Five Foundation Leaders Join National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy Board
Philanthropy watchdog and advocacy organization also elects new board officers
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) board of directors today elected new officers and welcomed five new esteemed members during its board meeting.
Reverend Starsky Wilson, president and CEO of Deaconess Foundation in St. Louis, Missouri, was elected unanimously as the new chair of NCRP's board, succeeding Sherece West-Scantlebury. West-Scantlebury, who leads Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, served as NCRP's board chair for four years.
The new directors joining NCRP's dynamic and diverse board include:
- Sharon Alpert, President and CEO, Nathan Cummings Foundation
- Jocelyn Sargent, Executive Director, Hyams Foundation
- Joseph Scantlebury, Vice President for Program and Strategy (Places), W.K. Kellogg Foundation
- Pamela Shifman, Executive Director, NoVo Foundation
- Lateefah Simon, President, Akonadi Foundation
"The work of NCRP is needed now more than ever," said West-Scantlebury, who is leaving the board due to term limits after serving for nine years. "Reverend Wilson's leadership and commitment to social justice will enhance NCRP's efforts to ensure our nation's social movements are getting the philanthropic dollars they need to succeed."
Under West-Scantlebury's leadership, NCRP crafted a bold strategic framework that advocates for the kind of philanthropy that prioritizes and empowers underserved and marginalized communities, and seeks to solve long-term inequities and injustice. The organization pushed foundations to be more transparent, open and inclusive of stakeholder feedback in strategies and processes. It highlighted the untapped potential and capacity for meaningful philanthropic impact in the South. It examined the latest social justice giving trends among the country's largest foundations.
"I am humbled to be asked to lead NCRP's board at this important time," said Reverend Wilson. "Philanthropy has an important role to play in helping our nation confront racial injustice and economic inequality. I am excited to work with such a remarkable group of nonprofit and foundation leaders committed to ensuring that philanthropy lives up to its highest aspirations – as transformational agents of just, equitable social change."
New Leadership
In addition to West-Scantlebury, NCRP also announced that other board members have stepped down due to term limits or other factors, including: Bill Bynum, CEO of HOPE Credit Union; Trista Harris, president of Minnesota Council on Foundations; Priscilla Hung, deputy director of Move to End Violence; and Gara LaMarche, president of the Democracy Alliance.
The board also elected other new officers, including: Daniel Lee, executive director of the Levi Strauss Foundation, as the new vice-chair; and Cristina Jiménez, executive director and co-founder of United We Dream, as the new secretary. Vivek Malhotra continues as treasurer and Cynthia Renfro, principal of Civic Consulting, was re-elected as at-large delegate to the executive committee.
"Everyone at NCRP is extremely grateful to Sherece, Bill, Trista, Priscilla and Gara for sharing their time, passion and wisdom. They each helped make NCRP a stronger and better organization, and we will miss them," said Aaron Dorfman, president and CEO of NCRP. "I am excited to work with the incoming new board members. These are people I've long admired for their leadership and commitment to high-impact, responsive philanthropy. Fresh perspectives like theirs will bring a lot to the organization."
Biographies of NCRP board members are available on www.ncrp.org.
About NCRP
The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy amplifies the voice of nonprofits and the communities they serve in the philanthropic sector. Through research and advocacy, it works to ensure that grantmakers and donors contribute to the creation of a fair, just and equitable world.
Complete List of NCRP's Board of Directors:
Executive Committee
- Reverend Starsky Wilson (Chair), Deaconess Foundation
- Daniel Lee (Vice Chair), Levi Strauss Foundation
- Vivek Malhotra (Treasurer)
- Cristina Jiménez (Secretary), United We Dream
- Cynthia Renfro (At-Large), Civis Consulting, LLC
Directors
- Sharon Alpert, Nathan Cummings Foundation
- Bill Dempsey, Service Employees International Union
- Taj James, Movement Strategy Center
- Mary Lassen, Center for Community Change
- Ruth W. Messinger, American Jewish World Service
- Jocelyn Sargent, Hyams Foundation
- Joseph Scantlebury, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
- Molly Schultz Hafid, Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock
- Pamela Shifman, NoVo Foundation
- Lateefah Simon, Akonadi Foundation
- Katherine S. Villers, Community Catalyst
SOURCE National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
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