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 help donors create thoughtful, effective philanthropy throughout the 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 $250 million in giving to more than 25 countries. It has offices in New York, San Francisco, Chicago 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 the Foundation Center. 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
Leadership
Senior Vice President & COO
Nick Hodges
Nick loves building systems that strengthen and build capacity for RPA’s clients and staff—leveraging technology for stronger programmatic outcomes.
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
Leadership,
Operations
Senior Vice President
Walter Sweet
Walter is driven by the opportunity to help donors turn talent and motivation into philanthropic impact.
Walter oversees Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' advisory and management practice. He also leads client engagements with foundations supporting health, community development, education and entrepreneurship. As part of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' impact investing practice, he advises investors on portfolios to generate both social and financial returns. He has been interviewed by national publications including The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times and regularly serves on panels of philanthropic experts. To help Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors achieve its strategic and operating goals, Walter develops and oversees implementation of all processes for grantmaking programs and reporting to clients.
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
Leadership
Chief Financial Officer
Christopher Welch
As Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Christopher provides oversight and strategic direction for accounting and controls, investment management, and financial reporting. He also manages the finance team that serves Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' donors and sponsored projects that generate over $200 million in annual contributions.
Christopher is an experienced Chief Financial Officer, with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry in entrepreneurial and fast-paced environments. Prior to his current role with RPA, Christopher spent over ten years as the CFO of Tiedemann Advisors, a wealth management and advisory firm. A certified public accountant, Christopher holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Business Administration.
Areas of Focus
Finance
Vice President and Corporate Secretary
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
Yolanda is Vice President of Human Resources and the Corporate Secretary for Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. She is responsible for providing strategic leadership and direction to facilitate attracting and developing the best talent, supporting a culture of inclusion, engagement, and organizational and talent effectiveness. In her role as Corporate Secretary, Yolanda plays a key role in the administration of critical corporate matters, keeping the Board informed of best practices with respect to corporate governance, and serving as a resource to board members and officers in understanding and carrying out their fiduciary duties.
She joined the group that later became Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in January of 2000 and, as part of the founding team, played a key role in the formation of the organization. Prior to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Yolanda worked in the healthcare field for more than 13 years.
Yolanda is a member of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), the New York City Human Resource Management (NYCSHRM), the NYCSHRM -HR/NY Diversity & Inclusion Special Interest Group; the National Association of Professional Women (NAPW), and the Society for Corporate Governance. She earned a B.S. in Health Services Administration from Lehman College – The City University of New York, and holds certificates in Human Resources Studies from the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University. She also completed the certificate programs in Strategic HR, Change Management, and HR in Alignment at the Society of Human Resource Management, and has taken courses in the Certificate in Grantmaking and Foundations program at the New York University’s George H. Heyman, Jr., Center for Philanthropy.
Areas of Focus
Human Resources,
Leadership
Vice President and Assistant Corporate Secretary
Renee Karibi-Whyte
“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” – Warren Buffett
As head of Marketing, Communications & Partnerships, Renée leads Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' efforts to drive sustainable, mission-related growth by disseminating thought leadership and expanding opportunities for client development. She is intimately involved with Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' Theory of the Foundation initiative as well as other knowledge-based projects that help clients and the sector create more thoughtful, effective philanthropy. She works closely with RPA's client services teams on convenings, speaking engagements, presentations, partnerships and communications domestically and internationally. Renée’s team is also responsible for knowledge management and the creation of content and materials that serve Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' mission of expanding the philanthropy sector. Renee also serves as the Assistant Corporate Secretary and is on RPA's leadership team.
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,
Leadership
Senior Advisor
Sarah Aasbo
“Freedoms are not only the primary ends of development, they are also among its principal means.” — Amartya Sen
Sarah joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' New York office in 2017. She is the program manager 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 Master 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.
Finance Assistant
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
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 Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' 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 at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, 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.
Program Coordinator
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 a Program Coordinator 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
Vice President
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
Based in San Francisco, Berit Ashla leads Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ West Coast advisory work, manages client engagements and works with a range of individual, family and corporate donors. She holds a wealth of experience in grantmaking, foundation governance, social justice, arts and sustainability. She is a frequent contributor to national and regional philanthropic conferences and events. To maintain Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ recognized leadership in the field of philanthropy, Berit utilizes her expertise in a range of issue areas to provide tailored strategic support to clients.
