GLASSPOCKETS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Communications and Outreach Manager
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Influence
As VP of Influence, Aleda leads Candid's thought leadership, strategic coalitions, and campaigns to increase Candid's collective impact and support a stronger social sector. She directs the Influence teams, including Communications and Brand Awareness, Development, Partnerships, and Partnership Operations. In close collaboration with the CEO and executive team, Aleda is responsible for creating and executing Candid's influence strategy, defining how Candid shows up in the world - what we say, how we say it, and who we partner with.
Aleda is passionate about making connections, solving problems, advocating for resources, and shifting power structures. She began her career in advocacy as a program assistant at the General Federation of Women's Clubs in 2004, later served as sales and membership coordinator for Institutional Investor, and worked with North Star Planning and Evaluation Consultants as a researcher. Aleda joined Candid via the Foundation Center in 2013 as a development associate, and with the evolvement of her strong leadership skills, advanced to development manager, director, senior director of development, and associate vice president of development.
Aleda holds a B.A. in international studies from American University and a master's degree in urban planning from Hunter College with a focus on community advocacy. In her spare time, Aleda is active in community and electoral organizing, and spending quality time with family.
Job Titles:
- President
- President of HIP
- Senior Advisor for the Equitable Development Team
Ana Marie is president of HIP. She is a second-term Candid trustee, having started with Foundation Center's board in 2015.
Before HIP, Ana Marie joined the Ford Foundation in 2014 as a senior advisor for the Equitable Development Team. She focused on urban development, strategies to reduce poverty, expand economic opportunity, and advance sustainability worldwide. She served five years as deputy chief of staff and deputy assistant secretary at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), creating the Office for International and Philanthropic Innovation (IPI). The IPI model of sourcing innovation and leveraging partnerships from broad global networks is being successfully replicated at other federal agencies and in cities nationwide. She spent eight years as a senior program officer at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, spearheading work in rural areas, indigenous communities, and the US-Mexico border region.
Ana Marie was an adjunct professor of international urban planning at New York University's Wagner School of Public Service. She has worked successfully within the public and nonprofit sectors in a range of capacities - from educational programs manager at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, to director of the New Workplace for women project at the National Council of La Raza, to deputy director of Ayuda, a community based legal clinic serving immigrants in Washington DC. She is an entrepreneurial thinker, bridging diverse agendas and achieving results.
Ana Marie received her bachelor's degree in international relations from American University and her master's degree in public administration from Harvard University.
Angela F. Williams is President and CEO of United Way Worldwide.
With over 30 years of leadership in the nonprofit and corporate sectors, Williams brings a long history of purpose-driven work to her role at United Way Worldwide. Angela joined Candid's board in 2022.
She was named to Forbes' 2021 List of Women 50 Over 50 Creating Social Change at Scale and presented with a 2021 CEO Today Healthcare Award.
Angela was raised in a military family and served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG) for over six years following her graduation from the University of Texas School of Law.
She was executive vice president, general counsel, and chief administration officer at YMCA of the USA.
She also served on Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's Senate Judiciary Committee staff as special counsel on criminal law, prosecutor on the DOJ Civil Rights Division's National Church Arson Task Force, and an Assistant U.S. Attorney.
Angela was vice president and deputy general counsel for Sears Holdings Corp, chief compliance and ethics officer after working at Bryan Cave law firm, and interfaith liaison for the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund.
A native of Anderson, South Carolina, Angela earned a BA in American government from the University of Virginia, a JD from the University of Texas School of Law and a MDiv cum laude from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University.
Angela resides in Chicago with her husband, the Reverend Roderick Williams. She is a volunteer pastor at Chicago Apostolic Center.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- CEO of Candid
Ann Mei Chang is the CEO of Candid, a nonprofit that provides the most comprehensive data about the social sector-where money comes from, where it goes, and why it matters. She is also the author of Lean Impact: How to Innovate for Radically Greater Social Good. A leading expert on social innovation, Ann Mei previously served as the Chief Innovation Officer at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Mercy Corps, and Pete for America. As the first Executive Director of the US Global Development Lab, she harnessed best practices for innovation to accelerate the impact and scale of solutions to the world's most intractable challenges.
