Nicole joined CAF America in 2012 and is currently the Senior Director of Donor Advised & Grant Services. Nicole manages a core segment of the grants team with a focus on charity vetting, grantmaking, and regulatory compliance. She works closely with Executive leadership and CAF America's Board…

Mike Nellis is the President and CEO of Austin Community Foundation, a 42-year-old institution focused on making Austin a better place for everyone. The Foundation has nearly doubled its assets under his leadership and distributes more than $30 million to nonprofits annually. Since coming to the…

Ben Paynter is a senior writer at Fast Company covering social impact, the future of philanthropy, and innovative food companies. He's earned a James Beard Award for investigative food reporting and been featured in annual anthologies about the best sports, food, and technology writing. His work…

Born on Miami Beach, Dan Gelber was raised to believe in public service and the importance of community. His father, respected former Miami Beach Mayor Seymour Gelber, and his mother, Beach High foreign-language teacher Edith Gelber, were models of that service. Dan lived these principles through…

Jorge Castro is a Member at the law firm of Miller & Chevalier in Washington, DC. Jorge advises clients in the non-profit sector and is active helping advance the policy priorities of the charitable community. Jorge has served as Counselor to the IRS Commissioner and as senior tax counsel to…

Known for her political savvy, coalition-building expertise and substantive policy chops, Sandra translates Washington for tax-exempts and tax-exempts for Washington. Her expertise comes from years on Capitol Hill working for senior Senators on the tax-writing committee.  Sandra is an award…

Pras Ranaweera is a Senior Program Officer on the K-12 education team at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She was previously a Partner (Academic Strategy) at TNTP, a non-profit education consultancy, where she launched a school improvement network for a group of elementary and middle schools…

Sheryl is cofounder of the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, emerging out of a local women’s group—which she also cofounded—designed to foster abiding relationships that are built on mutual trust, respect and friendship between local Muslim and Jewish women. The Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom is the first…

Melissa Lim Brodowski is the Strategic Initiatives Lead with the Office of Regional Operations at the Administration for Children and Families. She has extensive experience leading interagency initiatives, grant programs, technical assistance, research and evaluation activities, and public-private…

Cindy Campbell is Director for International and Philanthropic Affairs, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Ms. Campbell is a retired Naval Officer; her final tour was in the White House during the Bush and Obama administrations. Following her Navy career, she was the VP for…

David R. McGhee, associate vice president of organizational excellence & impact, supports the Foundation’s president & CEO and provides leadership across the Foundation. He helps shape and support key initiatives and projects, manage external relationships, and ensure organizational…

Teresa is the Executive Director of the Social Sector Accelerator. She brings over 20 years of experience working in international nonprofits and social enterprises to the work of the Accelerator. Her first venture was launching the first post-war ISP in Kosovo and now serves as the managing board…

Ferne Mele is a Director at the Synergos Institute, a global organization that brings people together to solve complex issues of poverty. She joined in 2007 and currently oversees the Development function and serves on the management team. She previously worked at Women’s World Banking, a global…

A Peruvian economist with extensive on-the-ground experience in international socio-economic development and corporate social responsibility, Sonia Balcazar is a Consultant at Synergos Consulting Services. Synergos Consulting Services is a social purpose advisory service that helps clients generate…

Felix Oldenburg serves as Secretary General of the Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen, the largest membership organisation in European philanthropy, and as Chair of the Donors and Foundations Networks in Europe (DAFNE), representing 10,000 organisations from 29 countries. Previously, he led Ashoka…