Berit’s nonprofit career spans over two decades working with public, private and community foundations. As Senior Advisor at Tides, she developed grantmaking programs, led donor engagement, and managed the Threshold Foundation. She was the Philanthropic Director of Foundation Source leading advisory services in the West and she served as Executive Director of the David Brower Center, an innovative arts and sustainability center. Earlier in her career, she worked at the Marin Community Foundation, KQED Public Television and the United Nations Environment Program in Paris, France.
Berit has a B.A. from Amherst College and serves on the boards of the Institute for the Future, Berkeley Rep, Berkeley Haas Business School’s Center for Social Sector Leadership, and UC Berkeley Art + Design. Previously, she served on the boards of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Abundance Foundation, Nia Community Fund, Schott Foundation for Public Education, and Mal Warwick/Donor Digital. Berit is married and mother to two sons who share her love for travel, art, and civic engagement. With her close friends, she enthusiastically explores Bay Area hiking trails.
Areas of Focus
Advisory,
Leadership
Director, Global Philanthropy
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.
Donzie launched Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' London office in early 2017 and leads Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' European advisory work. She has more than a decade of experience in international grantmaking and project management at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, including work in education, arts, health, human services, poverty alleviation and environmental issues. She currently leads a donor initiative to improve social services for children in Portugal. She has also worked with a Mexican family foundation on the governance and sustainability of their programs. Donzie has designed and implemented educational funding for disadvantaged communities, helped develop an arts center, and developed policies, programs and operations for new foundations.
Previously, Donzie served as a consultant to a leading U.S. corporation in its efforts to bring improved technology and practices to small farmers and cooperatives in Angola. She was also affiliated with the Camões Center for the Study of the Portuguese-Speaking World, at Columbia University. In 1998, her interview with Nobel Prize-winning Portuguese author, José Saramago, was published in The Paris Review.
Donzie serves on the board of the Portugal-US Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of the Steering Committee of Philanthropy New York’s International Grantmakers Network. She 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
Senior Manager, Grants & Funds
Shermane Bilal
Shermane relishes her RPA role as a “philanthropic matchmaker,” connecting thoughtful grantmakers with effective grantseekers around common areas of interest.
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
Advisor
Terrence Bogans
“Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced...” — James Baldwin
Terrence oversees Art for Justice Fund activities and helps coordinate the Fund’s staff and stakeholders, including donors and grantees. His focus is the Fund’s grantmaking function and he is also responsible for the day-to-day management of the initiative, specifically: facilitating Governing Board activities, acting as an RPA liaison with the Ford Foundation, and supporting communications related to Fund.
Terrence comes to RPA after years of both direct representation and policy-level advocacy within the criminal justice reform space. Most recently, Terrence was the Director of Bail Operations at the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund (BCBF), a nonprofit organization that pays bail for low-income New Yorkers. There he managed all aspects of bail payment, oversaw client referrals, and supervised a team of associates. Prior to BCBF, Terrence was a Public Defender at Brooklyn Defender Services, representing hundreds of clients per year.
He holds a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, along with a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law. He is also a member of the New York State Bar Association. In his spare time, Terrence enjoys food, naps with his puppy, and cheering on UNC basketball.
Areas of Focus
Advisory
Latest Blog Posts
Senior Advisor
Patrick Briaud
Patrick believes a flourishing donor is the seed of social good—within the individual, then in the world.
As lead for RPA’s Impact Investing Practice, Patrick helps individuals, foundations and corporations use a range of assets to achieve their social impact goals. In addition to advising asset owners on mission-aligned investment strategies, he oversees four customized portfolios of charitable investments including debt, equity, and recoverable grants. Patrick also leads RPA’s impact investing thought leadership including two recent primer guides commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Introduction and Strategy & Action) and currently the 10th anniversary rewrite of RPA’s 150-page impact investing monograph to be published in late 2019.
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 boards of Briaud Financial Advisors and the Rivendell Institute at Yale. Outside of work, Patrick can be found dancing the Texas two-step with his wife Angela, wrestling with his four nephews, and discussing the practical implications of different worldviews.
Areas of Focus
Advisory
Director, Sponsored Projects & Funds
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 and management for a team of professionals in the Sponsored Projects and Funds practice. His team manages a portfolio of 50+ fiscally sponsored projects across a span of issue-areas, including education, environment, financial inclusion, arts & culture, and social justice. He assumes overall operating responsibility for the wide range of projects in the portfolio. Cordell serves as a key senior contact for high-level client projects, both domestically and internationally, providing oversight and project management. He ensures the effectiveness and efficiency of operations, compliance, internal systems, policies and procedures. He is a resource and strategic advisor to projects and donors on a variety of organization and management issues. Additionally, he serves on the Advisory Board for Promise Venture Studio, a sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. Cordell partners with other Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors leaders to formulate and implement strategies that expand Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisor’s experience, capabilities, and client base. He participates in the identification and recruitment of new fiscal sponsorships and donor collaboratives, along with cultivating and managing key funder relationships for Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.