Prior to her work in the public and social sectors, Ann Mei was a seasoned technology executive, with more than 20 years of experience at Google, Apple, and Intuit, as well as at a range of startups. As senior engineering director at Google, she led worldwide engineering for mobile applications and services, with a mission to bring the next billion people online.
She was recognized as one of the "Women in the World: 125 Women of Impact" by Newsweek/The Daily Beast in 2013, "23 most powerful LGBTQ+ people in tech" by Business Insider in 2019, and "20 Top LGBTQ+ Entrepreneurs, Executives and Thought Leaders" by Global Shakers in 2019.
Ann Mei earned a B.S. in computer science from Stanford University and is a member of the Aspen Institute's Henry Crown Fellows class of 2011.
Brian is a Partner in the New York office of Bridges Fund Management, a leading global impact investment firm with more than $1B in assets under management. Brian has more than 15 years of impact investing experience, having served until 2012 as chief investment officer of Acumen, a global fund that invested in companies delivering health, water, energy, and agriculture services in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. He is a first-term Candid trustee, having joined with GuideStar in 2016.
Brian was also a co-founding board member of Impact Capital Managers, a network of market-rate impact investors in North America; the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE); and, a principal architect of the Impact Reporting and Investment Standards (IRIS). Before Acumen Fund, Brian worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, was a lead environmental staff person at the Corporation for National Service and was involved in a range of nonprofit and for-profit start-ups.
Brian has an undergraduate degree from Harvard University, an M.B.A. from Stanford's Graduate School of Business, and an M.A. in city and regional planning from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a Kauffman Fellows of the Center for Venture Education and a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute. He teaches social entrepreneurship to M.A. students at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School and is a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School.
Job Titles:
- Lead Instructional Designer
As Lead Instructional Designer on the Candid Learning team, Chris applies best practices from the instructional design world to optimize and grow Candid's training offerings. In this role, they bring their passion for crafting engaging learning experiences to building curriculum for people who are making the world a better place. Chris loves learning and it shows in their career, which has included designing online courses for adult learners, orienting professors to the world of online teaching, and training recruiters on how to leverage software to find great candidates. Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from Goucher College and an M.A. in Politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz. In their spare time, they enjoy photography, collage, and hunting for quirky vintage finds.
Job Titles:
- CEO of Entrepreneurship Education Consortium
- Chief Executive Officer / Entrepreneurship Education Consortium / Hudson
In 2022, Deborah was appointed CEO of Entrepreneurship Education Consortium, the Northeast Ohio hub for university-based entrepreneurship, innovation programming and ecosystem development. Previously, Deborah served as president and CEO of Burton D. Morgan Foundation, a private foundation dedicated to advancing entrepreneurship. She is a three-term Candid trustee as of 2014.
Deborah was instrumental in Morgan Foundation's Northeast Ohio Collegiate Entrepreneurship Program, a Kauffman Campuses℠ Initiative, spreading entrepreneurship across campuses; and in developing NEOLaunchNET, a five-campus programs network supporting student venture creation. She spearheaded the decision to establish the Entrepreneurship Education Experiment, a research institute that advances entrepreneurship education through leading-edge research and programs. Deborah received the Northeast Ohio EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2014.
From 2013 to 2015, Deborah chaired the Fund for Our Economic Future, a philanthropic collaborative advancing Northeast Ohio's economic competitiveness. She serves on the boards of the Bounce Innovation Hub, Team NEO, and the Norman Rockwell Museum. She is co-chair of the international Deshpande Symposium focused on entrepreneurship and higher education.
Deborah earned her B. A. from Williams College, master's in art history from the University of Chicago, and master's in cultural history from Kent State University, a J.D. degree at George Washington University and is a member of the bar in the District of Columbia, New Hampshire, and Ohio. She completed Harvard Business School's "Governing for Non-Profit Excellence Executive Education Program" and "Performance Measurement for Effective Management of Nonprofit Organizations." She holds an honorary doctorate from Baldwin Wallace University.
