project Development at ThirdSpace Action Lab, a racial equity-focused consulting and creative firm based in Cleveland, where he led business development, firmwide project management, and select client engagements. He spent the first decade of his career in Boston, including five years at the Barr Foundation. While at Barr, he developed and led portfolios local and national portfolios on issues ranging from nonprofit sector health to democracy- and power-building to inclusive and climate-resilient waterfront development; and he staffed the foundation’s board and executive leadership. Earlier, he led institutional fundraising and government relations for a professional chorus and orchestra.
Trevor volunteers with PB CLE, a grassroots coalition advocating for and designing Cleveland’s first-ever participatory budgeting process; and he sings in the Cleveland Orchestra’s Blossom Festival Chorus. He previously served on boards and committees for the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network, Fund for Shared Insight, Institute for Nonprofit Practice, and Combined Jewish Philanthropies.
Born and raised in Cleveland, Trevor now lives there with his husband and their dog, Brutus. He earned a B.A. in Music from Brown University, and still tries to attend an unreasonable number of concerts. He is also an avid runner and a flexitarian foodie, and loves to explore cities by foot and public transit.
Areas of Focus
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Board Member, RPA Inc.
Alta Buden
Alta Buden is a New York based visual artist concerned with our relationship to the environment. Her work draws on her studies of evolutionary biology, her childhood experience of new age mysticism and the time she spent working with scientists at The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, IL.
Her practice is rooted in the sites where she works, often outdoors, using water, rocks and other natural forms as a visual source. Her process involves “recording” the environment, using various mediums to capture the data, history and memories present in the ever-shifting and evolving landscape. Her pieces become vessels of sorts, mediating the human experience of nature while holding the biological, and geological forms from their origins.
Her work has been exhibited in New York and Chicago and has been shown at the Smart Museum of Art (IL) and the Museum of Contemporary Art (IL). She received a Pollock-Krasner Fellowship in 2013. She has degrees in Visual Arts, and History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Chicago. She holds an MFA from Hunter College (2017) with a certificate in curatorial studies and was a member of Regina Rex, an artist run gallery on the Lower East Side in Manhattan, NY.
Grant Systems Manager
Erin Prescott
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou
Erin Prescott joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors as the Grants Systems Manager in November 2022. In this role, she works to ensure that grants management best practices are reflected in the technical design of the grants management system, Fluxx.
Previously, Erin served for five years as a Program Officer with the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations, a pair of health legacy foundations. Her role included leadership in grants management and communications. Prior to that, she spent ten years in fund development and communications roles with The Dawes Arboretum and The Nature Conservancy. Throughout her career, use of technology to support effective and efficient practices of funders and nonprofit organizations has been a key component of her work. Erin received her bachelor's degree in Human Ecology and master's degree in Education, both from The Ohio State University. She holds the designation of Certified Fund Raising Executive and serves on the steering committee of the Mideast Chapter of PEAK Grantmaking.
Among her volunteer efforts, Erin has been a member of Rotary International since 2012 and is active within the central Ohio Rotary district, where she lives. She enjoys time outdoors with her husband and young son.
Areas of Focus
Business Systems
Program Director, Nigeria
Linda Quaynor
Areas of Focus
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Deputy Director
Jon Quinn
“If we are honest with ourselves today, we will acknowledge that the ideal of Democracy has never failed, but that we haven't carried it out, and in our lack of faith we have debased the human being who must have a chance to live if Democracy is to be successful.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Jon joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in May 2014 and is based in the Chicago office. He works with individual, family, institutional, and corporate donors across the Midwest, around the country, and around the world. In his time at RPA he has worked with a number of donors on climate change and environmental conservation; supported the work of foundations re-tooling strategy in post-bankruptcy Detroit; helped a family foundation in Chicago design a strategy to support the city’s infrastructure of small and mid-sized theaters; worked on a team assessing a foundation’s internal staffing structure with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion; and assisted a multinational company develop partnerships with organizations around the country that help young people access higher education.
Previously, Jon was Donor Services and Initiatives Manager at the Santa Fe Community Foundation, where he managed the Foundation’s LGBTQ and Native grant programs, oversaw a project that uses crowd-sourced giving to support public school projects, and managed Foundation events and communications. Before joining the Santa Fe Community Foundation he was a Research Associate for the Peter G. Peterson Foundation in New York City, where he managed major projects focused on health care policy, national security policy, and youth engagement. Jon has also worked at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and was on the staff of President Obama’s 2008 campaign.
Jon received a B.A. from The University of Chicago in 2004 and a Master’s in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University in 2010. He served on the planning committee for the 2013, 2014, and 2016 conference for Funders for LGBTQ Issues and participated in grant review panels in 2018 and 2019 for the Just Transition Fund, which supports economic transition efforts in coal-impacted communities across the US. He serves on the board of Crossroads Fund, a public foundation that funds racial, social, and economic justice work in the Chicago area; and serves on the advisory board for the Illinois chapter of Mikva Challenge, a civic engagement organization that brings young people into the democratic process. He is a member of the 2020 class of the Emerging Leaders program at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
Areas of Focus
Advisory
Senior Accountant, Sponsored Projects and Funds
Adrian Rai
Areas of Focus
Finance
Associate
Tia Rashke
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” -Mahatma Gandhi
Tia works with Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' Midwest advisory team in Chicago to conduct research, prepare presentations, organize convenings, and administer grantmaking services. She is especially passionate about supporting consensus-building, social-emotional health, and restorative justice efforts through thoughtful, effective philanthropy.
Before joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in fall 2021, Tia spent a year living and volunteering in the context of Amate House, “a young-adult service and leadership development program grounded in social justice, faith, and community.” She served immigrant families in Chicago as the outreach coordinator for a food pantry, a soup kitchen, and an ESL program. Prior to that, Tia held internships in the areas of corporate social responsibility, public policy, and public health.
Tia graduated from Boston College in 2019, where she received a B.A. in theology, with minors in mathematics and justice studies. She is currently fascinated by the implementation of the Enneagram personality system as a tool for psycho-spiritual growth and cultural transformation. Originally from Wisconsin, Tia enjoys listening to podcasts and spending time in nature.