Cordell holds a strong quantitative and qualitative background in strategic planning, sophisticated metric and trend analysis, and program/project management. With over eight years of experience in nonprofit leadership, serving as Vice-Chairman of the Board and Strategic Planning Officer of CapraCare, he led 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 responsibilities included IT Strategy & Planning Director, Strategic Human Resources Director, and IT Project Manager.
Cordell’s Board service includes, Vice-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
Sponsored Projects & Funds
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
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 now serves on the board of the Amigos de las Américas San Francisco Chapter.
Sponsored Projects Senior Associate
Cassandra Douglas
“We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then is not an act but a habit.” — Aristotle
Cassandra joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in November 2017 and serves as a Senior Associate on the Sponsored Projects and Funds team.
Outside of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Cassandra is a professional Opera Singer with a vibrant and lyric soprano voice. Cassandra performs regularly with The Amore Opera Theater and shares her craft with the subway goers of New York City with The Opera Collective. In addition, she debuted at Carnegie Hall, taught master classes and served as Artist in Residence with the Simon Estes Young Artist Program, and has had the pleasure of traveling to Italy to perform leading roles with the International Lyric Academy of Rome.
Cassandra has a BA in Music from Westminster Choir College, a Masters from the Manhattan School of Music, and is a certified Spanda Yoga instructor.
Areas of Focus
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Senior Researcher
Kalyah Ford
“You write in order to change the world ... if you alter, even by a millimeter, the way people look at reality, then you can change it.” - James Baldwin
As Senior Researcher at RPA, Kalyah works across the organization to develop research agendas, conduct analysis, and create high-profile, relevant services and publications that advance RPA's thought leadership and public profile.
Previously, Kalyah worked as a Research and Policy Specialist with the World Bank Group. In this role, she worked in every region of the world, advising governments on policies that encourage social, environmental, and economic progress. Kalyah authored World Bank research reports and policy notes on a wide range of topics, including: digital/ICT regulatory policy, social entrepreneurship/SME development, gender, innovation, climate policy, and others. She also contributed to program strategy, design, and operations. In addition, Kalyah drove advocacy communications at Human Rights First, developed public diplomacy policy at the United States Department of State, and worked as the Research Lead on a pan-African study for the Open Society Foundations West Africa Initiative (OSIWA).
Kalyah holds an MA in International Affairs and Technology Policy from Georgetown University and a BA in Comparative Cultures and Politics from Michigan State University. In her free time, she enjoys singing, volunteering as a museum tour guide, experimental cooking, and hunting for vintage treasures. She can usually be found listening to old standards and drinking copious amounts of water.
Areas of Focus
Communications & Partnerships
Advisor
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. An Advisor on the Sponsored Projects & Funds team, she manages a portfolio of projects focused on issues including health, arts & culture, the environment, and human rights. 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 liaises with project partners and funders to strengthen relationships and maximize impact.
Elizabeth has over ten 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.
Office Assistant
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 an Office Assistant. 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
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 Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' San Francisco office and leads the organization’s strategy and program development in global philanthropy, including collaboratives, global programs, research, and publications. She drives thought leadership through efforts like the SDG Philanthropy Platform, a collaboration to encourage philanthropy to engage more meaningfully in the Sustainable Development Goals/Agenda 2030, and the Scalable Solutions initiative, which aims to fuel the placement of longer-term, responsive and adaptive resources to fund and accelerate scalable solutions that target systemic changes focused on pressing global issues. Heather also serves as an Adjunct Professor for the Executive Management Program at the China Global Philanthropy Institute. She is a frequent speaker at conferences and has authored numerous publications.
Heather’s philanthropic advising 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 education, livelihoods, health, agriculture and microfinance. 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 and Vietnamese. She serves on a number of Boards and Advisory Groups including The B Team, the Business and Human Rights Resource Center, the Wildlife Justice Commission, the Dropbox Foundation and the ethical fashion company Piece&Co, and has been a member of the WEF Global Future Councils. Heather has lived in 8 very different countries on 4 continents, and appreciates the unique wisdom and expressions of generosity she has found in each of their cultures.