DeeDee leads Candid's human resources, payroll, and facilities & office services teams. She's responsible for developing effective HR strategies to drive improved and sustainable organizational performance, employee engagement, and productive work environments. Before Candid, DeeDee had been Foundation Center's HR Director since 2010.
DeeDee's own talent draws on 20+ years of experience in the financial services and nonprofit sectors where she gained extensive experience partnering with senior leaders. Throughout her career, DeeDee developed comprehensive knowledge of all facets of HR, including recruitment & selection, employee training & development, performance management & assessment, policy creation & implementation, and benefits & compensation analysis. DeeDee worked at Citigroup for many years, where prior to becoming the Vice President of Employee Relations and Programs, she held increasingly responsible leadership positions supporting employees in capital markets, finance, and the private client group. Following her tenure at Citigroup, she led the human resources, payroll, and administrative areas at the Harlem School of the Arts, a nonprofit community-based organization that trains more than 3,000 students a year in dance, music, theater, and visual arts. In her role as the HR Director from 2007 to 2009, DeeDee built the organization's first HR function, including the introduction of annual processes for salary analysis, benefit plan reviews, and performance evaluations. She also served on the Personnel Committee of the Board of Directors.
DeeDee has a bachelor's degree in business management from Howard University and a M.S. in HR Management from the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy at The New School.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair
- President and CEO of the MNA
- VP of Strategy and Development of the National Council of Nonprofits
Donna Murray-Brown is the inaugural VP of Strategy and Development of the National Council of Nonprofits. Donna leads the growth core resources through practical and impactful strategic initiatives that integrate the knowledge, policy, and advocacy competencies and support the network in advancing those strategic initiatives.
Donna was introduced to the nonprofit sector while serving on the United Way for Southeastern Michigan's advisory board. After transitioning from a 20+ year banking career, she initially led the work of the Metro Detroit Partnership Office for Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA), a statewide membership organization providing nonprofits with advocacy, training, technology services, and civic engagement initiatives.
In 2013, Donna became president and CEO of the MNA. and is credited for being a bold and inclusive leader who created space for groundbreaking initiatives, including a Census 2020 Michigan complete count initiative, COVID-19 mitigation programs and strategies supporting nonprofit leaders of color.
Twice honored as a NonProfit Times Power and Influence Top 50 leader in the nonprofit sector, Donna was recognized by Crain's Detroit Business in 2021 as one of the Most Influential Women in Michigan. She serves on the Board for Candid and Detroit Public TV, and on the Leadership Council for the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University.
She is a first-generation college graduate earning a master's degree in Community Development from the University of Detroit Mercy and a BS in Business Administration from Central State University. She holds professional certifications from Boston College and Harvard Business School.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Executive Director
- Global Leader
Esther Benjamin has been a global leader in business, government, and non-profit organizations for more than 25 years working in over 100 countries. She is currently CEO and Executive Director of World Education Services. She is a Visiting Fellow with the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. She joined Candid's board in 2022.
Previously, Esther worked with Laureate Education as CEO for Africa Operations and then as SVP for Global Public Affairs. Esther served in President Obama's Administration as Peace Corps Associate Director for Global Operations.
Earlier in her career, Esther was CFO and then VP for Business Development at the International Youth Foundation. She was Executive Director for Resource Development at the International Partnership for Microbicides. She worked on the Brookings Institution's publication The World Bank: Its First Half Century. She worked in management consulting with Grant Thornton.
In 1999, President Clinton appointed Esther a White House Fellow. Esther was also a United Nations Humanitarian Affairs Officer in Somalia.
Dickinson College awarded Esther an honorary doctorate in International Education. She holds master's degrees in International Affairs and Applied Economics from American University, and a bachelor's degree in Political Science and English from North Central College where she is a Trustee.
