Maheen Kaleem, Esq. is Vice President of Operations and Programs of Grantmakers for Girls of Color, overseeing development and management of G4GC’s programs, grants, and operations.

Maheen has dedicated her life to creating a world where girls of color are safe and free. She has almost twenty years of experience supporting youth and families impacted by interpersonal and state violence, and making way for those traditionally marginalized from formal sites of power to lead efforts to advance racial and gender justice. In the various roles she has held, she has always grounded her work in the wisdom of women and girls of color who have survived the carceral system, sexual exploitation, and abuse. Most recently, Maheen served as Program Officer at the NoVo Foundation, where she managed the foundation’s work to end commercial sexual exploitation and led the development of The Life Story Grants, a $10 million three-year commitment to support projects that close on-ramps into the sex trade and open exit ramps for survivors.

Maheen is committed to providing those most impacted by systems of oppression with the respect and resources to enact change. She was an Equal Justice Works Fellows, a Stoneleigh Emerging Leader Fellow, and is a graduate of the National Juvenile Justice Network Youth Justice Leadership Institute. She holds bachelors and law degrees from Georgetown University In her free time, Maheen enjoys her loved ones, hip hop, poetry, and her beloved Golden State Warriors. She is based in what was once Chocolate City, also known as Washington, D.C.

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C’Ardiss “CC” Gardner Gleser, Philanthropy Consultant, is an advocate for social impact and social justice work. CC began her career as a project manager in the tech and engineering sector and then transitioned to non-profit work to match her purpose to her passion. 

CC transitioned from the nonprofit sector and is now entrenched in the philanthropic sector. CC serves on the boards of Andrus Family Fund, Charlotte Martin Foundation, and Philanthropy Northwest.  She also formerly served as the Director of Programs and Strategic Initiatives at Satterberg Foundation, whose mission focuses on promoting a just society and sustainable environment. 

CC is extremely involved in her community, both locally and nationally. She previously served as the National President of the Yale Black Alumni Association and on Yale’s Board of Governors. She was also a Brainerd Fellow and a partner with Social Venture Partners Seattle where she co-chaired the Social Venture Teen Philanthropy Program. CC is a graduate of the 2017 Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE) Connecting Leaders Fellowship.

CC also founded Black Ivy Manor, which provides funding and other opportunities for Black scholars, artists, and social justice advocates the space to develop their crafts and voices, while supporting movement in community and cultivating relationships with one another.

CC earned her Bachelor's degree in African American Studies from Yale University, and an M.Ed. in Education Administration from Seattle University. She currently resides in the Detroit area with her husband and three children.

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Maria Cherry Rangel (she/they) serves as the Director of Advancement for the NDN Collective. She is a cultural strategist, resource organizer, cultural producer, and equity coach. For over 15 years Cherry's work has helped transform organizations, ecosystems, and fields towards justice. As a resource organizer, Cherry’s advocacy has ensured that millions of dollars have been redirected to Southerners, BIPOC communities, and TGNC and queer communities. As Director of Strategic Initiatives for Foundation for Louisiana, Cherry launched FFL's arts and culture program, and utilizes her expertise in organizational growth, cultural strategy, racial justice, and LGBTQ organizing to inform Louisiana’s future. With Ron Ragin, she co-authored Freedom Maps: Activating Legacies of Culture, Art, and Organizing in the US South. With Sage Crump, she co-authored the forthcoming Queer (Re)public: a QTBIPOC Liberatory Artistic Aesthetics Framework for the Theater Offensive. Cherry was a 2018-19 Intercultural Leadership Institute Fellow and wrote her first arts grant at the age of 15 in support of her father’s application to be a folklife artist, and after that success, hasn’t stopped.

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Rupal Soni is a consultant, committed to empowering and resourcing strategically marginalized communities. Her 18 years of experience in philanthropy includes the Field Foundation of Illinois; Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; Fire This Time Fund; Illinois Arts Council; and Arts and Business Council of Chicago. In 2016, she was recruited to the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, as one of two employees with three board members of a new checkbook foundation; over eight years, Rupal played a critical role in building out infrastructure and grantmaking strategy for them to become one of the largest in the nation. 

Rupal currently co-designs Midwest funder organizing for the Neighborhood Funders Group, programming for Philanthropy for Asian American Action Chicago, and works in close partnership with Chicago Latines in Philanthropy, Chicago African Americans in Philanthropy, and Asian Americans/ Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy. 

Prior to philanthropy, Rupal’s work was rooted in community arts and civic engagement, most notably building a Rural Design School on the India-Pakistan border, as Program Director of the Neighborhood Writing Alliance and Associate Editor of the Journal of Ordinary Thought. Rupal received the Emerging Arts Leader of Color award from the Americans for the Arts and the Joyce Foundation, and holds degrees from the University of Illinois and the University of Chicago. 