Areas of Focus
Advisory,
Leadership
Associate
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
Advisory
Finance Assistant
Emmanuel Guerrero
Since January of 2017, Emmanuel has held the position of Finance Assistant. He is responsible for processing expense reimbursements and invoices for payment. He also serves as backup to the Accounts Payable Specialist and processes payments in that person’s absence.
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
Controller
Fang Han
As the Controller, Fang Han is responsible for managing all accounting, reconciliation and financial reporting activities, as well as developing and maintaining accounting practices and procedures to ensure compliant, accurate and timely financial reporting for RPA.
Prior to joining RPA, Fang was the Controller at the Simons Foundation for 5 years.
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 husband and three young sons, and has gotten pretty good at cleaning smashed banana off Lego blocks.
Areas of Focus
Advisory
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
Senior Advisor
Tina Joh
Tina loves helping clients find meaning, strategy and fun with their philanthropy, and she is inspired by quotes like this: “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
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 is a proud pupmom to a one-year-old Boston Terrier named Louie (He’s so cute, but not that well-behaved!). As a native Clevelander, Dana is a dedicated fan of all Cleveland sports teams…no matter how miserable their seasons are!
IT Manager
Kiet Huynh
“Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.” -- Bill Bradley
Kiet joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in June 2017 as an IT Manager. As a member of the Operations Team, he supports and maintains the suite of business process applications, and works closely with various stakeholders of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, clients and vendors on troubleshooting day-to-day issues on various platforms. He is also responsible for the design, implementation and modification of templates and database reports, integrity and accuracy of databases, user account administration and security on various systems, mobile devices and desktop supports.
Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in June 2017, Kiet was the IT Manager at Historic Hudson Valley in Tarrytown where he managed the network infrastructure at five different locations. He was also the IT Manager at National Hemophilia Foundation for several years.
Kiet graduated from Baruch College in 1996 in Computer Information Systems. In his spare time, he likes to travel and plays table-tennis competitively.
Areas of Focus
Operations
Accounts Payable Specialist
Andres Lema
“Little drops of water, Little grains of sand, Make the mighty ocean And the pleasant land” – Julia Abigail Fletcher Carney
Andres works in Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' Finance department. As an Accounts Payable Specialist, his responsibilities include ensuring that all payments to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' vendors are completed in a timely manner. His favorite part of the job is seeing his work contribute to the success of the overall organization.
Prior to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, he was employed at The Fresh Air Fund for 8 years where he began as an intern and was promoted throughout the years to an Accounts Payable position.
Andres holds a BA in Business Administration and Management from City College of New York. Outside of his work, he is extremely passionate about helping others and spends much of his free time volunteering at various charitable organizations.
Areas of Focus
Finance
Vice President, Sponsored Projects & Funds
Jane Levikow
Jane thinks fiscal sponsorship is a great solution to funders and others wanting to carry out charitable activities.
Jane joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in December 2012. She 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 her contributions to strategy development across the organization, she leads and manages client engagements and special initiatives for a diverse portfolio of sponsored projects. With her extensive experience in fiscal sponsorship, she serves as a resource on regulation and best practices to develop and deepen client relationships.
Jane has more than 25 years of nonprofit management experience and is an expert in Fiscal Sponsorship. Jane served as the first Chair of the National Network of Fiscal Sponsors. Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, she served as Senior Vice President at Tides overseeing the Fiscal Sponsorship program and Vice President at Community Initiatives a community based fiscal sponsorship organization. She has also served as Executive Director of multiple nonprofits serving a range of issue areas.
She has served in numerous capacities as Board member at a variety of nonprofits, including a number of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' sponsored projects as well as Rockwood Leadership Institute, Donor Direct Action, and The Pathway Home. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of San Francisco and a M.A. in Ethics with Social Ethics emphasis from Boston College.
Areas of Focus
Leadership,
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Human Resources Manager
Sunie Lewis
Sunie loves what she does because of the unique role Human Resources plays in contributing to the overall success of an organization.
Sunie works closely with the Sponsored Project Team to ensure efficient HR services to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' project staff. She also partners with the Vice President of HR to develop and implement human resources programs to build and support the objectives and policies of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.
Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Sunie worked with NYU Langone Health in a variety of HR roles. During that time she also served on the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and Domestic Violence committees.
Sunie graduated from Cornell University and Stony Brook University with degrees in Industrial Labor Relations and Human Resources Management. Born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, Sunie loves traveling and athletic sports.
