Join us March 20, 2025 for a day of convening, connecting, and building toward a more equitable world. 

Åsa Fanelli is the Founder and Chief Strategist of IdeaLift Group, a boutique strategic consulting firm specializing in leadership development and mindfulness-based emotional intelligence programs for leaders and teams. Her passion is to support the growth of effective, compassionate leaders and collaborative and engaged teams to increase overall performance and wellbeing in life and at work. She is an experienced facilitator and coach for programs that develop mental and emotional skills to improve stress management, emotional agility, resilience and to prevent burnout. 

Prior to starting IdeaLift Group, Åsa served as CEO and President of the Boston-based nonprofit Horizons for Homeless Children. She started her career with EF Education First in Rome, Italy and later moved to Boston as President of EF High School Exchange Year. While at EF, she also served as head of North American Human Resources and Talent Management, overseeing the global cross-company leadership development program in EF offices worldwide. For many years Åsa also led successful consultancy projects in board governance, board development, and strategic planning for nonprofit organizations in Massachusetts. 

Beth Huang is the Program Officer for Civic Engagement and Democracy at the Tides Foundation. The democracy portfolio at Tides granted $123 million to organizations in 2024. Within this portfolio, Beth leads the Healthy Democracy Fund, which has granted over $64 million to more than 200 organizations since 2020. Beth has 15 years of organizing experience in the student movement, labor unions, and electoral campaigns. She previously served as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Voter Table, a fiscally sponsored project of TSNE, where she worked with over 40 partners organizations on nonpartisan civic engagement, led the grassroots coalitions on census and redistricting, and served on the steering committees of the Election Modernization Coalition and Raise Up Massachusetts. 

Shaheer Mustafa (LICSW, CCDP) is President & CEO of HopeWell. He previously held leadership roles at the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, The Home for Little Wanderers, and Wayside Youth & Family Support Network. He began his career as a therapist, after earning a master’s degree from Boston College in Clinical Social Work. 

Shaheer currently serves as Board Chair for Providers’ Council and as a board member for the Children’s League of Massachusetts. He recently completed the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s prestigious Children and Family Fellowship.  

Under Shaheer’s leadership, HopeWell has launched two innovative new programs, including the nation’s first high-impact tutoring program for children in foster care, and a program specially designed to meet the distinct needs of youth “aging out” of foster care. Shaheer is also incredibly proud of the organization’s work to increase the number of Board and Executive Leadership Team members who have lived experience in foster care. 

On a more personal note, some of the things that make Shaheer happiest are cheering on the Boston Celtics, embracing his inner “gearhead” and all things car-related, and spending time with his family, including his two sons who both play soccer. 

Akia S. Callum is a dynamic leader with over a decade of experience in brand architecture, community organizing, political strategy, results-based facilitation, and social justice advocacy. Guided by the belief that "Titles and positions may get you into rooms, but who you are as a person is what keeps you there," she has driven transformative change at local, state, and national levels. 

Her leadership journey includes serving as Senior Advisor to Assemblyman Brian-Christopher A. Cunningham and Deputy Director at Waterbury Bridge to Success Community Partnership, where she leads community engagement efforts. A proud daughter of Jamaican immigrants and Brooklyn native, Akia founded the Black Student Union at Post University and has held leadership roles within the NAACP, earning honors such as the NAACP Region II Youth Organizer of the Year and the inaugural John Lewis Youth Leadership Award. 

A passionate advocate and lifelong learner, Akia was named a Yale Law School ‘Access to Law’ Fellow and holds a B.A. in Legal Studies and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Post University. She is currently a Juris Doctor Candidate at UConn School of Law and serves as the 57th Regional Chair of the Northeast Black Law Students Association, championing advocacy and legal excellence. 

Miki Akimoto is the Chief Impact Officer at the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP). She aligns and integrates NCFP’s revenue, relationship management, and program strategies. Miki oversees NCFP’s programs and development teams. 

Miki has a long professional history in the philanthropic sector. Most recently, she served as a Senior Philanthropic Strategist at Bank of America’s Private Bank. In that role, she provided consultation and support for families, foundations, and major nonprofits regarding their governance, grantmaking, and impact strategies. Prior to joining Bank of America, Miki was Vice President and then Acting President of Philanthropy Massachusetts, the regional association of foundations, corporate givers, and other donors in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. She also served as the first Director of Grants Management for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and as a program officer at AmeriCorps. 

