INDEPENDENT SECTOR - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- CEO
- President
- Member of the Board of American Airlines
- President and CEO, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation ( 2014 Gardner Award Recipient )
Alberto Ibargüen is president, CEO and a trustee of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
He is the former publisher of The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald. During his tenure, The Miami Herald won three Pulitzer Prizes and El Nuevo Herald won Spain's Ortega y Gasset Prize for excellence in journalism.
He graduated from Wesleyan University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Between college and law school, he served in the Peace Corps in Venezuela's Amazon Territory and was the Peace Corps Programming and Training Officer in Colombia, based in Bogotá. After law school, he practiced law in Hartford, Conn., until he joined The Hartford Courant, then Newsday in New York, before moving to Miami.
He is a former board chair of PBS of the Newseum in Washington, D.C. He also chaired the board of the World Wide Web Foundation, founded by Web inventor Sir Tim Berners -Lee to promote a free and universal Web. Over time, he has served on the boards of other arts, education and journalism organizations, including the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Wesleyan University and Smith College the Council on Foreign Relations, the Committee to Protect Journalists and ProPublica and the Secretary of State's Foreign Policy Advisory Board.
Ibargüen is a member of the board of American Airlines. Previously he served on the boards of PepsiCo, AOL and Norwegian Cruise Lines and on the Citizen Advisory Committee of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.
He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and a member of MIT's Visiting Committee for the Media Lab. For his work to protect journalists in Latin America, Ibargüen received a Maria Moors Cabot citation from Columbia University. Wesleyan University, The George Washington University, University of Miami, Mercer University, the University of Nebraska, Arizona State University and Stephens College have awarded him honorary degrees.
Alberto Ibargüen was the recipient of the 2014 John W. Gardner Leadership Award. Learn more about Alberto.
Job Titles:
- Board Chair of America 's Promise Alliance
- Founder, America 's Promise Alliance ( 2010 Gardner Award Recipient )
Job Titles:
- Manager
- Manager, Government Relations
Ana Montañez is Independent Sector's manager of government relations, where she works to advance policies that enable nonprofit organizations' ability to serve their communities. Prior joining Independent Sector, Ana was the government relations associate at the Council on Foundations. Ana spent some time on the Hill as a Leland Fellow in Rep. Henry Cuellar's office. Ana has a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Houston (Go Coogs!) and master's degree in Latin American Studies from the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, in her spare time Ana loves to travel as much as possible, read a good book, and discover new places around the District.
Job Titles:
- Founder in Residence, PolicyLink ( 2018 Gardner Award Recipient )
Job Titles:
- CEO of Candid and Author of Lean Impact
- CEO, Candid
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director, Public Policy and Government Relations
Ben Kershaw is Independent Sector's director of public policy and government relations, where he works to advance a policy agenda that protects and promotes nonprofit organizations' ability to serve their communities. Before joining Independent Sector in 2018, he was the director of policy and legislative affairs at the American Alliance of Museums. Ben also served as a legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen and to U.S. Representative Patrick Kennedy, advising them on a wide range of issues including tax and budget policy. He has a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University and spends his non-Zoom time at playgrounds with his daughters or watching any New England sports team.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Equal Justice Initiative ( 2016 Gardner Award Recipient )
Job Titles:
- Founder, America 's Promise Alliance ( 2010 Gardner Award Recipient )
Job Titles:
- Founding Co - Director, the Advancement Project ( 2013 Gardner Award Recipient )
Constance L. Rice was the 2013 recipient of the John W. Gardner Leadership Award. Learn more about Constance Rice.
Job Titles:
- Principal
- Principal, Deloitte LLP
Debra Rainey is Manager, Communications, at Independent Sector. As a skilled writer and editor, she works on a wide variety of initiatives on the Engagement and Communications (EnCom) team, including serving as managing editor of the Upswell blog, contributing editor for Common Good(s) and Voices for Good, and co-host of the Upswell podcast. She also has extensive experience on the Independent Sector resource development team and has served in a number of key internal and corporate communications positions at Fannie Mae, Pepco, and the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation.
Job Titles:
- Founder, YouthBuild U.S.a. ( 2000 Gardner Award Recipient )
Job Titles:
- CEO
- President
- President of the Board of Directors of Grounded Solutions Network
Dr. Watkins serves as President of the Board of Directors of Grounded Solutions Network, Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of Up for Growth Action, an Executive Committee member of the National Housing Conference's Board of Governors, and a Board member for Common Future.