Areas of Focus
Advisory
Chief Financial Officer
Ingrid Rasmussen
Ingrid Rasmussen joined Rockefeller Philanthropy advisors as Chief Financial Officer in January 2023.
Prior to RPA, she was COO/CFO at Unbound Philanthropy, where she was responsible for the financial strategy and overall operations of the Foundation. She oversaw the Finance & Accounting, IT, Human Resources, Operations, and Grants Management functions. Prior to Unbound Philanthropy she was the VP, Finance and Operations/CFO of the Heron Foundation; Director of Financial Planning and Analysis at Helmsley Charitable Trust; and VP of Finance/Controller at Nonprofit Finance Fund.
In her free time, Ingrid is passionate about nonprofit finance and operations as well. Ingrid is Chair of the Board of Stevens Cooperative School, and independent school based in Hoboken, NJ, and is a Board member at New Community Corporation, a community development organization providing housing, childhood and youth services, adult education, family transitional housing, and mental health services in Newark, NJ. She was previously on the boards of Hot Bread Kitchen and Bronx House.
Ingrid earned a Master’s in International Development from American University and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Tufts University. She lives in Jersey City, NJ with her partner, Andrew, and her tween daughter.
Areas of Focus
Finance
Senior Vice President, Advisory Services
Greg Ratliff
Greg is a Vice President at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ New York office beginning in 2019 and manages client engagements with a range of individual, family and corporate donors.
Greg is Senior Vice President of Advisory Services at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ New York office and manages client engagements with a range of individual, family and corporate donors. As part of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' impact investing practice, he advises investors on portfolios to generate both social and financial returns.
Prior to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Greg was a member of the leadership team at the newly launched ACT Center for Equity in Learning. Greg held several positions at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, where he created an impact investment portfolio defined at five percent of institutional assets. He doubled the annual rate of investing to $20 million and initiated multi-year grant and investment programs in the areas of affordable housing preservation and community development venture capital. Greg also worked at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he was responsible for developing strategies to increase the engagement of low-income young adults in postsecondary education.
Greg holds a BA from UCLA and earned his MBA from Northeastern University, while also completing graduate work in Urban Studies at MIT. He is a Board member at Domini Impact Equity Funds.
Areas of Focus
Advisory,
Executive Team,
Leadership Council
HR Generalist
Lisa Riera
Lisa Riera is a HR Generalist at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. She works to develop and implement human resources programs to build and support the objectives and policies of RPA. She is involved with supporting and working directly with the Sponsored Project & Funds Team serving as a partner to ensure efficient HR services, up to date knowledge of client operations, organizational structure and culture, staffing changes, and potential human resources issues. Lisa has over 5 years of recruitment and HR experience. Before joining RPA, Lisa worked for a privately held clinic and a financial services company providing and supporting all aspects of HR, including providing a work culture and identifying strategies to drive improvements. Lisa holds a degree in Bachelor of Art in Psychology and minor in Sociology from Montclair State University.
Lisa’s passion for HR evolved when she was involved with actively recruiting and hiring at a fast paced environment. During this time she developed connections with top talent and enjoyed providing individuals with an opportunity to be able to grow and pursue their career.
Lisa recently relocated back to New Jersey after working in Minnesota for a few months. She enjoys watching documentaries on Netflix and on YouTube.
Areas of Focus
Human Resources
Senior Associate
Zayra Rivera
“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting” - Paulo Coelho
Zayra works with Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' west coast advisory team in San Francisco to conduct research, prepare presentations, organize convenings, and administer grantmaking services. She is especially passionate about supporting collaborative efforts, grassroots organizing, and reproductive health justice through thoughtful, effective philanthropy.
Prior to joining RPA as a Senior Associate to the Advisory team, Zayra Rivera graduated from the University of San Francisco’s Master’s in international studies program with a concentration in governance and global justice. During her time as a graduate student, she had the opportunity to conduct research and published her thesis related to reproductive health policies in rural Guatemala. This work stemmed from Zayra’s previous experience as a Peace Corps volunteer where she served in the Youth in Development sector in the western highlands of Guatemala.
Alongside her studies, Zayra interned for the Border Youth Tennis Exchange and served as an AmeriCorps VISTA. Here, her tasks related to fundraising, program evaluation, and she even had the opportunity to create and teach a few courses centered around creative writing to youth in the Ambos Nogales border region.
She completed her graduate degree in politics and Spanish from Saint Mary’s College of California. In her free time, Zayra enjoys writing, watching anime, and going on long walks through Golden Gate Park.
Areas of Focus
Advisory
Advisor
Roxana Rodriguez
“As an individual or an entity, make a commitment to meet challenges with gratitude and live with an expectation to improve the lives of those around you.”-Denisa Livingston
As an Advisor with the San Francisco Advisory Team, Roxana guides clients in their journey towards effective and thoughtful philanthropy. She works with individuals and families to determine priorities for giving, develop and implement philanthropic strategies, and curate evaluations. She has worked on projects that focus on food justice, collaborative impact, mental health, food insecurity, public health, gender and sexuality, LGBTQ+ communities, civil rights, and socioeconomic justice.
Roxana has a history of experience in evaluation research, nonprofit grantmaking, and project management for a variety of health justice projects nationally. Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, she conducted research on best practices to launch novel plans for grantmaking strategies at an Oakland-based mental health foundation.
Roxana has also received training from the American Evaluation Association on Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluation (CREE) and successfully guided organizational implementation of CREE. Her research is published by the Berkeley Public Policy Journal and Michigan State University. She holds a Master of Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health and a B.A. in both Biology and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies from Williams College. During her free time she nourishes her spirit by taking care of plants, cooking, and hiking.
Areas of Focus
Advisory
Senior Advisor
Naamah Paley Rose
The philanthropist Naamah most admires is Julius Rosenwald (d. 1932), a child of German Jewish immigrants who created the Sears Roebuck empire and practiced “giving while living” when he funded nearly 5,000 schools for African American children across the rural Jim Crow South.
Naamah is a Senior Advisor in Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' New York City office and works with individuals, foundations and corporate clients on a range of donor services. She manages giving programs focused on medical research and mental health, libraries and universities, the arts, criminal justice, and broader social justice issues. Naamah has structured several research awards program, worked closely with grantees to craft complex multi-year gifts, and contributed to widely-circulated reports on Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' Scaling Solutions initiative.