Areas of Focus
Human Resources,
Sponsored Projects & Funds
Partnerships and Marketing Manager
Braxton Midyette
As Partnerships and Marketing Manager, Braxton works closely with each function at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors to support mission-related opportunities for successful business development. While nurturing and growing key strategic partner relationships and initiatives, his team works to leverage dynamic communications that support Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ mission of building impactful philanthropic connections.
Before joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in 2019, Braxton managed the corporate philanthropy and social impact agenda for Avon across North America, partnering with several leading nonprofit organizations to promote breast health, support disaster relief efforts, and inspire healthy relationships. To ensure philanthropic growth within the company, Braxton also led the employee volunteer program, corporate giving strategies, scholarship programs and cause marketing campaigns. Prior to that, Braxton oversaw corporate partnerships, sponsorships and engagement for the national Avon Walk for Breast Cancer event series.
Braxton holds a B.A. in Sociology, with a concentration in Women’s & Gender Studies, from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is a proud member of the New York Caledonian Club and a Broadway enthusiast.
Areas of Focus
Communications & Partnerships
Senior Associate
Germain Ngaba
As Senior Associate, Germain works with the Sponsored Projects and Funds team by supporting assigned sponsored projects, and is responsible for assisting the other SP&F team members with project management, contracts, payments, and grants management. He collaborates with our internal partners (HR, Finance, and Operations) for projects, and provides administrative support to the team, as assigned. Germain reports directly to Cordell Brown, Director of Sponsored Projects and Funds.
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
General Ledger 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
Associate
Jesse Ostroff
Jesse loves the moment where months of planning and thought come together to make true change that stretch philanthropic dollars for years to come.
Jesse works with Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' west coast advisory team in San Francisco to perform research on nonprofits, grantmaking and foundations, prepare presentations, implement programs, organize convenings, and develop and administer grantmaking services. His work with clients touches on issues in education, art and environmental justice.
Before joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in summer 2018, Jesse worked as an AmeriCorps VISTA program outreach coordinator at New Door Ventures, a nonprofit and social enterprise focusing on workforce development training for disconnected youth in the Bay Area. He has held internships with Senator Dianne Feinstein and the CEELI Institute in Prague.
Jesse graduated from the University of Michigan in 2016, where he received B.A.s in Political Science and International Studies, and wrote a thesis on notions of nationalism in indigenous communities in south-central Chile. He is currently President of the San Francisco chapter of Amigos de las Américas. Originally from Southern California, Jesse is always in search of a beach, even in foggy San Francisco summers.
Areas of Focus
Advisory
Senior Associate
Rena Peng
Rena joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in September 2019. Rena works with the Advisory Services team to create and implement philanthropic strategies that reflect the needs and goals of a variety of clients including individuals, families, foundations, and corporations.
Prior to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, she worked 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
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 an 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' Scalable 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
Senior Advisor
Liza Primeau
“How wonderful that no one need wait a single moment to improve the world.” — Anne Frank
Liza joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in 2013 in the New York City office, where she manages engagements with a range of family foundations, corporate clients and individual donors. She has significant experience in grantmaking related to college access and success, social services, arts and culture, social justice, and youth development. Liza has managed large-scale, open application processes for over a decade, including most recently supporting a large health foundation to manage a $150 million grant portfolio through an open request for proposals.
In addition, Liza has experience researching a variety of issue areas. Most recently, she conducted research leading to publications on private foundation giving to institutions of higher education and philanthropic opportunities in medical research. Prior to joining RPA, Liza worked for six years as a Philanthropic Advisor at The Philanthropic Initiative of the Boston Foundation and for three years as a Research Associate at American Institutes for Research. Liza received her B.A. in Communications with a minor in History from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, VA.
Areas of Focus
Advisory
Senior Advisor
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
Sr. Human Resources Associate
Tricia Ragoonanan
Tricia is a Senior Associate on the HR team in our New York Office.
Prior to RPA, Tricia served as an HR Generalist at the Union Settlement Association, one of the oldest settlement houses in New York City. She supported key HR functions there, including benefits, compensation and recruitment.
Areas of Focus
Human Resources
Vice President
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 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. 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 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,
Leadership
Senior Advisor
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 Accountant
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 a Senior Accountant 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, one of the big 4 international accounting firms. 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 the 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 all the social issues, Michelle is particularly concerned about animal equality and environmental protection.