Miki is actively involved in the philanthropic community both nationally and locally. She serves as the Chair of the board of the Full Frame Initiative, and as President of the Third Sector Holdings board. Past board experience includes chairing the TSNE board, as well as serving on boards of the Lenny Zakim Fund, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, YWCA Boston, and the Boston Foundation for Architecture.  

Miki holds a Bachelor of Political Science degree from Stanford University, and lives in Medford, Massachusetts. In her spare time, she bakes, reads, and travels to far flung places whenever she can. 

Porsha Olayiwola is a native of Chicago who writes, lives and loves in Boston. Olayiwola is a writer, performer, educator and curator who uses afro-futurism and surrealism to examine historical and current issues in the Black, woman, and queer diasporas. She is an Individual World Poetry Slam Champion and the founder of the Roxbury Poetry Festival. Olayiwola is Brown University's 2019 Heimark Artist -In -Residence as well as the 2021 Artist-in-Residence at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. She is a 2020 poet laureate fellow with the Academy of American poets. Olayiwola earned her MFA in poetry from Emerson College and is the author of i shimmer sometimes, too. Olayiwola is the current poet laureate for the city of Boston. Her work can be found in or forthcoming from with TriQuarterly Magazine, Black Warrior Review, The Boston Globe, Essence Magazine, Redivider, The Academy of American Poets, Netflix, Wildness Press, The Museum of Fine Arts and elsewhere.

Porsha will serve as our opening performance within the Opening Plenary.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico and now residing in Massachusetts, Luzdy Rivera is a Latina leader with over 20 years of experience in People and Culture (Human Resources). She brings a thoughtful and compassionate approach to leadership, employee engagement, and organizational change, ensuring equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging are central to every aspect of her work.

Luzdy’s expertise spans strategic leadership, performance management, compensation strategies, policy development, and change management across both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. For the past seven years, she has led People and Culture at TSNE.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Luzdy is a proud mom, daughter, sister, friend, and partner. She draws inspiration and strength from her family and the relationships that ground her. Believing the heart of any organization lies in its people, she is passionate about helping others unlock their full potential in environments that celebrate individuality while embracing collective strength.

Bobby has grown with TSNE for nine years through various roles in the HR department and now serves as the Director of People & Culture serving all of TSNE’s service lines. Prior to TSNE, Bobby worked for Whole Foods Market for over 10 years in the customer service and payroll/benefits space. He has a passion for mission-driven work and supporting people to be able to bring their best selves to work. Bobby has his Bachelor of Arts BA in psychology from UMass Boston. 

Dana Britto (she/her) has spent the past 18+ years working with nonprofits and foundations as a lender, consultant, and Board Treasurer to strengthen financial and operational strategies, infrastructure, and leadership capacity. As a long-time champion for advancing greater equity within nonprofit management and philanthropic practices, Dana remains a steadfast supporter and thought-partner to nonprofit leaders working to advance justice and equitable systems-change throughout the social sector.

As the Founder & Principal of Cultivar Consulting, Dana provides training, coaching, and consulting engagements aimed at helping nonprofit leaders strengthen financial management knowledge, systems and practices to ultimately empower themselves and their teams to best serve their respective communities. Through work with clients including Nonprofit Financial Commons, Tides Network, and the AMPT: Advancing Nonprofits, Dana has supported financial management capacity-building initiatives for nonprofits across the US with a focus on organizations led by leaders from historically marginalized communities.

Dana serves as the Board Treasurer for Allied Media Projects and 2nd Story and is a graduate of the Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professionals (CNAP) training program. She holds a BA in Political Science from Amherst College and spent a semester at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

Vernetta Walker, J.D., is president and CEO of Walker & Associates Consulting, Inc., specializing in customized solutions for nonprofit organizations to maximize impact through exceptional board leadership and centering diversity, equity, and inclusion. Vernetta has deep experience in the nonprofit sector, having worked with hundreds of organizations over two decades, nationally and globally. Prior roles include serving as chief governance officer and senior advisor on diversity, equity and inclusion for BoardSource; associate general counsel for the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations; foundation advocacy counsel for the Alliance for Justice; and director of the Administration of Justice Grants for the Florida Bar Foundation.

Additionally, she taught Governance for Nonprofits, and DEI in Philanthropy and Nonprofits at Columbia University for five years. 