Naamah has lived and worked in the Middle East, Midwest and New York City. She has worked with a large international fund, a medium-sized family foundation, the flagship grantee of a foundation, and a peer-to-peer grantmaking program. She most recently served as a manager and senior program officer for the Bronfman Fellowships, where she ran educational programs and managed an Alumni Advisory Board. Previously, she worked at the New Israel Fund and Unbound Philanthropy, where she worked on operations and evaluation. She has particular expertise in immigrant and refugee grantmaking, grants management and engaging next gen donors.
Naamah received her Masters of Public Administration from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University, and her B.A. in Middle Eastern and North African Studies from the University of Michigan (go blue!). She currently serves as a Board member for the Social Venture Fund for Jewish-Arab Equality and Shared Society, and also as the Grants Chair for a community giving circle. Naamah lives in Brooklyn with her husband and obese cat, all of whom fancy themselves to be urban farmers.
Areas of Focus
Advisory
Latest Blog Posts
HR Operations Specialist
Demaris Sand
Areas of Focus
Human Resources
Deputy Director
Joanne Schneider
Joanne appreciates working with passionate, thoughtful philanthropists—helping them to engage meaningfully in their giving. She also enjoys connecting nonprofit organizations with the resources they need to thrive.
Joanne joined the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors team in 2009. She helps individuals, families, corporations, and foundations at all points in the giving journey from just starting to think about how to engage in philanthropy to creating customized donor intent documents and dissolution plans. Her work includes helping clients determine priorities for giving, developing and implementing philanthropic strategies, and managing grantmaking initiatives and giving programs. She enjoys that her role enables her to work with passionate philanthropists across a wide range of issues and geographies to bring needed resources to important causes and to support solutions to our biggest challenges.
Joanne has a diverse breadth of social sector experience. Prior to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Joanne contributed to grantmaking and programs at the Skoll Foundation, the American Express Corporate Philanthropy Department, and the Morgan Stanley Community Affairs Department. She also managed the Volunteer Services Department of the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, engaging donors and creating meaningful service opportunities. Joanne served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon, Central Africa.
Joanne holds a BS from the University of Michigan and a MBA from Columbia Business School, where her focus was Social Enterprise. Joanne serves on the board of RISE Yoga for Youth, a Bay Area nonprofit bringing yoga and wellness education to schools and youth organizations. To relax, Joanne likes to cook. Some of her favorite foods to make are pumpkin bread, egg frittatas, and African peanut stew.
Areas of Focus
Advisory
Senior Advisor
Bharathi Sethumadhavan
Bharathi is a Senior Advisor at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' New York City office where she works with individuals, foundations, and corporate clients on a range of donor services. Prior to joining RPA, Bharathi was a Program Officer at The Clark Foundation and focused on grantmaking to nonprofits that addressed education, management training, social/human services, and workforce development issues. Before joining The Clark Foundation, she was a Program and Grants Associate at the Ms. Foundation for Women, where she helped manage a grantmaking portfolio of nonprofits that worked on reproductive rights, domestic violence, AIDS, and economic justice.
Bharathi received her Master's in Public Policy from CUNY Baruch’s Marxe School of Public Affairs, and a Bachelor’s in Economics with a minor in Geology from Rutgers University. She is a wine connoisseur, loves to cook, and enjoys baseball and football (NY METS, NY GIANTS, and USC GAMECOCKS are her teams).
Areas of Focus
Advisory
Program Coordinator
Camille Serrano
‘The arc of the moral universe is long,’ he said, but ‘it bends toward justice,’ if there is a steadfast commitment to see the task through to completion. – Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
As Program Coordinator, Camille works closely with the Sponsored Projects & Funds team of advisors, grants managers, and fellow project coordinators where she supports a portfolio of projects spanning a variety of issue areas including women and girls, human rights, and the environment. In addition to providing client service for projects’ operational needs, she handles grantmaking activities and payment requests, and manages the review and execution of contracts.
Before joining RPA in October 2020, Camille was Membership Coordinator at the Human Rights Funders Network (HRFN), where she was the key liaison for HRFN’s global network of human rights grant makers and philanthropists, handling membership administration, engagement programming, and fund development. She also has previous experience managing real estate transactions and representing unaccompanied immigrant and refugee children in deportation proceedings as a Paralegal and Pro Bono Liaison at Holland & Knight LLP.
Camille serves on the board of the Mount Holyoke Club of New York City where she is Seven Sisters Committee Co-Chair and previously served on the Resource Tracking Advisory Committee of Funders Concerned About AIDS (FCAA). Camille has a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and Music from Mount Holyoke College and studied at the Faculté de Droit et de Science Politique and Université Paul Valery in Montpellier, France. She recently graduated from the Institute for Nonprofit Practice’s inaugural New York City Community Fellows Program with a certificate in Community Leadership and Social Change.
Camille is fluent in French, proficient in Spanish, and conversational in Tagalog and Mandarin Chinese. She loves to play the violin, practice yoga, experiment with new recipes, and travel.
Areas of Focus
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Director of Total Rewards
Dannielle Scott
Areas of Focus
Human Resources
Assistant Controller
Michelle Shum
“We have forgotten how to be good guests, how to walk lightly on the Earth as its other creatures do.” —Barbara Ward
Michelle joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in March 2019, and serves as Assistant Controller of the Finance team. She primarily works with the Sponsored Projects & Funds (SP&F) team to provide financial analysis and reporting support to clients, and collaborates with the Finance team on general accounting tasks. Michelle interacts closely with internal advisors and program coordinators in managing the partnerships and communications surrounding financial reporting, such as budgeting and expense analysis, grants tracking, and fund reporting. She also participated in the preparation for periodic Program/Grant audits as well as Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' Annual Audit, assisting in providing documentation and schedules as needed.
Before becoming part of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Michelle worked as a Senior Accountant for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). She worked alongside with the Accounting Director, the Controller and the CFO on all accounting and administrative areas related to investments. These included month-end entries preparation, process documentation, account reconciliations, financial reporting and general ledger analysis. She also liaised with banks and brokerage firms on investment-related matters. Prior to the ASPCA, Michelle was a Senior Auditor at Deloitte Hong Kong. Her clients were widely diverse both industry-wise and geographical-wise. Her 5 years with Deloitte helped her gain extensive exposure on auditing and accounting professionalism.