Marketing and Communications Associate
Caroline Suozzi
Caroline supports the Marketing and Communications team’s management of external communications, digital content and publication development, event planning coordination, and partnership communications domestically and internationally. She manages social media outreach for RPA with the goals of engaging users in a two-way dialogue, as well as establishing RPA channels as resources for philanthropic knowledge and news.
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
Director, Knowledge Development
Olga Tarasov
"Each day we go to our work in the hope of discovering." — Nikola Tesla
Olga leads Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' knowledge development efforts, overseeing and advancing research, publications, and both internal and external programs to advance Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' role as a thought leader in the philanthropic space. To promote Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' expertise within the sector, she assesses and identifies opportunities to share findings, knowledge and experience from current client activities, as well as proposes new uses for existing Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors intellectual property. She also leads major thought leadership programs, including the Theory of the Foundation and Time Horizon initiatives, which seek to build knowledge and catalyze collaboration within the philanthropic sector.
Previously, Olga worked at the National Endowment for Democracy, where she administered a grant portfolio supporting efforts to bring about social change, stimulate civic activism and improve local communities in Eastern Europe. Olga also has served as a spokesperson on issues affecting the region and the field of international philanthropy. Prior to NED, Olga served as a Program Manager and Acting Regional Director at the Open Society Foundations. Leading regular in-depth monitoring and evaluation of grantees and projects, Olga helped OSF to optimize its grantmaking, improve institutional learning and communicate achievements.
Olga holds a Master of Arts, International Affairs from Georgetown University and a B.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University. She is a native English and Russian speaker, and counts Polish, Turkish, German and French among her other languages.
Areas of Focus
Advisory
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 at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors 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
Operations
Manager, Knowledge Management
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.
Donita joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in May 2012, and serves as Manager of Knowledge Management. Through her previous roles at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Donita has engaged with a range of individual donors and family foundations, and is now working with her team to catalog and disseminate organizational knowledge with the goal of enhancing Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' profile as a thought leader. Based in New York, she helps internal and external clients develop and implement effective strategies to achieve their philanthropic goals. She is deeply interested in creating and implementing a theory of change, not only as a means of harnessing knowledge, but also as a means of effecting cultural change that serves to inform the sector.
Donita holds extensive experience in the performing arts, having sung in such varied places as London, Paris, Harare, San Francisco, and Tulsa.
She attended Oberlin College for her undergraduate studies and The Cleveland Institute of Music for her graduate work, studied German literature and holds a B.M. and M.M in vocal performance. She was born in South Africa and has lived there as well as in Germany, Belgium, and the United States.
Areas of Focus
Advisory
Revenue Accountant
Aaron Xia
Aaron joined the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' Finance team as a Revenue Accountant in July 2016. 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
Chair
Wendy O’Neill
Wendy O’Neill is Chairman of the Asian Cultural Council, where she has been a trustee since 2009.
Wendy O’Neill is Chairman of the Asian Cultural Council, where she has been a trustee since 2009. In addition, she is chair-designate of the China Medical Board which she has served on since 2006. She served as a trustee of the Rockefeller Brothers’ Fund between 2005 and 2014, and was a member of American Women’s Association of Hong Kong’s Charitable Donations Committee between 2001 and 2009, serving as its chairman for three years.
Wendy received an A.B. from Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges in East Asian Studies and a M.A. from UCLA in History with a specialty in Chinese History. She has worked in China trade as well as investment and was the first foreign intern at China International Trust & Investment Company.
Vice Chair
Peter C. Rockefeller
Peter C. Rockefeller is a managing director with Brock Capital Group.
Peter C. Rockefeller is a managing director with Brock Capital Group LLC. Brock Capital Group is a full service investment bank organized in 2002 to provide strategic advice and implementation support. Peter has an extensive background in finance and investing, with experience in private investments, corporate finance, mergers & acquisitions, capital markets, private equity and investment strategy.
Prior to joining Brock Capital Group LLC, Peter was at G2 Investment Group, an early-stage private investing firm developing innovative structures in the private equity sector. Peter also worked with Berkshire Capital Securities, a New York based merger/acquisition advisor focused on serving clients in the investment management and securities industry. Prior to Berkshire, Peter worked at Citigroup Private Bank in the Global Investment Strategy Group, and at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette in the international banking group. Peter received a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School at Dartmouth.
Treasurer
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.
Adam Wolfensohn is Co-Managing Partner of Encourage Capital, a unique partnership of disciplined investors and creative problem-solvers, the new firm is working with major asset owners to deploy investment capital to solve problems like global ecosystem decline, climate change, and bringing financial services to the world’s poor. Previously, Adam was managing director at Wolfensohn Fund Management and also managed the Wolfensohn family office cleantech and environmental markets strategies.