Rupal is also a multidisciplinary artist and writer who loves trees, dad jokes, and splashing in puddles with her three kids.

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Anthony Simmons serves as the Senior Director of Institutional Partnerships, Equity at Resilia. Anthony formerly served as the Manager for the Racial Equity Grantmaking Program (REGP), commonly known as ABFE’s Responsive Philanthropy in Black Communities (RPBC). The REGP focuses on the drivers of poor and disparate outcomes in Black communities—and other communities of color—and provides support and tools for leading community change efforts, particularly in places where there has been a long history of racial inequity.

Prior to joining ABFE, Anthony served as the Senior Adviser for the New York City Mayor’s Office Young Men’s Initiative (YMI). During his tenure at the YMI, he managed the YMI’s Equity Committee—a multi-agency advisory board with the mission toward reducing racialized disparities for the City’s youth of color. Anthony began his career in philanthropy at the Schott Foundation for Public Education where his work focused on developing and supporting equitable funding and policy strategies.

Anthony is the former co-chair of New York Blacks in Philanthropy, a local membership-based organization of Black professionals, particularly representing people of the African Diaspora, committed to strengthening networks, addressing collective challenges and fostering opportunities within the philanthropic sector.

A native New Yorker, Anthony attended Trinity and Brooklyn colleges. In his free time, he is an experienced deejay and music collector.

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Whitney currently serves as a Senior Program Officer at the Chicago Foundation for Women (CFW). She is most energized by using philanthropy to strengthen nonprofit infrastructure, leadership, and sustainability. She is a strong advocate for multi-year and general operating support and her primary goals are demystifying overhead and scarcity and changing who gets to make decisions in philanthropy. Prior to joining CFW, she managed the Robert R. McCormick Foundation's grant making with its professional sports team partners making investments across priority areas (college access and persistence, workforce development and career pathways, youth development, and health and wellness). She began her career in nonprofit fundraising and development and then spent several years in talent acquisition and executive search before transitioning to program officer roles.

She is a former co-chair of the South Side Giving Circle at CFW, a 2021-22 Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE) Connecting Leaders Fellow, a 2024 Chicago United for Equity (CUE) Fellow, and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Whitney holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and African and African American Studies and a Master of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis.

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Dion became President and CEO of The Funders Network (TFN) in January 2024. TFN is a network of 130 national, regional and community foundations across the U.S. and Canada who are committed to supporting efforts to create communities and regions that are sustainable, prosperous and just. Dion joined the network in October 2016 to direct the PLACES fellowship program and lead the organization’s work to address systemic and racial inequities in philanthropy and beyond.

Previously, she served as a member of the Baltimore Community Foundation (BCF) Community Investment team for 15 years. With a strong focus on intergenerational community engagement, she was responsible for the implementation of BCF’s Neighborhood Improvement Strategies that focused on creating safe, clean, green, and vibrant neighborhoods. Dion helped to shape BCF’s commitment to racial equity and inclusion and implemented an equity strategy for the foundation.

Dion has deep experience in community and philanthropic leadership development and capacity building, and is considered a thoughtful, strategic leader with a proven track record. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) and the Racial Equity Committee of the United Philanthropy Forum. Dion received her education at Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina where she studied computer science and business administration. Dion has been recognized as one of Maryland’s Leading Women by the Daily Record. She currently resides in her adopted hometown of Baltimore, MD.

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Arielle Milton is a program officer at the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. As a member of Mott’s national Education team, she works to operationalize and fund efforts to expand learning opportunities and supports for low- and moderate-income children and communities.

Arielle has dedicated her career to seeking learning opportunities that promote the improvement of life outcomes for children, youth and families in vulnerable communities in the United States and Abroad. Before joining the Mott Foundation, Milton has worked at the GHR Foundation in Minnesota and several philanthropic organizations in Michigan, including The Kresge Foundation, The Skillman Foundation and the Council of Michigan Foundations.

Arielle is a graduate of The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor with a Bachelor’s in sociology and political science. Additionally, Arielle earned a Master of Public Administration from the Rackham Graduate School at The University of Michigan with a focus on organizational development and management. 

Arielle has been an EPIP member since 2012 and has served as a Chapter Leader and Chair for EPIP in both Michigan and Minnesota. She is a 2017 New Leaders Council Fellow and past board member for the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network in Detroit and the Twin Cities.

