Board & Staff

Staff Members

Board of Directors

CYNTHIA RENFRO

CHAIR


President & CEO, Civis Consulting, LLC

PAULINA HELM-HERNÁNDEZ

VICE CHAIR


Program Officer, US Southeast, Foundation for a Just Society

KAREN APPELBAUM

TREASURER


Operations Director, Northwest Area Foundation

JONATHAN JAYES GREEN

SECRETARY


Philanthropic Consultant

KATIE CARTER


Chief Executive Officer, Pride Foundation

NAMITA CHAD


Nebula Fund

ANA CONNER


Director of Culture, Operations & Finance at Emergent Fund

TRISHALA DEB


Director of National Programs, Collaborative for Gender and Reproductive Equity

DESIREE FLORES


Deputy Director, General Service Foundation

ALDITA GALLARDO


Philanthropic Consultant

CATHY K. K. KAPUA


Deputy Director, Trans Justice Funding Project

KELLI KING-JACKSON


Philanthropic Consultant

MARIA MIRANDA


Senior Program Officer and DEI Strategy Lead

GLO ROSS


Program Officer, Arcus Foundation

LANE SUGATA


Program Officer, Ford Foundation

WILLIAM (BILL) SMITH


CEO, May & Stanley Smith Charitable Trust

EUGENIO SMITH


Capacity Building Director, Movement Voter Project

Former Board Chairs

Stuart Burden
Evette Cardona
Nicole Cozier
Rebecca Fox
Joan Garner
Ernie Guitierrez
Andrew Lane
Rickke Mananzala
Lina Paredes
Cindy Rizzo
Tim Sweeney
Karen Zelermyer

Former Chief Executive Officers

Nancy Cunningham (1992-2005)
Karen Zelermyer (2005-2012)
Richard Burns / Interim Executive Director (2012)
Ben Francisco Maulbeck (2012-2020)
Kristina Wertz / Interim Executive Director (2020-2021)

Board Alumni

Katherine Acey – Brandie Balken – Ignatius Bau – Bettye Brentley – Rohit Burman – Maria Cadenas – Steve Cheifetz – Karina Claudio Betancourt – Robert Crane – Alfredo Cruz – Christina Cuevas – Masen Davis – Moy Eng – John Feather – Charlie Fernandez – Michael Fleming – Gabriel Foster – Rebecca Fox – Charisse Grant – Audrey Haberman – Matthew “Matty” Hart – Kris Hermanns – James Garner – Ellen Gurzinsky – Joo-Hyun Kang – Jesse King – Surina Khan – Larry Kressley – Andrew Lane – Steven Lawrence – Ted Lord –  Antonio Maciel – Pat Maher – Mary Lou Makepeace – Rickke Mananzala – Jason McGill – Len McNally – Hez Norton – Judy Patrick – Katherine Pease – Morris Price – Shad Reinstein – Cindy Rizzo – Ron Rowell – Dolores Roybal – Phillip Rush – Jane Schwartz – Michael Seltzer – Mitchell Singer – Maryann Snyder – Kristine Stallone – Alvin Starks – Patricia St. Onge – Tony Tapia – Nathaniel “Toby” Thompkins – Patrick Troska – Beatriz “Bia” Vieira – Gwen Walden – Alfonso Wenker – Penny Fujiko Willgerodt – Rye Young