He produced the climate change documentary Everything’s Cool that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007. From 2002 to 2003, he worked with Conservation International to create a market for carbon credits from avoided deforestation projects.
Prior to 2002, Adam composed music for numerous films, television commercials, and theater productions, as founder and CEO of “Red Ramona,” an award winning music and sound design studio in New York City. He is a trustee of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Yad Hanadiv and Bang on a Can. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Adam earned a B.A. from Princeton University and a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
Board Member
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. She is guiding HIP with a bold vision: to usher in a new generation of philanthropy that is for, by, and about the Latino community. Under Ana Marie's leadership, HIP has spearheaded rapid responses to the biggest challenges facing Latinos today. HIP is coordinating a regional response to the migration crisis in the U.S. and Central America, supporting Puerto Rico's long-term recovery from Hurricane Maria, and investing in nonprofits to fight for an inclusive and accurate 2020 Census, among other critical efforts.
Previously Ana Marie was a Senior Advisor at the Ford Foundation, where she focused on urban development strategies to reduce poverty, expand economic opportunity, and advance sustainability in regions across the world. She also served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), where she created the Office for International and Philanthropic Innovation (IPI) to deepen and scale collaboration between public and philanthropic sectors. Previously, she taught international urban planning at New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service; and was a Senior Program Officer at the Annie E. Casey Foundation; Director of the New Workplace for Women Project at the National Council of La Raza (now UNIDOS US); and Deputy Director of Ayuda, a community-based legal clinic serving immigrants in Washington, DC.
Ana Marie is an entrepreneurial thinker bridging diverse agendas with a track record of working within the philanthropic, public, and nonprofit sectors. She received her master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University and her bachelor’s degree in international relations from American University.
Board Member
Anand Babu
Anand leads Kernel, Google AI’s venture studio that applies cutting-edge research to create world-positive products and businesses. Anand also co-founded Sidewalk Labs, the urban innovation arm of Alphabet that builds next-generation cities. He served as COO, leading its venture studio and incubating multiple companies including Coord Mobility, Cityblock Health and Replica.
Prior to Google, Anand was a Director at Opower, a startup using real-time analytics to help utility customers save energy. At Microsoft, Anand catalyzed the shift to the cloud, developing the business case for the Azure developer platform and leading OneDrive to 200 million users to form the basis for Office 365.
Previously, Anand led venture investments at Crosslink Capital focused on cloud infrastructure, solar energy and materials. Anand started his career as a consultant at Bain & Company.
Originally from Peoria, Illinois, Anand earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his MBA and M.S. in Engineering Management from Northwestern University / Kellogg School of Management.
Board Member
Mac Broderick
Mac Broderick is Vice President, Strategy, at Parallax Energy, a liquefied natural gas (LNG)-focused project developer based in Houston, Texas.
Mac Broderick is VP of Midstream Commercial Development, at Tellurian Inc. (NASDAQ: TELL), a Houston-based energy company. He has worked at Tellurian since its founding, focusing on strategy and business development. Prior to his role at Tellurian, 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 in global investment management, and an M.A. in energy economics and international relations 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
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
Andrew Dayton
Andrew Dayton is a social entrepreneur with a passion for community development and social equity.
Andrew Dayton is a social entrepreneur with a passion for community development and social equity.
Most recently, Andrew served as the Deputy Director of Legislative and Government Affairs to San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee, leading the city’s wide array of policy and budgetary priorities at the state and federal levels, and overseeing the San Francisco’s lobbying efforts in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.
Andrew is also the co-founder and co-owner of North Corp, the umbrella company behind the transformation of a 130-year-old warehouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota into three award-winning businesses—a restaurant, craft cocktail bar, and men’s clothing store—that collectively employ nearly 100 people.
Andrew earned a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.A. from Yale University. He is a fifth generation member of the Rockefeller family.
Board Member
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.
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
Juanita James
Juanita James is the President & CEO of the Fairfield County Community Foundation.
Juanita T. James is President & CEO of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation. Formerly, she was Chief Marketing & Communications Officer for Pitney Bowes and built a 20-year career with Time Warner and Bertelsmann. James is a Director for Asbury Automotive Group; First County Bank; former Director of the Rouse Company; Director for CFLEADS and the CT Council for Philanthropy. In 2015, she was named a Savoy Magazine “Power 300 - Most Influential Black Corporate Directors”. She is Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees at Lesley University, a Trustee Emerita of Princeton University, and a former Trustee of UCONN. She has earned honors including: American Cancer Society “Women Leading the Way to Wellness”, Girl Scouts of CT “Woman of Merit”, Moffly Media “Light a Fire”, NAACP “100 Most Influential Blacks in CT”, and “Stamford Citizen of the Year.”