Michelle received her B.B.A. with a major in Accounting and Finance from the University of Hong Kong, and is a CPA registered in both the US and Hong Kong. Born and raised in Hong Kong, she is a native Hongkonger who is deeply in love with Hong Kong street food, but also fascinated by New York City’s unique vibes. Cantonese is her mother tongue, while she is fluent in Mandarin and English as well. Being a photography and travel lover, Michelle enjoys wandering in nature, experiencing different cultures, and listening to others’ life stories. She is also interested in films, literature, art, and spending time with her 6 cats and 7 birds. Among social issues, Michelle is particularly concerned about animal equality and environmental protection.
Areas of Focus
Finance
Project Manager
Sheri Signer
“While we do our good works let us not forget that the real solution lies in a world in which charity will have become unnecessary.” - Chinua Achebe
Sheri is a Project Manager at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, working with the Business Systems team. Her work focuses on operations, internal support, and improvement of processes. She is responsible for collaborating with internal teams to initiate, track, and complete major organization-wide initiatives. Sheri works closely with Operations including, Grants, Knowledge Management, IT, and Human Resources.
Sheri has spent almost 20 years working with nonprofits focused primarily on areas she is most passionate about: arts, culture, and food justice. Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in 2022, she worked with City Parks Foundation where she helped to develop and administer the Green / Arts Live NYC grant, a fund supporting artists and cultural organizations to perform free events in underserved green spaces in New York City. Sheri has also held various roles in project management, partnership development, and operations with Slow Food USA, Jacob Burns Film Center, Film Society Lincoln Center, and Clinton Global Initiative along with several small, local organizations in New York and Colorado.
Sheri received her undergraduate degree from Purchase College and studied in the master's program in Arts Administration at Teachers College, Columbia University. She enjoys the arts, local food, and the outdoors with her family as much as possible.
Areas of Focus
Business Systems
Advisor
Jessica Simmons
Jess Simmons joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in 2022 as an Advisor for Sponsored Projects & Funds, and currently manages a portfolio of projects focused on health, education, arts, and culture.
She comes to RPA with a background in non-profit operations, advocacy compliance, and community partnership development from her previous work with various 501c3/c4 organizations and institutions of higher education. Most recently, Jess provided client service support at a large fiscal sponsorship management firm, where she oversaw grantmaking, financial management, and facilitated donor relationships for a portfolio of projects focused on environmental conservation, global health, and civic engagement.
Based in Chicago, Jess is a “Double Demon,” holding a Master of Public Policy and Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Gender Studies from DePaul University. In her free time, she enjoys running outdoors, going to see live music, and moonlighting as a (very beginner) ceramics student.
Areas of Focus
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Associate General Counsel
Hayley Smith
Hayley Smith has over a decade of experience working for and with nonprofit organizations. She received her B.A. from Colgate University and her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law. She is passionate about using her expertise to address systemic inequalities and effect social change.
Hayley started her career at the national headquarters of the American Civil Liberties Union, first providing support to the organization’s impact litigation and legislative campaigns, and ultimately as a Policy and Advocacy Counsel for the ACLU’s nationwide state-based advocacy efforts in support of reproductive rights. Most recently, Hayley worked as a Senior Legal Associate at Foundation Source, advising the firm’s nearly 2,000 clients on all aspects of compliance with private foundation rules and regulations. She takes pride in her ability to problem solve, enabling clients to achieve their goals.
You can find Hayley chasing after her toddler, exploring the great outdoors, and planning future travels when she is not working.
Areas of Focus
Office of the General Counsel
Events and Programs Manager
Sarah (Hera) Smith
“Kotahi te tapuwae, he mano, he mano.” The first sacred footprint is followed by thousands upon thousands - Ngāti Kuri whakatauki (proverb) nā Tumatahina.
Sarah Smith (Hera) has worked in New York City for over 20 years in government relations, advancement for secondary-tertiary institutions and as a producer of non-profit, purpose-lead events and initiatives both in the United States and her homeland, Aotearoa New Zealand. Her experience spans the management of events, indigenous led programs and symposia, the coordination of trade and official dignitary visits, international campaigning, fundraising, and building partnerships for social justice and language revitalization initiatives. Sarah comes to RPA following time in New Zealand as Executive Director of the Courageous Conversation Aotearoa Foundation, a racial equity charitable trust she helped to establish and launch. Prior to the pandemic, she brokered partnerships to establish the first New Zealand University internship program in the U.S., as well as a suite of collaborative events and fundraising campaigns for over a decade under her company MokoISM Inc. Preceding this, she spent ten years working for the New Zealand government at the Permanent Mission to the United Nations and at the Trade & Enterprise office.
Sarah has a BA in Women's Studies and Political Science (Honors) from Hunter College, CUNY, and is a board member of the Courageous Conversation Global Foundation. The youngest in her family and first to attend college, she descends from the iwi/hapu (tribes/subtribes) of Ngāti Kuri, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Rehia, Ngāti Hine, Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi and Te Aupōuri, and lives in Harlem with her husband and three children.
Areas of Focus
Communications & Partnerships
Thought Leadership and Content Specialist
Caroline Suozzi
As the Thought Leadership and Content Specialist, Caroline helps develop thought leadership while supporting donor education efforts and learning cohorts. Caroline conducts research, communicates with donors and partners, and assists in writing thought leadership content. Since joining RPA in 2019, Caroline has played an instrumental role RPA’s marketing and communications initiatives. Previous to this role, Caroline worked as a Senior Associate on the RPA Marketing and Communications team.
Previously, Caroline served as the Deputy Campaign Manager on the successful re-election of a top targeted Democratic member of Congress. Before that, she spent ten months as a volunteer teacher at the Jesuit Yap Catholic High School on Yap Island in the Federated States of Micronesia.
Caroline holds a B.A. in New Media and Digital Design and Italian Studies from Fordham University.
Areas of Focus
Communications & Partnerships
Senior Vice President, Sponsored Projects & Funds
Walter Sweet
Walter is driven by the opportunity to help donors turn talent and motivation into philanthropic impact.