Vernetta started her career as an attorney. She received a Juris Doctor degree from Washington University School of Law, St. Louis, Missouri, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland. Vernetta has served on multiple nonprofit boards, including March for Our Lives (founded to end gun violence), where she was proud to serve as the board chair. 

Wyona Lynch-McWhite (she/her/hers) joined the Social Innovation Forum in January 2024 as the organization’s Executive Director – only the second person to hold this role in SIF’s history. An experienced nonprofit executive, management consultant, and community advocate, she previously worked as as a management consultant after a 20+ year career in the museum community including serving the Executive Director of two Massachusetts museums.

As a management consultant, Wyona’s areas of expertise included organizational leadership, cultural and strategic planning, organizational assessments, strategic visioning, fundraising, and diversity implementation. She has worked with a wide range of nonprofit cultural organizations, universities, and government agencies throughout the United States and Canada. An active community volunteer and board member, she is also a Certified Diversity Professional and teaches in Boston University’s Arts Administration Program.

As SIF’s Executive Director, Wyona is honored to have the opportunity to support leaders and organizations on the front lines of social change–particularly those that have been traditionally underserved by philanthropy.

As President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, Megan Burke leads the organization in its philanthropic and community impact services – to help enrich the quality of life of people living in Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties. Megan became the Foundation’s fifth President and CEO in January of 2023. Previous experience includes serving as the director of community impact grantmaking at the Hartford Foundation of Public Giving and executive director of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. Her first experience in philanthropy was early in her career, as a program associate at the Ford Foundation. She has over 20 years of experience in nonprofit management, strategic planning, and philanthropy. Currently, she resides in West Springfield, MA with her family.

Elaine Ng is the President and CEO of TSNE, a Boston-based nonprofit supporting mission-driven organizations through management consulting, shared operational services, and capacity-building. With over 30 years of leadership in the nonprofit and education sectors, Elaine is dedicated to fostering equity, access, and resilience in the organizations TSNE serves. 

Before joining TSNE, Elaine was the Strategic Planning Director for Special Education at Boston Public Schools and Executive Director of the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, the region’s largest Asian American social service organization. She has a strong background in youth development and has been a Senior Fellow at Boston University’s Institute for Nonprofit Management and Leadership. 

Elaine’s leadership has been recognized with numerous awards, including Tufts University’s President’s Award for Citizenship and Public Service, The Boston Foundation’s ChangeMaker Award, and the Barr Fellowship. She serves on the boards of the National Council of Nonprofits, Sociedad Latina, and the Anna B. Stearns Foundation. 

Raised in Boston’s Chinatown, Elaine is a proud graduate of Boston Public Schools. She holds a master's in public policy from Tufts University and dual bachelor's degrees in English and Asian American Studies with a concentration in African American Studies. 

Shineika Fareus is an anti-racist educator, community organizer, and transformative leader dedicated to educational equity and Black immigrant advocacy. She serves as Executive Director of a statewide education policy organization in Connecticut, Co-Director of the Haitian Hub Resource Center, and a Board Member at Higher Edge, supporting first-generation students’ access to college.

Since starting her organizing journey over 10 years ago, Shineika has achieved major legislative victories, including helping to mandate Black and Latinx Studies in Connecticut public schools and driving policies to decriminalize Black and Brown youth. Her work as a Program Associate at the Center for Youth & Community Leadership in Education and a former Board Member at the Better Way Foundation shapes her vision for the Haitian Hub, which addresses language barriers and provides culturally relevant support for Haitian and Black immigrant communities. 

Grounded in Black liberation, Shineika aims to continue to dismantle systems of oppression while empowering individuals to thrive. She holds a Bachelor’s in Political Science and Sociology and a Master’s in Organizational Leadership from Gordon College, where her presidency established the first Black Studies Minor. Committed to centering people over profits, Shineika fights for a just and equitable society through advocacy, service, and systemic change. 

Donna Murray-Brown is a nationally recognized and proven leader in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, known for her strategic vision, inclusive leadership, and commitment to social impact. A sought-after speaker, she most recently served as the inaugural Vice President of Strategy and Development at the National Council of Nonprofits, leading initiatives to strengthen nonprofits nationwide.

With over 25 years of experience, Donna transitioned to nonprofit leadership in 2009 after a 20-year banking career, including as Vice President and CRA Director at Charter One Bank. As President and CEO of the Michigan Nonprofit Association from 2013 to 2022, she led equity-focused initiatives, including Michigan’s Census 2020 effort and COVID-19 response programs.