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Executive Director, National Collaborative for Health Equity ( 2021 Gardner Award Recipient )
- Social Change Agent
Job Titles:
- President, T. Rowe Price Foundation and President of T. Rowe Price Charitable
- Writer With Forbes
Job Titles:
- Director of the Smithsonian 's National Museum of African Art
Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole has served as the director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art since 2009, and she serves on the Scholar Advisory Committee of the Smithsonian's new National Museum of African American History and Culture. An anthropologist by training, she was the first African American woman to serve as president of Spelman College, and she was also the president of Bennett College.
Job Titles:
- Distinguished Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California
- Equity Research Institute, University of Southern California
Job Titles:
- Director of Operations and Administration
Elyse Harrington is the director of operations and administration at Independent Sector. In this role she manages the customer relationship management database and data about constituents in order to provide the insights needed to help the organization grow and achieve its goals. Elyse holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Pittsburgh and a master's degree in public administration from George Washington University.
Job Titles:
- President and CEO, National Women 's Law Center ( 2020 Gardner Award Recipient )
Job Titles:
- CEO of the San Francisco Foundation
- CEO, San Francisco Foundation ( Chair )
Job Titles:
- President, Harlem Children 's Zone ( 2009 Gardner Award Recipient )
Job Titles:
- Senior Director
- Senior Director, Community Engagement
Habib is the senior director of community engagement at Independent Sector. In this role, he builds out strategies for deep engagement with targeted groups of changemakers through numerous vehicles. This includes managing program design, logistics and execution for Upswell Summit, Independent Sector's annual gathering of social good changemakers, and managing Independent Sector's fellowship programs. He also leads Independent Sector's community activation and innovation strategies. Habib has been at Independent Sector for eleven years and has previously served as a Director of Community Building focused on community organizing, leadership development, and as the executive assistant to the president and CEO of Independent Sector. Habib is fluent in French and loves to travel.
Harris Wofford was the 2002 recipient of the John W. Gardner Leadership Award.
Job Titles:
- President and CEO of Philanthropy Southeast
Janine Lee is the President and CEO of Philanthropy Southeast, the premier philanthropic network for courageous leaders, ideas and resources focused on the American South and U.S. Caribbean territories. Philanthropy Southeast works in partnership with members in 11 Southeastern states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, connecting them to experts, innovations and best practices in philanthropy while promoting peer-to-peer learning and leadership development. By coming together, Philanthropy Southeast and its members spark transformative work that achieves lasting impact, advances equity, and builds a brighter future for the South, its communities and all its people.
During a career in philanthropy spanning more than 30 years, Janine has served in leadership roles at The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, where she worked as vice president of education programs, and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where she was vice president of community building and philanthropy.
Janine serves on the Board of Directors of Independent Sector and on the United Philanthropy Forum's Racial Equity Committee, as well as its Racial Equity Capacity Assessment Subcommittee. Her previous board service includes the United Philanthropy Forum (formerly the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers), the National Center for Family Philanthropy and the Mayor's Advisory Board on Homelessness in Atlanta. She also serves on the Advisory Committee of Third Sector Capital Partners, the Advisory Committee for ABFE's 50th Anniversary Campaign, the Steering Committee of the Georgia Grantmakers Alliance (GGA), the Advisory Committee for the Foundation Center in Atlanta, and the Steering Committee guiding the Bechtel Foundation's research into resiliency. She is a co-founder and former chair of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO). She has presented at various conferences, including those held by Independent Sector and the Council on Foundations. In 2015, she was named one of America's Top 20 Women in Philanthropy and Civic Engagement by Michael Chatman, one of America's leading advocates for philanthropy on social media. In 2017, she was named an Arthur Vining Davis Foundations Aspen Fellow. She has been featured multiple times in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, including its July 2019 cover story, "Leaders of Color Speak Out," and as co-author of a November 2019 op-ed, "A Call to Grant Makers: National Progress is Impossible Without Southern Progress." She has been interviewed for articles in Inside Philanthropy and other publications.
Janine holds a bachelor's degree in rehabilitation services education, a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling, a master's degree in business administration from Rockhurst University, and is a co-author of "Funding Effectiveness: Lessons in Building Nonprofit Capacity" (Jossey-Bass, 2005).
Job Titles:
- Founder and Chair, Skoll Foundation ( 2012 Gardner Award Recipient )
As founder and chairman of the Skoll Foundation, the Skoll Global Threats Fund, Participant Media, and the Capricorn Investment Group, Jeff Skoll is bringing life to his vision of a sustainable world of peace and prosperity.
As the first full-time employee and first President of eBay, Jeff developed the company's inaugural business plan and led its successful initial public offering. eBay has since become the world's largest on-line marketplace, giving hundreds of millions of buyers and sellers the opportunity to connect and become successful online entrepreneurs.
After pioneering the creation of the eBay Foundation, Jeff founded the Skoll Foundation in 1999.