Ms. James holds Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Mitchell College and Fairfield University; an Honorary Associate Degree in Humane Letters from Housatonic Community College; an MS in Business Policy from Columbia University; and a Bachelor’s Degree from Princeton University.
Board Member
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. 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
Luther Ragin, Jr.
Luther Ragin is the former President and Founding CEO of the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN).
Luther Ragin, Jr. is the retired President and Founding 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 Altman Foundation and the Community Reinvestment Fund. In addition, he serves on the advisory boards of Morgan Stanley’s Institute for Sustainable Investing and the Economic Advancement Program of Open Society Foundations.
Board Member
Ryan C. Rockefeller
Ryan Rockefeller has spent the last decade as a serial entrepreneur, inventor, investor and artist. For the past four years Ryan has served as Co-Founder and CEO of Liyo, a social music streaming platform that lets users stream music and video from popular services live with friends and celebrities. He recently sold the company to Muzik Connect, a smart headphone maker, and is now working with them while simultaneously doing the Executive MBA Program at Columbia Business School. Ryan has also been an avid angel investor and is President of R2 Ventures, an early-stage venture fund he started with his brother.
Prior to his work with startups, Ryan pursued music professionally, performing in venues around NYC in a band and as a solo artist. He has also been an active student of sculpture and painting. In the nonprofit sector, he sits on the Board and Executive Committee of Art21, a Peabody Award-winning organization dedicated to producing documentary of the world’s most esteemed artists. Ryan holds a B.A. in Religion and a certificate in Urban Planning from Princeton University.
Board Member
Valerie Rockefeller
Valerie Rockefeller Wayne is the Chair of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
A former middle school special education teacher specializing in adolescents with learning and emotional disabilities, Valerie taught in East Harlem, New York and Australia. She also served as a confidential assistant to Secretary Richard Riley at the U.S. Department of Education during the first Clinton Administration. Valerie was an International Relations major at Stanford University, and has Masters degrees in Social Studies and Special Education from Teachers College and Bank Street College of Education.
Valerie is Chair of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and is a trustee of Achievement First, the Asian Cultural Council, D.C. Preparatory Academy, Greenwich Academy, the Gilder Lehrman Institute and Teachers College Columbia University. She was a trustee of Spelman College and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She lives with her three children in Old Greenwich, CT.
Board Member
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
Robin Strawbridge
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 Member
Sarah Teacher
Sarah Teacher is Social Impact Investment Manager at Lendlease, an international integrated property development, construction and investment management business.
Sarah Teacher is Social Impact Investment Manager at Lendlease, an international integrated property development, construction and investment management business. Sarah is responsible for developing social investment propositions for the business.
Prior to her work at Lendlease Sarah was a Consultant at Sancroft International, an international sustainability consultancy focused on the social, environmental and ethical risks faced by major businesses in their supply chains, operations, and consumer base. Sarah joined Sancroft after completion of On Purpose, a one-year program for early-career professionals identified as future leaders in social enterprise. Prior to On Purpose, Sarah was Director for Next Generation Philanthropy at the Institute for Philanthropy, leading workshops in the UK, US, Rwanda, China and Turkey for philanthropists interested in increasing the impact of their giving. She co-founded the African Innovation Prize, an organization that worked to stimulate local student entrepreneurship in Rwanda (the organization closed its doors in September 2017).
Sarah is a director of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and a trustee of Avonbrook Projects Abroad, a charitable trust making grants to education projects in Africa. She graduated from Lady Margaret Hall College, Oxford, in 2005 with a first-class degree in Modern History, and obtained her MPhil in Development Studies from Clare College, Cambridge.
Board Member
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 Bernard van Leer Stiftung, European Cultural Foundation, Edli Foundation, IMC Weekend School, Partex BV, GSRD Foundation, Jewish Humanitarian Fund and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. He chairs the Board of Sofam BV, the Investment Committee of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, is managing director of Partex Oil and Gaz Holdings BV and a Senior Fellow of the Major Alliance in the Netherlands. In 2005, Rien received the Distinguished Grantmaker Award in the United States and, in 2013, the European Philanthropy Compass Prize.