Walter leads the organization’s Sponsored Projects Team, which offers administrative and programmatic platforms to help donors develop, launch and promote high-impact philanthropic projects around the world. In addition to his contributions to strategy development across the organization, he leads and manages client engagements and special initiatives for a diverse portfolio of sponsored projects. With his extensive experience in leading client engagements with foundations and families supporting health, community development, education, and other issue areas, he serves as a resource on regulation and best practices to develop and deepen philanthropic impact. He has been interviewed by national publications including The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times and regularly serves on panels of philanthropic experts.
Previously, Walter served as a program officer at the New York Community Trust, the nation’s largest community foundation, where he conducted special project grantmaking and monitored and evaluated programmatic activities.
Walter holds a B.A. in American History from Columbia University and is a board member of the Business Outreach Center Network, which aims to help minority entrepreneurs access resources to launch their businesses. He is the proud parent of two children.
Areas of Focus
Executive Team,
Leadership Council,
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Senior Director, Inquiry & Insights
Olga Tarasov
"Each day we go to our work in the hope of discovering." — Nikola Tesla
Olga leads Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' thought leadership efforts, developing original research, publications, and both internal and external programs to advance philanthropic growth and innovation, and accelerate philanthropy in pursuit of a just world. In this capacity, Olga also leads hallmark programs, including the Theory of the Foundation and Strategic Time Horizons initiatives, which seek to build knowledge, catalyze collaboration, and contribute to more powerful impact for the philanthropic ecosystem. She is a frequent speaker at philanthropic conferences, workshops, and other events.
Previously, Olga held positions at the National Endowment for Democracy and the Open Society Foundations. Olga holds a Master of Arts, International Affairs from Georgetown University and a B.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University. She also holds a certificate from INSEAD’s International Leaders Program. Olga is a native English and Russian speaker, and counts Polish, Turkish and German among her other languages. She currently lives in Munich, Germany, and uses these languages to cheer loudly with her husband and son for the Bayern München Football Club.
Areas of Focus
Advisory,
Communications & Partnerships,
Leadership Council
Director, IT & Operations
Sheila Thélémaque
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." — Mahatma Gandhi
Sheila has been a key member of the Operations team since May 2008 and is the Director of IT & Operations. Her responsibilities include building out and supporting financial systems and project management for the organization. As a thought partner to the COO and SVP, Sheila is responsible for evaluating, recommending and implementing changes required to maintain IT infrastructure as well as the efficient day-to-day operations of all office activities.
Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Sheila worked as an information services specialist for the Wildlife Conservation Society. She previously worked with Permal Asset Management as a Director of Information Systems, where she managed systems development by evaluating current and future business requirements. Sheila is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Kenya from 2004-2006 training the staff of Tulaga Farmers Dairy Co-Operative in the use of personal computers and Microsoft Office applications.
Sheila received her B.S. in Finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business and her M.S. in Information Systems from Pace University’s School of Computer Science & Information Systems. She is fluent in French and Créole.
Areas of Focus
Leadership Council,
Operations
Program Coordinator
Amélie Thouvenot
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” - Nelson Mandela
Amélie works with the Sponsored Projects & Funds team where she oversees a portfolio spanning a variety of issues areas including health, education, and arts & culture. As a key contact for client relationships, Amélie ensures efficient operations and programmatic implementation. Leveraging her experience and quantitative background, Amélie brings an analytical mindset to her work and enjoys building relationships across teams and RPA partners.
Before joining RPA in September 2021, Amélie worked at Root Capital, where she supported financial planning, forecasting, and reporting functions for the nonprofit’s lending services to agricultural businesses around the world. Within the context of impact investing, Amélie has conducted risk analysis and evaluated portfolio performance, from a financial standpoint as well as social and environmental impacts.
Growing up, Amélie moved between France, Brazil, and the United States. Her passion for the nonprofit and social impact sectors can be traced back to her international experiences. She is fluent in French and Portuguese, and conversational in Spanish.
Amélie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Applied Mathematics from Yale University. Outside of work, Amélie loves to cook and experiment with new recipes, travel, and attend concerts wide ranging in genres, from rock to opera.
Areas of Focus
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Senior Accountant
Luz Torres
“Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out.” — Frank A. Clark
As the Senior Accountant for Sponsored Projects & Funds (SP&F). Luz works closely with the financials on several projects to ensure the accounting is properly reported. She also works closely with Advisors with answering inquiries and resolving issues pertaining to the financials of these projects by providing financial analysis and support.
Before joining RPA, Luz worked as an Accountant at WeWork. She worked on Cash Reconciliation for multiple accounts in the EMEA region. Prepared multiple financial reports for the team. Managed about 40+ accounts and their cash reconciliation. Helped improved the automation in multiple reports and reconciliation using workday and alteryx. Luz also worked in the not-for-profit sector at ASPCA as a Staff Accountant for the Revenue team. Oversaw multiple streams of revenue and complied all data and presented to the Director of Revenue for Budgeting and Forecasting.
Luz graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelors in Accounting and a concentration in Management Information Systems. She enjoys to travel, hike and go to the gym in her free time.
Areas of Focus
Finance
Senior Accountant
Aaron Xia
Aaron joined the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' Finance team in July 2016 and serves as Senior Accountant. As part of his role, he manages all aspects of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors revenue streams. He is a proactive partner with all our program staff, assisting with donations and invoicing. Aaron has a wide range of experience in various areas of accounting.
Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Aaron worked as a Staff Accountant in N.Cheng LLP, a public accounting firm specializing in Nonprofit Auditing and Financial Management. Previously, he also worked at L-3 Communications as an Accounts Payable Associate.
In his free time, Aaron enjoys playing sports, hiking and bike riding. Aaron graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor in Accounting. He has a cat named Cinna and a dog named Baltoy.
Areas of Focus
Finance
Marketing & Communications Associate
James Yeagley
“Life’s persistent and most urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?’” – Martin Luther King Jr.
As an associate, James supports the Marketing and Communications team in all aspects of their work, including partnerships and thought leadership. He helps in coordinating and tracking events, social media outreach, preparing and editing presentations, and assists with maintenance of the RPA website. James provides support with research and editing, ensuring the internal and external communication flows smoothly. He works out of the New York office.