Esther serves on the Board of Directors of Echoing Green and B Lab Global. She received the 2021 Fulbright Award for Global Leadership from One to World. New York Times best-selling author Wes Moore profiled Esther as "The Globalist" in his book The Work: Searching for a Life that Matters.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Learning Experience
Janet leads the integration and oversight of Candid's various learning platforms, including curriculum design and the development of learning tools and content on both Candid Learning and Candid Learning for Funders. She previously served as the director of transparency initiatives for Foundation Center, working to champion greater foundation transparency by providing leadership for Glasspockets.org, which she helped to found and build in 2010.
Previously, Janet also served as director of Foundation Center's regional office in San Francisco for 15 years. She led a team of regional professionals in delivering extensive outreach and capacity building services throughout the Western United States, planning and overseeing training for social sector audiences, carrying out donor development and cultivation, and producing live and online programming such as the popular Meet the Grantmakers and Philanthropy Chat podcast series. As a first-generation American whose family emigrated from Mexico, Janet is committed to creating inclusive learning tools and also led the development and delivery of Foundation Center's first Spanish-language translations of its capacity building resources.
Janet was among 48 nonprofit leaders selected for the American Express Nonprofit Leadership Academy. She completed her undergraduate work at Mills College and received a master's degree in library and information science from San Jose State University. She serves on the boards of PEAK Grantmaking, the Alameda County Library Foundation, and Community Initiatives, a fiscal sponsorship provider, and also volunteers teaching art at her children's elementary school.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Product Management
John brings over twenty years of leadership experience across the private and social sectors. He started his career at Intel and, most recently, was Chief Operations and Solutions Delivery Officer at The Center to Promote Healthcare Access (DBA: Alluma). Throughout his career, he held various leadership positions in product management and strategy, business development, and operations at Now Software, Getty Images, In Focus Systems, Xerox, and Internet Archive. He has also been providing consulting advisory services for philanthropic organizations, such as the MacArthur Foundation Lever for Change.
John earned his Bachelors in Computer Science & Electrical Engineering from MIT, and MBA from Stanford. He is currently the board chair at the Buck Institute for Education (DBA: PBLWORKS).
As head of Candid's Product Management division, John will lead overall product vision, product strategy, and product development at Candid. As a member of the executive leadership team, he will collaborate across Candid's divisions to develop and deliver products and services and to ensure Candid's offerings are widely adopted and aligned with sector trends.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Expert
Kami Dar is an impact-focused leader and expert on systems, automation, data analytics, and talent management in the global development and impact sector. He is currently co-founder and chief executive of Uniti Networks, a startup seeking to accelerate digital service adoption among the bottom billion with a focus on equitable access and impact. Kami joined Candid's board in 2021.
Previously, Kami served as co-founder and innovator-in-chief at the media platform for global development, Devex, where he spent nearly two decades leading a team of analysts, researchers, engineers, and designers to deliver the world-class technologies that made Devex the definitive hub for more than a million development professionals.
He has worked closely with external development partners, including Oxfam and the World Bank, and tackled complex integrations and strategic alignment with a diverse group of technology partners and platforms ranging from ERP and analytics to agile management and algorithmically-driven solutions for mapping of development activities.
Earlier, Kami worked on systems consulting and product deployment with the U.S. Government at a large technology consulting firm. He subsequently worked on the design and development of a monitoring & evaluation (M&E) platform for a $54 million USAID program.
Kami advises organizations engaged in large-scale system change in pursuit of the Global Goals. He still serves on the Devex Board of Directors as well as the European Board of WorldReader -- a leader in digital reading in under-served communities worldwide -- and the board of AfricaWorks, a non-profit supporting expertise and talent on the African continent.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer / the MacArthur Foundation
- Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the MacArthur Foundation
Kenneth Jones is the senior vice president and chief operating officer of the MacArthur Foundation. He is responsible for all aspects of the finance, accounting, tax, audit, information technology, grants management, administrative services, core services and facilities functions for the Foundation. He also serves as the Chief Equity Officer for the Foundation. Ken joined Candid's board in 2021.
Prior to joining the MacArthur Foundation, Ken was the vice president and chief financial officer for the Annie E. Casey Foundation. He traveled extensively in Africa and Southeast Asia as CFO for Danya International, a public health and education organization and Jhpiego, a nonprofit international health affiliate of Johns Hopkins University. Ken previously held corporate finance positions at Ford Motor Company, Pfizer Corporation and Prudential.
