KENDEDA FUND - Key Persons
"Barry was my guiding light as I took on the opportunity to enter the field of philanthropy as well as managing my own personal wealth. He has gently educated me where needed, also assisting the Kendeda team with important decisions around the various ways to divest my giving to better advance our mission. In addition I could see Barry becoming more committed to his own environmental opportunities." - Diana Blank
"Christine jumps into operations where program staff fear to tread. On our work scaling the Operating Reserve program, Christine was fearless in building systems, taking the lead in communicating with many grantee partners across multiple portfolios, wading deep into grantee legal documents, and cheerleading everyone toward a shared goal. And she smiled the whole time!" - Diane Ives
"David has been incredibly strategic in his work with the gun violence collaborative, Fund for a Safer Future. He's used FSF to accelerate our learning, but also to build a big tent of passionate funders who otherwise would never have felt comfortable funding in the gun violence space." - Dena Kimball
"Dena's superpower was operationalizing her mom's philanthropic vision in ways that maximized Kendeda's impact without unneeded layers, bureaucracy, or complexity. She was the Diana whisperer, in all the best ways." - David Brotherton
"The consummate professional, both in demeanor and experience. Dennis' encyclopedic knowledge of environmental sustainability complements a real practical streak, allowing for discernable progress in key areas." - Barry Berlin
Job Titles:
- Founder of the Kendeda Fund, 2023
"Everything that our grantee partners appreciate about Kendeda - leading with our heart, authenticity, willingness to take risks, a lack of bureaucracy, multi-year and unrestricted grants-all of it comes from Diana. Kendeda is simply a reflection of who Diana is and the vision for how she wanted her foundation to work in the world." - Tim Stevens
"Diane is a subtle and powerful force. She leads with curiosity and selflessness by grounding her work in the grantee's voice and development. She recognizes the interconnection and interdependence of people, place, and planet and fosters that insight with grantees, partners, and colleagues." - Tené Traylor
"I cannot imagine anyone better equipped to navigate the complexities of funding conservation in Montana than Tim Stevens. His skill for helping partners build consensus and power in a challenging political context is unequaled." - Diana Blank