Donna’s impactful work earned her recognition on the NonProfit Times Power & Influence Top 50 twice, Crain’s Detroit Business Most Influential Women in 2021, and a Nonprofit HR 2024 Social Impact Women to Watch. She serves on multiple boards, including Candid and the McGregor Fund, and continues to offer expertise in organizational development and strategic planning.

Donna holds a Master’s in Community Development from the University of Detroit Mercy and a BS in Business Administration from Central State University. She resides in Louisville, Kentucky.

Bill Yelenak is the President/CEO of the Providers’ Council, the state’s largest membership organization for community-based health and human services organizations. An advocate for the human services sector with nearly two decades experience in the industry, Yelenak directs the Council’s public policy and advocacy efforts, education and training initiatives, and member benefit programs in service to the Council’s 220 members across Massachusetts.  

Yelenak also leads the Council’s affiliated organization, the Human Services Providers Charitable Foundation, which has more than 50,000 users of its online learning management platform, Providers’ eAcademy. He serves on the board of directors of the Massachusetts Workforce Association that leads, advocates and convenes on behalf of the state’s workforce development system.  

Previously, Yelenak worked as a city and state government reporter for the Record-Journal in Meriden, Conn. and as a communications professional for a gubernatorial campaign in Massachusetts. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston University and a master’s degree in public administration from Suffolk University.  

Harold Steward is a modern philosopher, strategist, and educator currently serving as the Executive Director of the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), a position he assumed in July 2023. In this role, he oversees the agency's strategic vision, governance, and overall organizational excellence. 

Before joining NEFA, Harold was the Executive Director and Cultural Strategist at The Theatre Offensive (TTO), a Boston-based nonprofit organization dedicated to presenting liberating art by, for, and about queer and trans people of color. His leadership at TTO emphasized transcending artistic boundaries, celebrating cultural abundance, and dismantling oppression. 

Harold’s previous experience includes serving as the Manager of the South Dallas Cultural Center, which focuses on providing instruction and enrichment in the arts with a particular emphasis on the African contribution to world culture. In 2009, he founded the Fahari Arts Institute in Dallas, recognizing a gap in the landscape for local LGBTQ artists of color. The institute celebrated, displayed, and produced the work of queer artists from the African Diaspora. 

An active leader in the arts community, Harold is a former chair of the board of directors of Theater Communications Group and serves as the board clerk for MASSCreative. He is also a founding member of the NextGen National Arts Network and a founding partner of Steward Cultural Development Group. 

Harold has contributed to cultural equity as a facilitator with Equity Quotient. He has also served as a faculty member for American Repertory Theater's Arts & Cultural Organization Management (ACOM) executive leadership program at Harvard University and as an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Theater Studies at Emerson College. His current research interests focus on Art as Applied Social Science and Identity Reclamation, which examines the process in which oppressed individuals reclaim agency over their identity through cultural production. 

Michael W. Ibrahim (he/him/his) is the Chief Program and Impact Officer at TSNE. As a member of the executive leadership team, Michael oversees and develops TSNE’s national program areas, conducts research for the social sector, and designs strategies that advance TSNE’s overall programmatic impact. He works closely with leadership to ensure the enterprise level development and implementation of a range of cross-organizational systems, processes, and procedures to support a highly collaborative and well-coordinated programmatic and administrative infrastructure. 

Michael is currently on faculty at Boston University and The University of Kentucky graduate schools, where he designs and teaches courses in nonprofit management and philanthropy. Michael has published works and presented nationally on organizational development, strategic planning, philanthropy, capitalization, evaluation, and DEIB strategies with the goal of driving social and cultural impact. 

Prior to joining TSNE, Michael was Cultural Investment Portfolio Manager at the Massachusetts Cultural Council. In addition to tens of millions in direct unrestricted grantmaking, Michael led the Council’s Advisory Services and Capacity Building Initiatives for arts, humanities, and science organizations across the Commonwealth. He is passionate about community-based arts organizations, having served as a Development Director for over a decade at a community music school, Board member of the Berkshire Art Center, current Chair of the Hudson Cultural Council, and is an amateur clarinetist and composer. 