Prior to his work at RPA, James served as a community organizer and academic researcher in college. He has previous experience working in communications in the nonprofit sector, and has volunteered at multiple community organizations in his home city of Philadelphia.
James holds a B.A. in English and Linguistics from Dartmouth College where he graduated with high honors.
Areas of Focus
Communications & Partnerships
Board Member, RPA Inc.
Ana Marie Argilagos
Ana Marie Argilagos is the President and CEO of Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP), a transnational network of foundations and philanthropists that makes impactful investments in the Latino community in the U.S. and across Latin America.
Ana Marie Argilagos is President and CEO of Hispanics in Philanthropy—a vast network of donors building, funding and fueling Latino power across the Americas. Before coming to HIP, Ana Marie was a senior advisor at the Ford Foundation where she worked on urban development strategies to expand economic opportunity and advance sustainability across the world. She also spent eight years as a senior program officer at the Annie E. Casey Foundation where she spearheaded the foundation’s work in rural areas, indigenous communities, and the US-Mexico border region. Ana Marie’s successful track record working across a broad range of capacities — adjunct professor at New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service, educational programs manager at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, director of the New Workplace for Women Project at the National Council of La Raza (now UnidosUS), and deputy director of Ayuda, a legal clinic serving immigrants in Washington, DC — marks a professional trajectory as an entrepreneurial thinker bridging diverse agendas and achieving results.
In addition to her career spanning philanthropy, academia and the nonprofit sectors, Ana Marie was appointed to serve in the federal government during two Presidential Administrations. Most recently as Deputy Chief of Staff at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development where she created the Office for International and Philanthropic Innovation to scale collaboration between the public and philanthropic sectors. That model of sourcing innovation and leveraging partnerships from broad global networks is now being successfully replicated at other federal cabinet agencies.
Ana Marie has been recognized for her creativity and bold vision with numerous awards. She currently serves on the boards of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, CANDID, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, PoderLatinx, and the Santa Fe Community Foundation.
She received her master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University and her bachelor’s degree in international relations from American University.
She divides her time between Santa Fe, NM and Washington DC. In her free time you’ll often find her out hiking with her husband Rodger Boyd; hanging out with her daughter Alexia or at the beach with her family in Puerto Rico.
Board Member, RPA Inc.
Mac Broderick
Mac Broderick is Executive Director, Merchant Strategy for Castleton Commodities International (CCI).
Mac Broderick is Executive Director, Merchant Strategy for Castleton Commodities International (CCI). He previously worked in strategy and business development for Tellurian, Inc. a Houston-based energy company. Prior to his work in energy, he worked in investment management in Russia and Ukraine.
Mac is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and member of the Atlantik-Brücke.
He received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where he was the Editor-in-Chief of the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, the school’s flagship publication. He holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an M.A. from the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University. A sixth-generation member of the Rockefeller family, Mac is a graduate of Groton School and a native Detroiter.
Board Member, RPA Inc.
Kyungsun Chung
Kyungsun Chung is the Founder and CEO of Root Impact, a nonprofit that focuses on building capacity for the social innovation sector in Korea.
Kyungsun Chung is the Founder and CEO of Root Impact, a non-profit that focuses on building capacity for the social innovation sector in Korea. Root Impact has partnered with RPA to fund and co-develop the “Global Philanthropy Accelerators” program for next-gen donors. Prior to founding Root Impact, Kyungsun was Founding Member of the Non-Profit Business Team at Asan Nanum Foundation, one of the largest privately endowed foundations in Korea. His main role was to design capacity building systems for non-profit professionals and organizations in Korea.
Kyungsun is a frequent speaker on philanthropy and social innovation throughout Asia.
Board Member, RPA Inc.
Peter Gill Case
Peter Gill Case is an architect, developer, and Principal at Truth Box Architects in Providence, Rhode Island, focusing on bringing sustainable design to the urban core.
Peter Gill Case is an architect, developer, and Principal at Truth Box Architects in Providence, Rhode Island, focusing on bringing sustainable design to the urban core. Recent work includes affordable, energy-efficient multi-family housing, and new structures built with renewable and/or reusable materials, such as the Box Office in Providence, made from 37 recycled shipping containers.
Peter serves on the board of the Rockefeller Family Fund, a leading advocate for mitigating climate change, protecting democracy, and advancing economic justice for women. Peter served as President for seven years.
In 2019, Peter co-founded the Equation Campaign, which funds local movements to keep fossil fuels in the ground and promote environmental justice. In 2019 he also co-founded BankFWD, to press banks to end loans supporting new fossil fuel infrastructure projects.
That same year, Peter was appointed to serve on the Energy Efficiency and Resource Management Council (EERMC) of Rhode Island, which manages a $200 million portfolio of energy-efficiency incentives for residential and commercial ratepayers.
Peter received a BA in Urban Studies from Brown University (1983), an M.Ed from Harvard (1987) and an M.Arch from Rhode Island School of Design (1997)
Board Member, RPA Inc.
Melvin J. Galloway
Melvin J. Galloway is chief operating officer (COO) of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).
Melvin J. Galloway is chief operating officer (COO) of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), which he joined in 2020. As a strategic senior leader, he oversees human resources and administration (including buildings/facilities and business/administrative services management), IT, and finance. He is also responsible for operational crisis management and continuity of operations, including cybersecurity.
Previously, he served as the executive vice president and chief operating officer for Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund. In that role, he oversaw operations, business, and security functions and was responsible for ensuring that the national organization was set up to deliver on its important strategic goals.
Prior to joining Planned Parenthood, he served as the chief operations officer for the New York State Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, where he oversaw operations for a complex federally-funded disaster recovery program. Earlier in his career, Galloway held the position of associate director of operations at The Rockefeller Foundation, where as the deputy for the chief operating officer he oversaw shared services units across U.S. and international offices.
Melvin received his Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and International Studies from Miami University of Ohio and a Master’s in Public Administration and Finance from New York University. He is a former Fulbright Scholar who worked with a variety of civil society organizations in Venezuela.
Board Member, RPA-Europe
Philomena Gibbons
Philomena Gibbons is the Deputy Director of Culture and Society at the Wellcome Trust, where she has served for nearly thirty years.
