When we at EPIP announced the departure of Executive Director Tamir Novotny in May, we knew two things were certain – 1) that we would continue to be a strong and leaderful organization, committed to our mission of building a just, equitable, and sustainable philanthropic sector and 2) that our community would stand beside us every step of the way. And true to form, our community has provided us with invaluable feedback and an outpouring of support, for which we are truly grateful. Your commitment to our shared vision for the sector, even during this period of transition, is inspiring and it is precisely why we remain steadfast in our efforts to ensure EPIP pushes forward to reach our goals and to build a sector that we can all be proud of.  

It was therefore important that we as an organization took our time to consider a path forward and to identify someone who embodies our values, is respected and trusted within the EPIP community and larger philanthropic sector, and can lead the organization through this transition period.  And so, it is with great excitement that we would like to announce that effective July 1st, Storme Gray, EPIP’s current Director of Programs, has been named EPIP’s Interim Executive Director. 

In addition to her contributions to the sector throughout her career, Storme has contributed to EPIP over the years in a variety of ways - she was an active EPIP member, a dedicated chapter leader, and an insightful board member before she joined the organization as the Director of Programs in 2016. The board is confident that Storme’s leadership and dedication to the pursuit of social justice within philanthropy make her an excellent choice to lead the organization during this time. Storme is looking forward to working with all of you in her new role, and we hope that you will welcome her with open arms and support her as she leads the organization.

While Storme serves as EPIP’s Interim Executive Director, the board is continuing to finalize plans for the national search for our next Executive Director. We are pleased to share that we are working with an organizational development consultant Lolita M. Ross of Shared Strategy Group on the national search process and will have additional information about the search in the months to come. In the meantime, we thank all those who have already expressed interest in the role and look forward to engaging with you further once our official search process begins.

Throughout this process, EPIP’s Board of Advisors has remained deeply and tirelessly devoted to EPIP’s work and mission. We would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every member of the board for their dedication to their roles as stewards and safeguards of the organization. We are especially grateful for two members of the board whose terms have recently come to an end – Treasurer Richard Brown (American Express) and member-at-large Elena Conley (Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation) – for their hard work and willingness to go above and beyond for EPIP. Both have been key to our success as a board and an organization. Thank you, Richard and Elena, and we look forward to seeing your continued efforts to bring equity and justice to our sector.

We are also excited to welcome a slate of new members to the EPIP Board of Advisors! Please join us in welcoming members-at-large Dion Cartwright (Funders Network for Smart Growth & Livable Communities), Michelle Jaramillo (Artesana Consulting), Maheen Kaleem, Esq. (NoVo Foundation), Arielle Milton (The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation), Dr. Cassie Schwerner (Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility), and Anthony Simmons (ABFE) to the EPIP Board of Advisors. Many of these names may be familiar to you, either from their work in the sector or their time in the EPIP community as members, chapter leaders, or champions. Each of them has demonstrated deep alignment with EPIP’s values through their work in the philanthropic and non-profit sectors, and we are excited for their leadership on EPIP’s board. Learn more about them here.

As EPIP continues to evolve and progress forward along the road towards an equitable and just philanthropic sector, we want to express our gratitude to you all once more. We do this work with you and for you, but we could not do it without you. If you have any questions now or at any point along the way, please feel free to reach out either to Storme ([email protected]) or the board ([email protected]).

Yours in solidarity,

Nakisha M. Lewis - Chair, EPIP Board of Advisors
Storme Gray - Interim Executive Director, EPIP