Michael holds a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Education Leadership Management from Northeastern University, a M.S. in Arts Administration from Boston University, a Graduate Certificate in Fundraising Management from Boston University, and a B.A. in Arts Administration from the University of Kentucky. 

Devin co-founded The Teachers’ Lounge in 2018 to address the under-representation of Educators of Color in lead teaching positions throughout his K-12, college, and professional experiences. Now in his 14th year in education, Devin has held roles in teaching, coaching, mentoring, school leadership, student/staff recruitment and retention, marketing, and development in district, charter, and private schools in NYC and The Greater Boston Area. Devin has a passion for equity, community engagement & collaboration, program development, execution, and collective accountability. Outside of co-founding TTL, Devin sits on several local and national coalitions supporting the diversification of the teacher workforce in support of all students.  

Jaye Smith is the Founder and CEO of FSG Consultants, a Boston-based firm launched to empower mission-driven organizations. FSG focuses on partnering with nonprofit leaders to drive organizational change through strategic innovation, leadership coaching, board management, and executive search. 

With over 25 years of experience, Jaye is a trailblazer in nonprofit leadership and capacity building. As the founding CEO of The Martin Trust Partnership in Education for Early Learners (TEL), a $20 million startup, she secured transformative funding, established a visionary board, and built high-impact partnerships to advance equity in early childhood education. 

A proud alumna of Simmons University, Jaye was the first African American to serve as Director of Alumni Relations. She also helped lead the rebranding of The Dimock Center, a $62 million health care organization that serves over 19,000 people annually. Her leadership has also driven measurable outcomes at organizations such as Nurtury Early Education and other mission-focused entities.  

A dedicated advocate for nonprofit excellence, Jaye is Board Chair for TSNE and a board member for Children’s Services of Roxbury. She is an active member of Women in Development of Greater Boston (WID), Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy (WOC), a volunteer for the Cummings Foundation, and a mentor to many. Based in Boston, she lives with her husband and two daughters. Fun Fact: Jaye was the winner of a Joanne Chang Baking Challenge last year! 

Jay Kim is the Executive Director at the Community Foundation for MetroWest, a community foundation serving 30+ MetroWest communities. Under Jay’s leadership, the organization continues to expand its role as an important regional philanthropic hub with new impactful initiatives.

Jay leads the team at the Foundation to change lives in MetroWest by identifying and responding to needs in the community based on a combination of data and collaboration with partners. He is responsible for the management and strategic direction of the organization.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Jay led fundraising and development for nonprofit organizations in the Greater Boston area. He has worked at multiple community foundations leading various initiatives, and in corporate philanthropy at Target Corporation. Jay spent a few years at the Fannie Mae Foundation focusing on homelessness initiatives, and worked for Public Allies, a national AmeriCorps program. He began his career as a Corps Member at City Year Boston.

Jay serves on the Board of Directors of Philanthropy Massachusetts, Third Sector New England and was previously a member of the Board of the Charles River Chamber of Commerce. His recognition and awards include Power 50: The Movement Makers, Boston Business Journal (2021) and 50 Most Influential Business People of Color, Charles River Chamber (2020).

Jay has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandeis University and lives in Sherborn with his wife and two children. He is active in the community, including coaching youth sports.

Gloria Ramón joined TSNE in October 2024 as the organization’s new Chief Strategy Officer. Gloria brings immense social impact experience and a deep commitment to equity and justice to her work in this role.

With over two decades of experience in nonprofit leadership and organizational strategy, Gloria is a seasoned expert in advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Belonging (DEIJB) through an antiracist lens. Throughout her career, she’s collaborated with local and national organizations, empowering them to achieve their missions and catalyze systemic, lasting change. Gloria’s background spans leadership roles in notable organizations like the Support Center for Nonprofit Management, The Praxis Project, and Brooklyn Legal Services, as well as extensive consulting work in strategic planning and executive coaching.

In her new role at TSNE, Gloria will help strengthen our internal strategies and support partner organizations with her exceptional expertise in leadership, governance, and strategic communications. Her ability to align organizational values with long-term goals will ensure that we remain mission-driven while making measurable progress toward creating equitable and inclusive outcomes for all.