Philomena Gibbons is the Deputy Director of Culture and Society at the Wellcome Trust, where she has served for nearly thirty years. The Wellome Trust, one of the largest independent foundations in the UK, supports researchers, campaigns for better science, and tackles the world’s largest health challenges.
Board Member, RPA Inc. & RPA-Europe
Rien van Gendt
Rien van Gendt is the former Executive Director of the Van Leer Group Foundation in Amstelveen, Netherlands.
Rien van Gendt is the retired Executive Director of the Van Leer Group Foundation in Amstelveen, Netherlands. Previously, he worked at the University of Amsterdam, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, and served in the Netherlands as Deputy Secretary of the Scientific Council for Government Policy in the Cabinet of the Prime Minister and as Deputy Director of the State Administration Limburg. After his retirement in October 2007, he started Van Gendt Philanthropy Services.
Rien serves on the supervisory/advisory boards of several foundations, non-profit organizations and corporations in the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland and the United States, including the European Cultural Foundation, Edli Foundation, IMC Weekend School, GSRD Foundation, and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. He is a Member of the Scientific Committee of the Think Tank Long Term Investing of the Collegio Carlo Alberto in Turin (Italy), is teaching at the International Training Center of the ILO in Turin (Italy) and is an advisor to the Compagnia di San Paolo in Italy. In 2005, Rien received the Distinguished Grantmaker Award in the United States and, in 2013, the European Philanthropy Compass Prize.
Board Member, RPA Inc.
Cathy Frank Halstead
Cathy Frank Halstead serves as a Trustee of the Sidney E. Frank Foundation, which makes more than 90 annual grants in education, the arts, and the environment throughout the United States and the United Kingdom.
Cathy Frank Halstead serves as a Trustee of the Sidney E. Frank Foundation, which makes more than 90 annual grants in education, the arts, and the environment throughout the United States and the United Kingdom. Additionally, she is also a co-founder and trustee of the Tippet Rise Art Center as well as of the Adrian Brinkerhoff Foundation. Cathy is also a member of the Corporation of Brown University.
Cathy is an abstract painter and has shown her work internationally for more than two decades. She and her husband, Peter, established the Tippet Rise Art Center on an 11,000-acre ranch north of Yellowstone National Park. The center provides a unique environment for music and theater in the shadow of the Beartooth Mountains. The Adrian Brinkerhoff Foundation focuses on classical poetry and drama, bringing them to new audiences in innovative ways.
Cathy is a returning board member to the Board of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. She served three consecutive full terms on the RPA Board from 2007 through 2015.
Board Member, RPA Inc.
Crystal Hayling
As the executive director of The Libra Foundation, Crystal brought to The Libra Foundation a fresh vision of philanthropy that rejects business as usual and is responsive to the needs of frontline communities.
Crystal Hayling (she/her), Executive Director of the Libra Foundation, has brought a fresh vision of philanthropy that rejects business as usual and is responsive to the needs of frontline communities. Since 2017, Crystal has worked with the Libra board to advance these goals, including doubling Libra’s grantmaking in 2020 in light of the global pandemic and uprisings, and launching the Democracy Frontlines Fund, a new aligned giving strategy that raised $36 million in unrestricted, multi-year support for a slate of Black-led organizations.
Crystal is a graduate of Yale University and Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. Prior to Libra, Crystal served as CEO of the Blue Shield of California Foundation, where she spearheaded work to achieve universal health coverage. She was also part of the founding team at The California Wellness Foundation, where she led a groundbreaking initiative to shift youth violence prevention from a criminal justice issue to a public health effort. Crystal currently serves on the boards of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, Essie Justice Group, Community Change, and most recently joined the board of the Democracy Fund and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. She frequently writes and publishes on leading edge topics in philanthropy, and Inside Philanthropy named Crystal “2021 Foundation Leader of the Year."
Board Member, RPA-Europe
Massimo Lapucci
Massimo Lapucci is the Secretary General of Fondazione CRT.
Massimo Lapucci is the Secretary General of Fondazione CRT, a foundation of banking origin based in Italy, with an endowment of about 3 billion euros. He is also the Secretary General of the Development and Growth Foundation, a foundation primarily focused on impact investing and Managing Director of the OGR Company created to convert a former large industrial building in the heart of Turin, into an innovative and experimental center for contemporary culture and company acceleration.
Board Member, RPA Inc.
Michael Quattrone
Michael Quattrone serves as a Director of the David Rockefeller Fund, a family foundation that invests in catalytic ideas, people, efforts, and institutions working strategically toward ecological regeneration, justice system reform, and art for social impact.
Michael Quattrone serves as a Director of the David Rockefeller Fund, a family foundation that invests in catalytic ideas, people, efforts, and institutions working strategically toward ecological regeneration, justice system reform, and art for social impact. He also serves as a Trustee of the Rockefeller Brother’s Fund. Michael is a Co-founder of Heartfire, a nonprofit retreat organization that creates rituals to foster personal connection with earth, art, and heart. Other affiliations include the Global Philanthropists’ Circle, and the Hero’s Journey Foundation. Michael is a singer/songwriter whose record, One River, is available from Wolfe Island Records.
Michael holds a BA in theatre and literature from Northwestern University, and an MFA in poetry from the New School.
Board Member, RPA Inc.
Mosun Layode
Mosun Layode is a development professional with two decades of experience in international development and nonprofit leadership. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the African Philanthropy Forum (APF), where she works extensively across Africa with established and emerging philanthropists who are committed to the sustainable and inclusive development of Africa. She was instrumental to the establishment of APF as an independent entity in Africa, increasing its reach and impact in the philanthropic community, as well as growing its brand and membership base. Prior to this, she served as the Executive Director of WIMBIZ and LEAP Africa, leading nonprofits in Nigeria. Passionate about the interplay of social issues and business, Mosun founded Social Runway, a nonprofit organization that supports social innovators. She has also served as an independent development consultant for nonprofit organizations.
