Mitch Kennedy
Mitch Kennedy was born and raised in Spartanburg. He is a graduate of Spartanburg High School, and he earned a B.A. Degree in Communications from Wake Forest University.
Before joining the City of Spartanburg, Mitch worked as a scouting professional with the Palmetto Council Boy Scouts of America…
Gilbert Benjamin Miller
Gilbert Miller serves as the Board Chair of the Bradley-Turner Foundation, a 5th generation family foundation based in Columbus, Georgia. He has also been involved with the work of the Beloco Foundation for over a decade and a half, formally joining as a trustee in 2000. The grandson and great-…
Jessalyn Wynn Story
Jessalyn Wynn Story is a Spartanburg native, a proud District Seven alumna, and director of the Center for Community-Based Learning at Wofford College. She is also one of the developers of Spartanburg’s Truth, Racial Healing, & Transformation (TRHT) network, which includes efforts such as…
Robin Hacke
Robin Hacke is Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Center for Community Investment. Since entering the field of community investment in 2007, Robin has raised and managed impact investment funds as Director of Capital Innovation at Living Cities; served as a Senior Fellow at the Kresge…
Joanna Trotter
Joanna Trotter is senior director of community impact for The Chicago Community Trust. She leads the Trust’s strategic focus on Growing Household Wealth. This includes systemic and programmatic efforts to build income and assets in communities of color and for people of color, and addressing debt…
Keshee Dozier-Smith
Keshee Dozier-Smith is the Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Health Medical Program Inc. a federally qualified community health center in the rural black region of Alabama. Keshee is a community development leader at heart with a passion and interest in socio-economic strategic planning and…
Elaine Rasmussen
Elaine Rasmussen is a CEO of Social Impact Strategies Group (SISG). Driven by the mission to mainstream impact investing and democratizing access to capital by and for women and communities of color, SISG designs community-centered strategies for philanthropists, nonprofits, foundations, investors…
Juneteenth with Outdoor Afro
Outdoor Afro is a national nonprofit organization that celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature. Furthering its mission, Outdoor Afro launched a commemorative celebration to gather perspectives on what it means to be free in America, in light of Juneteenth this year. Learn…
Reflective Break: Summarize It
Join your fellow conference attendees for a fun activity to exchange thoughts and lessons learned from Leading Together 2021. We will utilize a Jam Board to help attendees visualize concepts and takeaways to ensure you can continue to share the knowledge you gained with your colleagues and networks.
Pop Up Session: Accelerating Charitable Efforts Act (ACE Act)
On June 9, Senators King (I-ME) and Grassley (R-IA) introduced the Accelerating Charitable Efforts Act (ACE Act) — a bill that would have far reaching impacts on the philanthropic sector. In this conversation, we will share what’s in the ACE Act, talk about why the Council is opposed,…
Leticia Peguero
Leticia Peguero brings more than 25 years of experience in social justice programming and philanthropy to her work as vice president of programs at the Nathan Cummings Foundation. In addition to her role at NCF, Leticia serves on the Executive Committee of Grantmakers for Girls of Color, and is a…
Karla Mercado
Karla Mercado serves as the director of Philanthropy CA and Public Policy. She serves as a strategic partner and supports the organization’s key statewide public policy initiatives and collaborations for Philanthropy CA. Karla works with Philanthropy CA staff to determine and prioritize statewide…
Shelby Brown
Shelby is a seasoned executive who is currently serving as Interim Chief Operating Officer at the Council on Foundations. Prior to that, her most recent role was Vice President and Managing Director of the Paul J. Aicher Foundation/Everyday Democracy. She was responsible for budget and financial…
Lysa John
Lysa John is Secretary-General of CIVICUS, which is a global alliance dedicated to protecting civil society and civic freedoms. She is passionate about governance accountability and social justice and has spent a large part of her work coordinating large-scale civil society campaigns, including ‘…
Lourdes M. Castro Ramírez
California Governor Newsom appointed Lourdes Castro Ramírez to serve as Secretary of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency on March 2, 2020. She leads and oversees 10 state departments responsible for expanding affordable housing, developing comprehensive solutions to end homelessness…
Suzanne Benally
Suzanne Benally is Navajo and Santa Clara Tewa. She has worked in higher education and the non-profit sector for 35 years. Prior to her role as the Executive Director of Swift Foundation, Suzanne served as the Executive Director of Cultural Survival, an international Indigenous rights advocacy…