Ken received his MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, a master's degree in economics from the University at Buffalo and a bachelor's degree from Boston University.
Ken serves on the boards of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, the Mission Investors Exchange, the Joint Center, the Thurgood Marshall Academy, the Southern Education Foundation, the Center for Urban Families, and Corus. He is a Who's Who Black Baltimore recipient, Arthur Vining Davis Fellow for the Aspen Ideas Festival, Presidential Scholar at Concordia College - New York, Smart CEO Magazine Executive Management Award recipient as well as a DCA Live Star CFO awardee. Ken was in the 2nd Cohort of the Council on Foundations' Career Pathways Program, 2021 ABFE James Joseph Lecturer and a 2022 Daniel Burnham Fellow (Chicago Leadership).
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Technology
Kevin's teams of software engineers, architects, analysts and testers make (and for testing purposes, try to break) the technology and infrastructure that buttress every aspect of Candid. This includes internal and external systems, ecommerce, security and IT support, to name a few. His team also develops and maintains Candid's product offerings in conjunction with Candid's products team.
Kevin leads Candid's Business Systems & Intelligence, Software Engineering, and System Services departments. Previously, he was Foundation Center's director of technology integration, managing the Business Insights and Systems Services teams.
Kevin brings more than 20 years of experience as a software developer and systems architect. He started his career as a custom software developer at PEC Technologies from 1999 to 2010 and was assistant technical manager at MacauSlot (China) from 2008 to 2010. He joined KPMG in 2010, where he became manager of development. In 2014, he joined Slalom Consulting as solution principal before joining Foundation Center. While at Slalom, Kevin served as the technical lead for the design and build of Foundation Center's Enterprise Database Management System (EDMS).
Kevin has a B.S. in computer science from Grand Valley State University, during which time he spent a summer studying intensive Japanese at ICU in Tokyo that sparked a desire to spend more time abroad. As a result, he studied Mandarin Chinese at Beijing Language and Culture University from 2006 to 2007 and lived in China for three more years. Because of these experiences, he brings an international perspective to his role.
Job Titles:
- Instructional Design Specialist
As an Instructional Design Specialist, Kristin works with Candid's Learning Experience team to create and improve a wide variety of learning content and experiences, including eLearning, instructional videos, blogs, and field guides. With her experience as a public school teacher, Kristin strives to develop engaging learning materials and create content that helps a variety of learners understand more about philanthropy. Kristin has a B.A. degree in English Literature, as well as an M.A.T. degree in Secondary English Education from Middle Georgia State University. A skilled papercrafter, needleworker, and photographer, Kristin has never met a hobby she didn't enjoy.
Job Titles:
- CEO / M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Co - Founder
- Co - Founder and CEO at BrightHive
- Fellow at the University of Chicago 's Knowledge Lab
Matt is co-founder and CEO at BrightHive, a public benefit corporation that designs, develops, and manages data collaboratives. BrightHive works with public and private-sector collaboratives to put in place a legal, technical, and governance framework called a data trust, empowering collectives of organizations to responsibly share, integrate, and use their respective data sources for a combined purpose. He joined Candid's board in 2020.
Matt is a Data and Society Fellow at the University of Chicago's Knowledge Lab and the co-founder of the Data Science for Social Good fellowship, funded by Schmidt Futures. Matt has led dozens of major research and open innovation initiatives in interoperability, data governance, machine learning, and AI.
Prior to BrightHive, Matt worked at the US Treasury, University of Chicago's Center for Data Science and Public Policy, and founded several companies using data to improve society. He's served as an advisor to Code for America, DataKind, and the World Bank, and currently serves on the board of Candid.
Matt is a graduate of Brigham Young University and the University of Chicago.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Director / Trustee of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
- Founding President and CEO of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc
Melissa has been a guest lecturer at universities across the world, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Duke, IMD, Sciences Po, Oxford, Sun-Yat Sen, and Beijing Normal universities. A widely recognized expert in philanthropy, she has been profiled in the New York Times and the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Her views are featured in the Economist, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Financial Times, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy. She has been interviewed on the Today Show, NBC Nightly News, NPR, BBC Radio, CNBC-TV, and Bloomberg TV.