Anthony Poore has worked in support of transformative systems change and equitable and sustainable communities for more than 30 years as a community organizer and economic development practitioner, academic, workforce housing and public health advocate, policy analyst, researcher and executive addressing the needs of New Hampshire’s urban and rural low-and moderate-income communities. He launched AP Consulting Group in 2021, working with traditional and non-traditional financial institutions and community-based organizations to identify and develop mutually beneficial public-private community economic development projects. From 2018 to January 2021, Poore served as the Executive Director of New Hampshire Humanities, an affiliated organization of the National Endowment for the Humanities. From 2010 – 2018, Poore worked with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, in a variety of leadership roles, directing research and policy initiatives of the Boston Fed’s Regional and Community Outreach Department. Prior to that, Poore, served as the Assistant Dean for Southern New Hampshire University’s School of Economic Development.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority, and Walden Mutual Bank.

Giles Li joined Barr in 2020 as senior program officer for Arts & Creativity, with a particular focus on implementing two strategies within the portfolio: advancing the field’s capacity to adapt, take risks, and engage changing communities in new ways; and fostering opportunities to connect the arts to other disciplines and sectors. He also designed and leads Powering Cultural Futures, a six-year funding and capacity building initiative supporting 14 leadership BIPOC arts organizations across Massachusetts.

He was named the winner of the statewide 2017 Excellence in Leadership award from the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network and was also a member of the Barr Foundation Fellows Class of 2017. He currently serves on the board of the Boston Children’s Museum, and holds a graduate degree in Public Affairs from UMass-Boston and is an alumnus of the Institute for Nonprofit Practice.

Giles is a published poet, spoken-word performance artist, and former cultural organizer. Together with his wife, Giles seeks to impart his love of arts and community to their three children.

Iván Espinoza-Madrigal is the Executive Director of Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR), an organization founded at the request of President John F. Kennedy in the 1960s at the height of the civil rights movement. LCR is the largest and oldest organization in New England working on legal and policy issues at the intersection of racial justice, immigration, public health, education, and entrepreneurship. LCR is a recent MacKenzie Scott grant recipient. Iván has filed and won dozens of life-changing and law-changing cases on a wide range of civil rights issues across the country. His work is regularly featured in publications such as the New York Times, and documentary films like Martha's Vineyard v. DeSantis (MSNBC). Iván was recently recognized as "Lawyer of the Year" by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, and as “Bostonian of the Year” by the Boston Globe. Boston Magazine has recognized Iván as one of Boston’s Most Influential People. The National LGBT Bar Association has recognized him as one of the Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40, and the Boston Business Journal included Iván in its "Top 40 Under 40" list in 2018. A summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he received a Juris Doctor from NYU School of Law.

Iván received an honorary doctorate from Cambridge College. Iván serves on the Board of Ambassadors of Eastern Bank, and the Board of Trustees of Crossroads, a youth empowerment summer camp. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston, and the Board of Directors of the New England Foundation for the Arts. He was recently appointed by the Massachusetts Governor to the Mass Cultural Council. During the pandemic, Iván published a book about his dog: Obie’s Adventures in the Berkshires.

Catherine T. Morris is a proud mother, social entrepreneur, philanthropist, and cultural strategist dedicated to supporting BIPOC artists and advancing spatial justice. For over 20 years, she has produced shows, created platforms, and engaged audiences to experience the arts from a Black perspective.

As Director of Arts & Creativity at The Boston Foundation, she leads grantmaking strategy to best serve artists and communities. She is also the Founder and Artistic Director of Boston Art & Music Soul (BAMS) Fest, a nonprofit breaking down racial and social barriers in the arts. Since 2015, BAMS Fest has employed 800+ artists, provided 600+ jobs, activated 40+ public spaces, and attracted over 70,000 attendees.

Catherine has been widely recognized for her impact, receiving the 2024 Arthur Fiedler Achievement Award and the 2022 Newell Flather Award for Leadership in Public Art. She was named one of Boston Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and has spoken at institutions such as Berklee College of Music, MIT, and the Museum of Fine Arts.

A proud alumna of Temple University, Catherine earned her Master’s from Simmons University.

Elliot A. Rivera is a first-generation Salvadoran from Worcester, Massachusetts, who now calls Providence, Rhode Island, home. Formerly the Executive Director of Youth In Action, he led intergenerational leadership development with BIPOC youth, focusing on the intersection of healing, collective social change, and co-creation. Today, Elliot is a strategist, facilitator, and consultant supporting organizations in building resilient leadership models, equity-driven decision-making, and liberatory design practices.

