Eleven promising philanthropic leaders have been selected to participate in the third year of the Career Pathways program. Career Pathways is an intensive one-year leadership preparation program designed to foster diverse talent and excellence among the philanthropic sector's senior executives.

We're currently looking for CEOs, trustees, and other executives to act as mentors for Pathways program participants. Primarily intended to expand the professional networks of aspiring CEOs and executives, the mentoring experience provides an opportunity for mentors to strengthen the professional growth, capacity, and bench strength of philanthropy. Mentors also gain greater self-awareness and opportunities to discuss strategic philanthropic issues facing the field.

Ideally, mentors can make a three-month commitment, with flexibility for telephone calls or an in-person meeting. Mentor matches will be guided by a combination of factors, including professional interests, geographic proximity, and  alignment with values. To become a mentor or for more information, e-mail careerpathways@cof.org.

As members of the initial Career Pathways class continue to advance in their careers, 11 new philanthropic leaders have been selected for the 2012-13 program, which fosters diverse talent and excellence among senior leaders in philanthropy. Part of the Council's Diversity and Inclusive Practices program, Career Pathways brings together individuals from diverse backgrounds to help them gain the knowledge necessary to advance in the field.

The intensive year-long program will kick  off at Council headquarters in mid-July. Following are members of the program's third class:

• Brandee Butler, program manager for Europe, Middle East, and Africa at Levi Strauss Foundation, develops and implements grantmaking strategies.
• Satonya Fair, director of grants management at The Annie E. Casey Foundation, is responsible for the development and deployment of a custom enterprise grants management system.
• Angela Frusciante, knowledge development officer at the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, helps lead knowledge development, including organizational learning, management systems, program development support, network learning, and research.
• Lisette Islas, director of community organizing at the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, creates community and capacity-building strategies and equips community residents with tools to strengthen and improve neighborhoods.
• Jin-Wook (Jay) Kim, director of community funds and racial equity at the Saint Paul Foundation and Minnesota Philanthropy Partners (MPP), supports the volunteers who steer MPP’s affiliate community funds. Under his leadership, these volunteers manage funds established for the benefit of a certain city, county, neighborhood, or community of color.
• Dee Dee Nguyen, senior philanthropic advisor for the Marin Community Foundation, develops and implements the foundation’s philanthropic services activities.
• Maggie Osborn, vice president for the Florida Philanthropic Network, is responsible for all programming for state associations of grantmakers.
• Lita Pardi, senior program officer for The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, reviews and evaluates grant applications for the foundation’s broadest discretionary grantmaking program, the Common Good Funds, and manages nonprofit effectiveness work.
• Christopher Nanni, vice president of program for the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County, is responsible for overseeing the programmatic aspects of the foundation, including grantmaking and scholarship programs.
• Leslie Ito, program officer for the California Community Foundation, manages the foundation's art portfolio that supports individual artists and arts and cultural organizations throughout Los Angeles County.
• Aleesha Towns-Bain, senior program associate for the Rasmuson Foundation, reviews and makes recommendations on grant applications. She also worked with program staff to develop outreach plans. She was on temporary assignment as interim executive director of Alaska Children's Trust from August 2011 through April 2012.

Twelve participants graduated from the 2011-12 Career Pathways Program. The year-long leadership preparation program concluded with an inspirational ceremony April 29 at the Council's Annual Conference in Los Angeles. Carol Larson and Kevin Murphy, the Council's board chair and vice chair, and Council Interim President and CEO Jeff Clarke were featured speakers.

In keeping with the tradition of selecting a class member to deliver and address at the closing ceremony, Kenneth M. Jones II, vice president for finance and administration at The Annie E. Casey Foundation, delivered the commencement address to a room full of enthusiastic supporters. Jones creatively illuminated the graduating class’ journey through the lens of reality TV, introducing each of his classmates as contestants who “represent the purpose of [the Career Pathways] program, different ethnicities, backgrounds, beliefs, ages, and genders, working for the common good of philanthropy and ensuring that the word ‘inclusion’ should be in the fabric of every foundation.” Jones also thanked the financial sponsors of the program. “For our nominators and supervisors,” he concluded, “thanks for allowing us the time and space to participate in this program.”