Melissa is the founding president and CEO of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc., an innovative nonprofit philanthropy service launched by the Rockefeller family in 2002. She is a second-term Candid trustee, having joined Foundation Center's board in 2015.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Planning
Miz thrives in making Candid's cross-departmental workings run smoothly. She leads organization-wide planning, reporting, contracts, and internal communications. She also serves as board secretary to help the board be effective and efficient. Miz played a key role in Candid's formation in 2019 and helps lead the charge on coordinating the integration workstreams especially culture and change management. Miz has been building teams and operations of small and medium-sized social enterprises for 20 years. She draws on international management experience in the philanthropic, nonprofit, and financial services sectors. A results-driven leader who identifies strategic opportunities, she accelerates process improvements to drive change in organizations. Early in her career, Miz worked at Fannie Mae Foundation, Citigroup, and impact investing firm, Acumen. From 2005 to 2011, she worked at Usaha Tegas, a $10 billion conglomerate in Malaysia. She managed $1 billion in investments and led philanthropic initiatives in the chairman's office. From 2011 to 2013, she was vice president of operations, strategy, and talent at Global Citizen Year, an internationally focused youth-leadership nonprofit. From 2013 to 2019, she led GuideStar's finance, strategic planning, and monitoring and evaluation systems. Miz brought the breadth of her cross-sector experiences to bear when GuideStar and Foundation Center joined forces. Miz serves on two DC-based nonprofit boards - Capital City Public Charter School and capacity-builder Fair Chance - which grounds her big-picture work at Candid in community-based organizations. She holds a B.S. in Commerce from the University of Virginia and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.
Mosun Layode is a development professional with two decades of experience in international development and nonprofit leadership. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the African Philanthropy Forum (APF) where she works extensively across Africa with established and emerging philanthropists who are committed to the sustainable and inclusive development of Africa. She joined Candid's board in 2020.
Mosun was instrumental to the establishment of APF as an independent entity in Africa, increasing its reach and impact in the philanthropic community, as well as growing its brand and membership base. Prior to this, she served as the Executive Director of WIMBIZ and LEAP Africa, leading nonprofits in Nigeria. Passionate about the interplay of social issues and business, Mosun founded Social Runway, a nonprofit organization that supports social innovators. She has also served as an independent development consultant for nonprofit organizations.
Mosun currently sits on nonprofit boards, is an alumna of the United States International Visitors Leadership Program and was identified by Forbes as one of the black women to watch in philanthropy.
Mosun studied Urban and Regional Planning at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, and obtained an MSc. in Environmental Resources Management from Lagos State University. She has an MBA from Lagos Business School and benefited from Executive Programs offered by the IESE Business School, Barcelona, and Harvard Business School.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- CEO at AFF
- CEO for the Arab Foundations Forum
Naila is CEO for the Arab Foundations Forum (AFF), a membership-based association of foundations and philanthropic entities across the Arab region. She joined Candid's board in 2020.
Naila became CEO at AFF in 2014, at a time of upheaval for the organization and the Arab region. She successfully revitalized the network by increasing its geographic footprint, growing membership, increasing funding, and creating global visibility for the network. Naila also chairs the board of the WINGS Network (Worldwide Initiative for Grantmaker Support), a global membership association of 130 members in 45 countries. She serves on the boards of ArteEast (New York), the Resource Alliance (global), and The Family Hub (Egypt).
With over 20 years of experience in philanthropy management, project management, media production, and strategic communication, Naila is a Peabody Award-winning executive whose career spans several continents.
Prior to AFF, Naila managed Sesame Workshop's multi-media Sesame Street co-productions in 17 countries. She has also worked on a wide range of projects as a Media and Communications consultant.
Naila consulted for the John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy and Civic Engagement at the American University in Cairo. She is widely published, including co-authoring a chapter for the book "Global Best Practices for CSO, NGO, and other Nonprofit Boards: Lessons from Around the World," published by Wiley.