Mosun studied Urban and Regional Planning at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria and obtained an MSc. in Environmental Resources Management from Lagos State University. She has an MBA from Lagos Business School and benefited from Executive Programs offered by the IESE Business School, Barcelona and Harvard Business School. Mosun currently sits on nonprofit boards, including Candid, a US-based nonprofit that connects people who want to change the world to the resources they need to do it, and AMP Health which supports governments to build visionary and effective teams. She is an alumnus of the United States International Visitors Leadership Program and was identified by Forbes as one of the black women to watch in philanthropy.
Board Member, RPA Inc.
Luther Ragin Jr.
Luther Ragin Jr. is the retired President and CEO of the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN).
Luther Ragin Jr. is the retired President and CEO of the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN). Prior to joining the GIIN he served as Vice President for Investments at the New York-based FB Heron Foundation for ten years. He oversaw the Foundation’s $300 million endowment, steadily increasing the impact investing allocation to more than 40 percent, while maintaining competitive, risk-adjusted total financial returns. Before joining the FB Heron Foundation, Luther was Chief Financial Officer of the National Community Capital Association, the Chief Financial Officer of Earl G. Graves Ltd., and Vice President of Syndications/Assets Sales for the North American Corporate Finance Sector at Chase.
Luther is currently a member of the board of directors of the McKnight Foundation and the Community Reinvestment Fund USA. In addition, he serves on the investment committee of the Soros Economic Development Fund.
Board Member, RPA Inc.
Vinit Rishi
Vinit Rishi currently works part-time as Director of the India Programme and Special Advisor to the President at Oak Foundation. The India Programme, focuses on supporting acutely marginalised populations living in the tea gardens of North Bengal and in the Sundarbans.
He previously served as Director of Administration and Foundation Secretary. Vinit is based in Geneva, Switzerland and has extensive international experience in leading multi-disciplinary teams in the areas of Finance, Grants Administration, Information Technology, Human Resources, Organisational Development & Capacity Building and real estate and facilities.
Prior to joining the foundation, he was the CFO at Logispring, - a venture capital firm; managed the Tax & Treasury function EMEA and Asia/Pacific - Iomega Corporation, a NYSE listed company; and was an Associate Partner with Arthur Andersen.
Vinit was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and educated in India and Switzerland, where he currently lives.
Vinit serves on the board of the ‘Partners for a New Economy’ donor collaborative fund and the ‘Tanya’s Dream’ initiative and is a founding member of the Operations Professionals Network which he previously chaired. He has also served on the Governing Council of the European Foundation Centre (now Philea).
Board Chair, RPA Inc. & Board Member, RPA-Europe
Valerie Rockefeller
Valerie Rockefeller chairs the Board of Directors of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, a nonprofit philanthropic services organization that accelerates philanthropy for a more just world. She also co-chairs BankFWD, a network dedicated to persuading banks to phase out financing for fossil fuels and fund clean energy. Her professional background is as a middle school special education teacher for adolescents with learning differences and emotional disabilities. Valerie has a M.Ed. in Special Education from the Bank Street College of Education and a MAT in Social Studies from Teachers College, Columbia University. She majored in International Relations at Stanford University and worked at the U.S. Department of Education during the first Clinton administration. She serves as a trustee of Achievement First, the Asian Cultural Council, the Collaborative for Spirituality in Education, Columbia University’s Teachers College, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, Greenwich Academy, and The Trust for Mutual Understanding. She was a trustee of Spelman College and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Aspen Institute K12 Climate Action Commission, and the Generosity Commission.
Board Member, RPA Inc.
Theo Spencer
Theo Spencer is a Senior Policy Advocate at the Natural Resource Defense Council and a fifth generation member of the Rockefeller family.
Until October 2018, Theo Spencer was a Senior Policy Advocate at the Natural Resource Defense Council. Since joining in 2001 with the creation of NRDC’s Climate Center, Theo has worked on a wide variety of climate, land and water issues. Those include state, regional and federal vehicle and power plant emissions standards, efforts to overhaul the federal coal program, challenges to proposed new coal plants, and the impacts of climate change on water resources. He has also helped manage NRDC’s urban climate preparedness initiative. As a former reporter at Fortune magazine, he has worked with the financial community to raise awareness about risks posed by climate change, and opportunities in clean energy investment.
Theo is a fifth generation member of the Rockefeller family. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College and a Masters from UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
Board Member, RPA Inc.
Robin Strawbridge
Robin Strawbridge has had a career in non-profit arts management and philanthropy.
Robin Strawbridge has had a career in non-profit arts management and philanthropy. A San Francisco native, she worked in fine arts at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice, the John Berggruen Gallery in San Francisco, and the American Paintings Department at Christie’s, New York.
She also was an executive director in marketing for J. Crew and the Gap. Robin has served on the boards of Southern Exposure Gallery in San Francisco and the Marin Horizon School in Mill Valley, CA. She is currently Chair of the board at the Headlands Center for the Arts in Sausalito, CA, and the Vice President of the Fleishhacker Foundation in San Francisco. Robin sits on the Board of Directors for No Bully, a non-profit working to eradicate bullying and cyberbullying worldwide.
Board Chair, RPA-Europe
Sarah Teacher
Sarah Teacher is Executive Director at the Impact Investing Institute, an organization with a mission to accelerate the growth and improve the effectiveness of impact investing in the UK and internationally.
Sarah Teacher is Executive Director at the Impact Investing Institute, an organization with a mission to accelerate the growth and improve the effectiveness of impact investing in the UK and internationally. She leads key projects for the organization on sizing the UK impact investing market, place-based impact investing and encouraging charitable endowments to allocate for impact.
Sarah joined the Institute from Lendlease Europe where she was Social Impact Investment Manager. Prior to her work at Lendlease Sarah worked in roles at the intersection of social impact, sustainability and private capital – be that corporate investment or philanthropic. She was a Consultant at Sancroft International (2013-2017), an international sustainability consultancy focused on the social, environmental and ethical risks faced by major businesses; an Associate at On Purpose, a one-year program for early-career professionals identified as future leaders in social enterprise (2012-13); and Director for Next Generation Philanthropy at the Institute for Philanthropy (2006-2010), leading workshops for philanthropists interested in increasing the impact of their giving.
Sarah graduated from Lady Margaret Hall College, Oxford, in 2005 with a first-class degree in Modern History, and obtained an MPhil in Development Studies from Clare College, Cambridge in 2011. She serves as a Director of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and its European Chair.