Elliot brings extensive experience as a nonprofit executive, researcher, fundraiser, manager, evaluator, grant-maker, educator, and community organizer across nonprofit, municipal, public education, higher education, and healthcare sectors. He currently serves on the Governance Council for Environmental Justice for New England through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where he helps shape environmental policy and grantmaking through an equity lens.

Previously, Elliot served as a municipal staffer for the City of Worcester, leading task forces focused on healing and belonging for boys and men of color and designing strategies that centered wellness and care for young people and their adult allies. He was also an Associate Researcher & Evaluator at the Collaborative for Youth & Community Justice at Clark University, working to uplift the power of youth and communities in research.

Elliot continues to serve on the Executive Committee of the Rhode Island Afterschool Network, advocating for expanded learning opportunities and youth leadership across the state.

Erin McAleer, MSW, is the President and CEO of Project Bread, Massachusetts’ only statewide food security organization. Under her leadership since 2017, Project Bread has expanded significantly, doubling its budget to $13.3M and growing to 85+ employees. She has led transformative initiatives, including launching the Health Care Partnerships program and expanding advocacy, research, and community engagement efforts.

Erin played a pivotal role in securing permanent Free School Meals for All in Massachusetts and passing key legislation like Breakfast After the Bell. She was invited to consult at the White House Conference on Hunger and appointed to the Massachusetts Commission on Poverty as co-chair of the Access Working Group.

A dedicated advocate for equity, Erin led Project Bread through Inclusion Boston dialogues and developed an organizational action plan to ensure justice-centered programs and workplace inclusivity. Her leadership has earned Project Bread recognition as the best place to work by the Boston Globe and Boston Business Journal.

Erin has been honored as Nonprofit Professional of the Year (2023) and Bostonian of the Year (2020). She holds an MSW from Boston College and a BA from College of the Holy Cross.

Ellen Wang brings close to two decades of experience in the education, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors. Most recently, Ellen was the Senior Program and Equity Officer at the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, where she led a $14M portfolio of 45 BIPOC-led youth-, parent-, and educator-serving nonprofit organizations, working to advance racial equity in public education. In addition to her role as a grant-maker, Ellen also led the Foundation’s internal racial equity learning agenda. Prior to Nellie Mae, Ellen was the Director of Youth Education at the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center. Ellen fundamentally believes those most impacted by inequities are most proximate to the solutions.

Ellen received a B.A. in English from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, an M.A. in Humanities with a concentration in Philosophy in Education from the University of Chicago, and has a certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the School of Management at Boston University. She serves on the Board of the Boston Chinatown Neighbor Center. Ellen’s leadership will play a pivotal role in guiding our Shared Services initiative, ensuring seamless coordination and support across all aspects of our new program.

Tammy Dowley-Blackman, a graduate of Oberlin College and Harvard University is an author, entrepreneur, leadership expert, nonprofit executive, philanthropic leader and professor.

She is the CEO of Tammy Dowley-Blackman Group, LLC, a certified National Supplier Development Council Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Small Business Administration (SBA) Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), and Women’s Business Enterprise Network Council (WBENC) woman-owned company, as well as a graduate of the C200 Champion Program and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program. The company is comprised of a suite of brands, including TDB Group Strategic Advisory, a management consulting firm specializing in organizational and leadership development for the corporate, government, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors; Looking Forward Lab, a media content company focused on Gen Z, which partners with corporations and higher education systems to offer a full-service learning engagement model that delivers workforce development solutions; and Cooper + Lowe, a company that serves as an incubator offering full back-office management support for women interested in transitioning to

entrepreneurship and thought leadership.

In addition, Tammy completed her six-year term as the president of the TSNE Board of Directors, where she helped lead the $64 million-dollar organization through unprecedented leadership and business model strategic alignment and planning. She also provides leadership as a Board Director for the Proteus Fund and as an Advisory Board member for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the University of North Carolina School of Law Director Diversity Initiative.

Emily Ruddock is the Executive Director of MASSCreative. She has 15 years of experience in strategic and management roles for nonprofit arts organizations. Before joining MASSCreative in 2017, she was the artistic producer at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, overseeing artistic operations, budgeting, and education initiatives.

As the first director of Lynn’s Downtown Cultural District, she played a key role in revitalizing the area through arts and culture, working with city and state officials to promote the community and draft legislation for the city’s first Public Art Commission. She also organized free public events showcasing local artists and community groups.