Naila grew up mostly in Cairo, Egypt, and has lived in Kenya, New York, Washington DC, Jordan, Switzerland, and South Africa. She holds a B.A. in psychology from the American University in Cairo.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Programs at the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
- Vice President, Programs / Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
Neal is the vice president of Programs at the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation in Flint, Michigan. With offices and staff in the United States, United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil, the Mott Foundation provides approximately $140 million in grants annually to promote a just, equitable and sustainable society. Neal joined Mott in January 2000 and held a series of portfolios and positions within the Programs department and was appointed vice president of Programs in 2011. Neal works closely with staff, trustees and senior management to design, implement and oversee grantmaking strategies in the Mott Foundation's four program areas which include Flint, Education, Civil Society and Environment. He is a second-term Candid trustee, having started with Foundation Center in 2014.
Before joining the Mott Foundation, he worked for several nonprofit and community-based agencies, including the Capital Area Literacy Coalition in Lansing, Michigan, where he witnessed the power of volunteerism and community service while managing a dedicated volunteer group of AmeriCorps VISTAs (Volunteers in service to America).
Neal currently is a member of the Michigan State University Political Science Advisory Board and the Michigan Office of Foundation Liaison Advisory Committee. He previously served as the chair of the Council of Michigan Foundations.
He holds a bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University and a master's degree from Michigan State University.
Job Titles:
- President
- Member of Candid 's Board
Rhett was named vice president of the Endowment in 2009 and became president in July 2016. As president, he has begun carrying out the Board of Trustees' vision for an organization-wide strategic focus on early childhood. He has also collaborated with program staff to refine grantmaking strategies and seek new ways to produce measurable impact and social change.
Rhett became a member of Candid's board in 2020. He joined The Duke Endowment in 1992 as associate director of the Health Care program area. In 1998, he was named Director of Child Care. During his tenure as Director of the Child Care, Rhett played a key role in redefining the Endowment's approach to children's services. The foundation expanded its Child Care beneficiary list beyond residential group care to include prevention and early intervention providers such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, child advocacy centers, child abuse prevention agencies and, under certain circumstances, the public child welfare system.
Job Titles:
- CEO / M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust
An accomplished team builder, convener, and leader, Romanita draws on over two decades of experience in the nonprofit, for-profit, board service, and philanthropic sectors to inform and animate her leadership of the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust and stewardship of the private nonprofit foundation's mission. She joined Candid's board in 2023.
Romanita gained a deep understanding of nonprofit service, management, and leadership as she held a variety of roles at World Vision, serving millions of beneficiaries and nonprofits across the United States, including as vice president of US programs for a decade.
In 2016 she joined the Murdock Trust as a program director working with nonprofits and leaders across various sectors. Romanita collaborated with staff and constituents to develop enrichment programs and convenings designed to serve the diverse needs of the region and served on national convenings and working groups.
Romanita joined Microsoft in 2018 where she led a global effort focused on understanding how to improve employability in higher education through technical skilling and workforce partnerships. She also lead the technical content portfolio management team responsible for skilling Microsoft global audience as well as her department's DEI efforts focusing on building community and greater cultural competence.
Romanita graduated from the University of Washington and earned an MBA in global development and nonprofit management from Eastern University in Philadelphia. She founded MORE320, a nonprofit consulting company supporting organizations as they seek to effect social change. An active volunteer, Romanita has served on numerous boards leading up to her role with the Trust.
Job Titles:
- Director of International Relations, Regional Groups and Finances
Rosa has been director of the Spanish Association of Foundations since 2001. The association represents 1,000 members and advocates for foundations in Spain. She joined Candid's board in 2020.
Rosa is responsible for the association's international activities and regional groups. She is also involved in data-gathering initiatives of the foundation sector in Spain, where the Spanish Association of Foundations is the leading organization in the field. She helped create the Global Philanthropy Data Charter launched by WINGS (Worldwide Initiative for Grantmaker Support). Like Candid trustee Naila Farouky, Rosa serves on the WINGS board. Rosa is an expert in foundation accounting standards and participates in groups related to this.
