Meet Our Team

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.

Chris Page

Chris believes chronic problems should not persist only because the people closest lack resources to correct them.

Nick Hodges

Nick loves building systems that strengthen and build capacity for RPA’s clients and staff—leveraging technology for stronger programmatic outcomes.

Tina Beyers

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” — Helen Keller

Sarah Aasbo

“Freedoms are not only the primary ends of development, they are also among its principal means.” — Amartya Sen

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

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

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.

Berit Ashla

“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

Yolanda Arias

“Many people go through their whole lives having no real sense of what their talents may be, or if they have any to speak of. Human resources are like natural resources; they’re often buried deep. You have to go looking for them, they’re not just lying around on the surface.” — Ken Robinson

John Bae

Donzelina Barroso

Donzie’s favorite part of her job is having the opportunity to work with donors around the world who are creative and open to new ideas.

Shermane Bilal

Shermane relishes her RPA role as a “philanthropic matchmaker,” connecting thoughtful grantmakers with effective grantseekers around common areas of interest.

Melissa Blackerby

"When you've worked hard and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you. You reach back and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed." — Michelle Obama

Theresa Boylan

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” — Theodore Roosevelt

Patrick Briaud

Patrick believes a flourishing donor is the seed of social good—within the individual, then in the world.

Cordell Brown

Cordell believes that the foundation for success comes from creating connections across people, process and planning.

Son Chau

Son believes philanthropy is a space where individuals and organizations—across sectors—can collectively tackle society’s most complex issues.

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

Kelly Diggins

Liz Donohue

“You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.” - Shirley Chisholm

Cassandra Douglas

“We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then is not an act but a habit.” — Aristotle

Elizabeth Droggitis

Elizabeth is motivated on a daily basis by the wide array of projects she supports that are working towards positive social change.

Jeffrey Garcia

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” – Calvin Coolidge

Cassie Gould

“Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” — Howard Zinn

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.

Cristina Guerrero

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." — Helen Keller

Emmanuel Guerrero

Amy Holmes

Amy believes that giving can create meaning for donors, inspire generosity in others, and build connections between people.

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

Kiet Huynh

“Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.” -- Bill Bradley

Renee Karibi-Whyte

“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” – Warren Buffett

Andres Lema

“Little drops of water, Little grains of sand, Make the mighty ocean And the pleasant land” – Julia Abigail Fletcher Carney

Jane Levikow

Jane thinks fiscal sponsorship is a great solution to funders and others wanting to carry out charitable activities.

Sunie Lewis

Sunie loves what she does because of the unique role Human Resources plays in contributing to the overall success of an organization.

Jina Marini

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do." --Steve Jobs

Michelle Ng

“The results of philanthropy are always beyond calculation” — Miriam Beard

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.

Liza Primeau

“How wonderful that no one need wait a single moment to improve the world.” — Anne Frank

Jon Quinn

“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” — Robert F. Kennedy

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.

Dustin Sposato

Dustin believes effective communications can be as important as dollars in philanthropic strategies that amplify innovative voices.

Walter Sweet

Walter is driven by the opportunity to help donors turn talent and motivation into philanthropic impact.

Cameron Stephenson

Olga Tarasov

Sheila Thélémaque

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." — Mahatma Gandhi

Donita Volkwijn

Donita loves having the opportunity to work with the macro and micro components of philanthropy—witnessing both the grand scope and theory of what philanthropy can accomplish as well as the faces for whom philanthropy has made a difference.

Aaron Xia

Wendy O’Neill

Wendy O’Neill is Chairman of the Asian Cultural Council, where she has been a trustee since 2009.

Adam Wolfensohn

Adam Wolfensohn is Co-Managing Partner of Encourage Capital, an asset management firm focused on profitable and strategic investments to solve critical social and environmental problems.

Mac Broderick

Mac Broderick is Vice President, Strategy, at Parallax Energy, a liquefied natural gas (LNG)-focused project developer based in Houston, Texas.

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.

Andrew Dayton

Andrew Dayton is a social entrepreneur with a passion for community development and social equity.

Cathy Frank Halstead

Cathy Frank Halstead serves as a Trustee of the Sidney E. Frank Foundation. She is a co-founder and trustee of the Tippet Rise Art Center as well as of the Adrian Brinkerhoff Foundation, and a member of the Corporation of Brown University.

Julia Lopez

Julia I. Lopez is the President & CEO of College Futures Foundation.

Juanita James

Juanita James is the President & CEO of the Fairfield County Community Foundation.

Marnie Pillsbury

Marnie S. Pillsbury is the former executive director of The David Rockefeller Fund and philanthropic advisor to Mr. Rockefeller.

Michael Quattrone

Luther Ragin

Luther Ragin is the former President and Founding CEO of the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN).

Peter C. Rockefeller

Peter C. Rockefeller is a managing director with G2 Investment Group, which focuses on assets of basic human need, including energy, food, water, shelter and communication.

Ryan Rockefeller

Valerie Rockefeller

Valerie Rockefeller Wayne is the Chair of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

Theo Spencer

Theo Spencer is a Senior Policy Advocate at the Natural Resource Defense Council and a fifth generation member of the Rockefeller family.

Robin Strawbridge

Sarah Teacher

Sarah Teacher is a Consultant at Sancroft International, an international sustainability consultancy.

Rien van Gendt

Rien van Gendt is the former Executive Director of the Van Leer Group Foundation in Amstelveen, Netherlands.