Ruddock serves on the Board of Directors for the Mass Nonprofit Network. A potter, she enjoys creating ceramic art for her home, family, and friends. She holds a Master’s in Public Administration from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School and a Bachelor’s in Critical Social Thought from Mount Holyoke College.

Rachel D'Souza, MPPA, MLS is the founder of Gladiator Consulting in St. Louis, MO, a boutique firm co-creating with nonprofits across the country. As a proud member of the Community-Centric Fundraising Global Council, Rachel works to guide and resource a global initiative to reimagine the nonprofit sector through a lens of radical collaboration, racial equity, social justice, and decolonization. In 2024, Rachel completed her coursework to earn her second Master's Degree at the Washington University School of Law. With this additional training in negotiation, mediation and cross-cultural conflict resolution, Rachel is eager to shift organizational culture and interpersonal relationships in the direction of healing, collaboration and systems change.

Brooke Richie-Babbage is a nonprofit growth strategist, social impact advisor, and founder of Bending Arc, a strategy firm supporting high-impact nonprofits. She hosts the Nonprofit Mastermind Podcast and has spent 23 years as a lawyer, nonprofit leader, and social entrepreneur.

She founded and led the Resilience Advocacy Project (RAP) for 11 years and directed network initiatives at the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation. She currently leads the Social Justice Accelerator at the Urban Justice Center. Previously, she worked as a Skadden Fellow, policy advocate, and poverty law professor at Tufts and Brooklyn Law School.

Brooke has supported leadership collectives for women of color and collaborated with major foundations. She has lectured at Harvard, Columbia, NYU, and Fordham, and served on nonprofit boards, including as Board Chair of the Community Resource Exchange. She has held leadership roles in the NYC Bar Association and citywide policy groups.

A graduate of Yale (BA) and Harvard (JD, MPP), Brooke lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two sons.

Andrea Joy Campbell was sworn in as the 45th Attorney General of Massachusetts on January 18, 2023, committing to economic stability, children's mental health, ending cycles of incarceration, and ensuring statewide access to the AG’s Office.

Raised in Roxbury, Andrea faced significant hardships. At eight months old, she lost her mother in a car accident while visiting her father in prison. She and her brothers moved between relatives and foster care until she met her father at age eight. Her family relied on public housing and food assistance, and her twin brother Andre tragically died in state custody.

Despite these struggles, Andrea excelled academically, graduating from Boston Latin School, Princeton University, and UCLA Law. She worked as a legal services attorney for the EdLaw Project, defended children’s rights, and later practiced employment law. She served as General Counsel at the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission, tackling regional issues, and advised Governor Deval Patrick on education and equity.

In 2015, Andrea became the first woman to represent District 4 on the Boston City Council. She later became the first Black woman elected City Council President, leading efforts for affordable housing and community development.

After more than 20 years serving nonprofits she founded SectorWind, a consulting firm that works with leaders and philanthropies to build financial strength and strategic resilience within their organizations.

Sandi is drawn to this work because she knows it is critical to address the structural inequities and inefficiencies in how money is dispersed and used in the nonprofit sector.

Prior to SectorWind, Sandi was Vice President of Advisory Services at Nonprofit Finance Fund where she served for nearly 14 years, including on the Advisory Services Leadership Team, where she led day-to-day activities of the national consulting team, ensuring that services provided to nonprofits and funders were innovative, relevant, and accessible. She created and grew signature services including the Financial Leadership Clinic, Program Economics Analysis, and the original Full Cost Methodology.

Before joining NFF, Sandi provided strategic and philanthropic advice to foundations and family offices and their grantees. And previously she served in leadership roles for the Institute of Contemporary Art, American Repertory Theater at Harvard University and The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Sandi has worked with over 1,000 nonprofit clients, deepening her insight into the array of opportunities and challenges that nonprofit leaders face related to management, strategy, and financial health. She is a sought-after authority on nonprofit finance and strategic resilience, is a regular writer and speaker on those topics, and has made multiple media appearances.

Sandi holds a Bachelor of Arts from Rosemont College and a Master of Business Administration from Simmons College School of Management, where she also serves as a faculty member. She serves on several nonprofit boards and regularly speaks and writes about the role of nonprofit finance, strategic resilience, and the nature of money in the nonprofit sector.

She is an avid hiker and resides near Boston with her husband, two teenage sons and five pets.