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Dr. Cassie Schwerner's serves as the Executive Director of Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility. Cassie's life work is dedicated to making positive social change at the intersection of racial justice and public education. Cassie came to Morningside Center in 2018, after two decades at The Schott Foundation for Public Education, most recently as Senior Vice President of National Partnerships. At Schott, Cassie was immersed in many of the same social and racial justice issues that are at the center of Morningside's work, including fostering restorative practices and ending discipline policies that disproportionately target students of color.

Before Schott, Cassie was a research and editorial assistant for Jonathan Kozol, working on his books Savage Inequalities and Amazing Grace. She serves as a trustee of Kozol’s Education Action Foundation and is a board member of New York Appleseed. Cassie has a Bachelor’s degree from Earlham College and a Ph.D. in Sociology from Boston College, where she specialized in social movement theory. She is a proud mother of two New York City public school students, Ezra and Vivian.

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Adela is a strategist, grantmaker, researcher, advocate and professor with proud Afro-Carribean roots. Her experiences as a member of historically excluded communities drive her commitment to actualizing equity and expanding opportunities for disabled, Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (QTBIPOC), women, and immigrant families. She is a values-driven leader who has worked in Philanthropy, nonprofits, and Higher Education for over 15 years, leading sector-wide initiatives that uplift racial equity, Disability Justice, and inclusive approaches to grantmaking and programming. Having served at the Ford Foundation, Open Society, as a Disability Inclusion Fund Advocate at Borealis and as the NBA Foundation's fist-ever Director of Programs, among many other institutions, Adela has worked closely with executive leadership across foundations to create opportunities that advance the inclusion of people of color and people with disabilities. She is a proud alumna of the Rockwood Equity in Philanthropy and Hispanics in Philanthropy Líderes Fellowships.

Adela is currently completing her Ph.D. in Sociology at the CUNY Graduate Center and serves as the CEO/Principal of Build on Purpose, a consulting firm dedicated to helping organizations build and sustain long-term social impact.

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JC (he/him) works collaboratively with philanthropists and community organizations to develop impactful solutions to the broad and deep issues impacting our society, from basic needs to democracy. He leverages his background in philanthropy, public policy, and strategy development to connect generous philanthropic resources with effective organizations, leaders, and campaigns to address real needs and uplift communities.

Before joining Third Plateau, he served as Nurturing Equity Movements Fellow at the San Francisco Foundation, where he led the Rapid Response Fund for Movement Building and managed a grant portfolio investing in civic engagement, grassroots organizing, and leadership development. He began his career in the nonprofit sector managing communications for The Greenlining Institute – a racial and economic justice policy organization – before working to advance local government policies in Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. JC is an alum of the Justice Funders Harmony Initiative, New Leaders Council San Francisco, and Front Line Leaders Academy leadership programs.

JC is a proud Double Bruin, holding a Master of Public Policy and a dual B.A. magna cum laude in Sociology and Asian American Studies from UCLA. He earned his Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) designation from the American College of Financial Services. He is honored to serve on the boards of The Greenlining Institute and Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy. On the weekends, you’ll likely find him enjoying hikes through nature, at a live-music event, playing and watching sports, or traveling and eating his way through new and familiar cities.

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Allistair (he/him) joined Peace Development Fund in November 2024. In this role, he is charged with guiding the strategy and overall direction of PDF in this next phase. This will build on his deep experience around participatory and community-led grantmaking funds that shift practices, and bridges relationships within the philanthropic field.

He has spent nearly 15 years supporting social justice efforts as a funder, community organizer, fundraiser, capacity builder, and networker. Before joining PDF, Allistair most recently was at Common Counsel Foundation as the Director of Strategy and Asset Building. Prior roles included Justice Funders, Philanthropy Massachusetts, Interaction Institute for Social Change, and Asian American Resource Workshop, amongst other organizations.

He serves as Board Chair for Asian Pacific Environmental Network in the Bay Area, as well as on the boards of Neighborhood Funders Group, Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy, and Filipino Advocates for Justice. Allistair is a proud Just Economy Institute alum and 21/64 Certified Advisor of Color. He holds a degree from Tufts University and resides in Berkeley, CA with his wife and young daughter.

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Brandi Collins-Calhoun is a writer, educator and reproductive justice activist. Brandi attended the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University where she studied African American History and found her passion for grassroots organizing.

Today she is the Senior Movement Engagement Associate for gender and worker rights with the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy in addition to serving as the Director of Reproductive and Maternal Health at the YWCA Greensboro.

Brandi has ties to grassroots organizations like Southerners On New Ground, Sister Song and serves on the board of directors for the Carolina Abortion Fund.

Her free time is spent as a birth/abortion doula and trainer while also freelance writing for publications such as The Root and Rewire News critiquing pop culture and history through a reproductive justice lens and is a 2019-2020 member of the Echoing Ida writing fellowship through Forward Together. 

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