Board & Staff

Staff Members

Saida Agostini-Bostic
She/Her/Hers
PRESIDENT
[email protected]
Cleopatra Jach Acquaye
Sir/Her
Director of Programs
[email protected]
Luna Moreta Avila
She/Her/Hers
Grantmakers United for Trans Communities Project Director
[email protected]
April Bethea
She/Her/Hers
DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
[email protected]
Hala
She/They
Communications & Storytelling Officer
[email protected]
Ashe Helm-Hernández
They/Them/Theirs
Philanthropic Organizing Project Director
[email protected]
Shaena Johnson
She/Her/Hers
Out in the South Project Director
[email protected]
Alyssa Lawther
They/Them
SENIOR RESEARCH OFFICER
[email protected]
Alexander Lee
He/Him/His
DEPUTY DIRECTOR
[email protected]
Sammy Luffy
She/Her/Hers
Director of Research
[email protected]
Amara Reese-Hansell
She/Her/Hers
Membership Engagement Officer
[email protected]

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