Over the last 15 years, Jeff has created an innovative portfolio of philanthropic and commercial enterprises, each a distinctive social catalyst. Together, these organizations drive social impact by investing in a range of efforts that integrate powerful stories and data with entrepreneurial approaches.
Jeff holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2012. Jeff's other honors include the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy (2017), Jefferson Award's S. Roger Horchow Award for Greatest Public Service by a Private Citizen (2015), a career tribute at the Gotham Independent Film Awards (2012), and the John W. Gardner Leadership Award (2012).
Jeff Skoll was the 2012 recipient of the John W. Gardner Leadership Award. Learn more about Jeff Skoll.
Jeff Moore currently serves as chief strategy officer, supporting the organization's critical strategic visioning efforts as it guides the sector to meet the future needs of democratic society. He is a senior leader with broad experience in the nonprofit field, government, and industry. He most recently served in an executive role in the health-systems research field.
Jeff has served as a senior advisor to the Secretary of Defense and as legislative director to Congressman Thomas J. Downey (NY). In each of his positions, he has built critical partnerships and alliances that have accelerated organizational and mission success. His leadership style-he was described by one of his former board members as being "the weaver of the cloth"-and career experiences create a unique foundation for advancing critical thinking, strategic development, and organizational performance.
Job Titles:
- President, Bush Foundation ( Treasurer )
Job Titles:
- CAE
- Director, Corporate Partnerships
Kathy Bradley, CAE joined Independent Sector as Director, Corporate Partnerships in June 2021. Kathy's expertise is in helping organizations build strategies and conduct outreach programs that produce millions of dollars in new funding. Her specialties include converting one-off sales to year-round partnerships, resulting in increased revenue; market-based research to find new and innovative opportunities for engagement; message development around the basis for support; direct cultivation; and building the type of value delivery that creates longstanding relationships.
Previously, Kathy spent nearly 12 years at MCI USA, an association management, global engagement and marketing agency. Kathy led the fundraising and sales team as well as management of two professional societies where she was responsible for governance, operations, marketing, partnerships, and more.
Prior to her tenure at MCI USA, Kathy spent more than a decade honing her skills in both fundraising and events, including managing sponsorship, underwriting, and exhibit sales for trade shows with more than 350 participating supporting organizations.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director, Foundation Partnerships
Katie Cattell joined Independent Sector as director of foundation relations in 2020. Prior to joining Independent Sector, Katie worked at Communities In Schools, the nation's largest and most effective dropout prevention organization, for more than nine years, where she served as the principal of institutional relations. Katie also spent five years on the resource development team at American Rivers, a national non-profit environmental organization. Katie holds a master's degree in public history from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro and a bachelor's degree in history from Clemson University.
Lindsay Marcal is the manager of membership at Independent Sector. In this role, Lindsay is responsible for managing member retention processes and supporting member engagement. Previously, Lindsay worked for Jumpstart, an education nonprofit, in a cross-departmental role managing development, event-planning, communications, and operations. Prior to Jumpstart, Lindsay worked in development and communications at the National Breast Cancer Coalition. Lindsay has a graduate certificate in public relations from University of Maryland University College and a bachelor's degree in communication from the University of Maryland, College Park. She is a volunteer at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue and HIAS.
Job Titles:
- Founder, Center for Health, Environment, and Justice ( 1999 Gardner Award Recipient )
Job Titles:
- Community Engagement Manager
Loriane Ngarambe is the Community Engagement Manager at Independent Sector. In this role she manages and executes comprehensive community building strategies. Loriane comes to Independent Sector from Rochester, NY where she led the community engagement efforts for the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative. She is passionate about making space for all people at all tables and shining a light on community voice through authentic engagement. She is a lover of all delicious things and learning new talents from the YouTube University.
Job Titles:
- Director of Strategic Communications and Public Relations
Job Titles:
- CEO and Chair, Ashoka ( 2011 Gardner Award Recipient )
- Founder and CEO of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public
William Drayton is the founder and CEO of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public. Mr. Drayton has pioneered the field of social entrepreneurship, growing a global association of nearly 3,000 leading social entrepreneurs who work together to create an ‘Everyone a Changemaker' world. He previously worked for McKinsey and Company in New York and served as Assistant Administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. Drayton is the chair of Youth Venture, Community Greens, and Get America Working! He has won numerous awards and honors throughout his career including an Honorary Doctorate from NYU and the Essl Social Prize for his work creating and building the field of social entrepreneurship. In 2011, he received honorary doctorates from Babson College and Marquette University. Most recently, Mr. Drayton received the Prince of Asturias Prize for International Cooperation, Spain's highest honor.
Job Titles:
- CEO, HOPE ( Hope Enterprise Corporation, Hope Credit Union and Hope Policy Institute )