From 2009 to 2017, Rosa served as chairperson of DAFNE (Donors and Foundations Networks in Europe) which gathers 24 associations of foundations and funders from across Europe, representing more than 6,000 foundations.
Rosa's professional experience started at AFS (American Field Service), an international association in the field of education, leading a project to promote intercultural education in the Spanish educational system. Between 1999 and 2001, she held the position of Secretary General of the International Young Naturefriends (INYF) in Brussels, an international nonprofit youth organization with members in more than 19 European countries. The IYNF's mission is to connect and inspire Young Naturefriends for living values of respect, solidarity, equality, sustainability, and love and care for nature.
Rosa studied business administration at Universidad Complutense in Madrid, with a semester of International Business Studies at the Hanzehogeschool in Groningen, The Netherlands.
Shane leads Candid's data team by setting the priorities for identifying, collecting, enhancing, and distributing the most vital data on the social sector, providing the field with the information they need to fulfill their missions. As Vice President of Data, he oversees the strategic vision for Candid's data portfolio and the integration of the departments that realize that vision, including Data Science, Data Management, Data Discovery, Business Intelligence, and Insights/Research.
Shane has been with the organization for over 14 years, serving in a variety of roles including Data Engineer, Database Administrator, Data Architect, and Senior Director of Data and Solutions. He has helped the world's top tech companies implement charitable giving programs, including search engines, online marketplaces, social media platforms, and CRM providers, fueling billions of dollars in donations to nonprofits doing crucial work. Before joining Candid, Shane worked in the technology department at ServiceSource, a nonprofit that helped persons with disabilities find gainful employment. This experience led him to the realization that he wanted to continue a career in the social sector, leading him to Candid to pursue his interest in data, supporting and shaping sector-wide initiatives to enhance its operations and increase efficiency.
Shane has a B.S. in Information Systems from Capella University and multiple industry certifications. He is a U.S. Veteran, having served in the Army, 3 rd Infantry Regiment, The Old Guard.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board of Directors at 60 Decibels
- Retired President and CEO / J.D. Power and Associates
Stephen is the chair of the board of directors at 60 Decibels, a social impact measurement enterprise. He is the retired president and CEO of J.D. Power and Associates, a leading market research firm specializing in customer satisfaction and buyer behavior. He is a first-term Candid trustee, having joined the board with GuideStar in 2019.
Steve started his career at J.D. Power in 1978 and opened the company's first satellite office in Detroit, Michigan, in 1988. He was named president in 1996 and served as president and CEO until 2008. During this time, he led J.D. Power's global expansion and diversification into industries beyond automotive. He oversaw the sale of the company to The McGraw Hill Companies, Inc. in 2005. Currently, Steve is an investor and board member in Outsell Inc., a research and advisory firm specializing in publishing, information, and technology, as well as several other early-stage private companies. Steve also serves as the founder and president of a small education-focused charitable foundation.
He received a B.S. in business administration, marketing, and a B.A. in psychology from California State University, Chico. He also has an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California.
As the VP of Growth, Tracy is responsible for the distribution and adoption of Candid's products and services. Given Candid's dual purpose as a nonprofit social enterprise, this involves a thoughtful balance between delivering on revenue targets through sales, business development, and product marketing while ensuring historically under-resourced organizations are also able to access Candid's products and services to enable their growth. She leads the Sales, Marketing and Support, Equitable Access, and Strategic Partnerships and Channels teams to deliver on this mission.
Tracy has over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and product management. She has held product roles at various technology companies, including Yodle (now Web.com), Rovi (now Tivo.com) and Muze where she has focused on products and services for small businesses, e-commerce clients, and Fortune 500 digital media and retail companies. Prior to that, she led various sales and marketing teams at Rounder Records where she managed the transition to a digital economy, launching the label's digital sales channels including Amazon and Apple.
Tracy holds a B.A. in Economics from Smith College and has been a guest lecturer at Rutgers University for undergraduate product management.