Council on Foundations Welcomes Tiffany Benjamin, Julie Gehrki, Heather Kukla, Nadege Souvenir to 2026 Board of Directors
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Council on Foundations announced that its membership has approved the appointment of four philanthropic leaders to its 2026 board of directors: Tiffany Benjamin, CEO of Humana Foundation, Julie Gehrki, president of Walmart Foundation, Heather Kukla, president of Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, and Nadege Souvenir, CEO of San Antonio Area Foundation.
Tiffany Benjamin is CEO of the Humana Foundation and a founding force behind Face the Fight, a national initiative launched in 2023 to reduce veteran suicide through evidence-based interventions, philanthropic investment, and coalition-building. She was named to the inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy list in 2025 and received the Council on Foundation’s Outstanding Corporate Philanthropy Leadership Award in 2024. Benjamin chairs the board of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and teaches at the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Julie Gehrki is president of the Walmart Foundation and senior vice president of philanthropy at Walmart Inc., where she leads Walmart.org - the combined philanthropic efforts of Walmart and the Walmart Foundation. In more than 15 years at Walmart, Gehrki has shaped transformative strategic giving programs and served as a trusted advisor to the business. Prior to joining Walmart, she worked in the nonprofit sector on issues that revitalized and strengthened communities. Gehrki serves on the Board of Directors of Independent Sector and as President of the Associates in Critical Need Trust.
Heather Kukla is president of Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (MACP) and has helped shape and grow the organization throughout her 15-year tenure. Before being appointed President, she served as Vice President and General Counsel. Kukla guides the strategic direction of MACP and oversees the organization’s operations, investment portfolios, and more than $300 million annually in global grantmaking. Prior to joining MACP, she practiced law with Hogan & Hartson LLP (now Hogan Lovells). Kukla is a graduate of the Council’s Career Pathways program.
Nadege Souvenir is CEO of the San Antonio Area Foundation, stewarding more than 600 charitable funds and $1.3 billion in assets. Recognized as a 2025 South Texas Power Player by the San Antonio Business Journal, Nadege is helping shape the region’s future through civic engagement and bold philanthropic leadership. She serves on the board of UP Partnership and advises Catchafire and the Center for Effective Philanthropy. She is also a trustee of OPERA America, the national service organization for opera across North America. Prior to her role in San Antonio, Nadege served as COO at the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation.
“The Council is proud and privileged to welcome four new board members who have such a strong commitment to strengthen communities across the country,” said Kathleen Enright, the Council’s president and CEO. “Tiffany, Julie, Heather, and Nadege each bring unique and important experience that will help us boost trust in philanthropy, build common ground, and bolster philanthropy’s role in American society, including our collective freedom to give charitably to a broad range of causes.”
The Council thanks five board members that ended their service in 2025 due to retirements or the end of their two terms, including Ben Chandler, former president & CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, Brennan Gould, former president & CEO of the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation, Mae Hong, managing director of Square One Foundation, Martha Jimenez, former executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary of The California Endowment, and Peter Laugharn, president and CEO of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Members of the Council’s board of directors represent a diverse range of expertise, personal demographics, experiences, philanthropic institutions, and geographic locations. Collectively the board guides the implementation of the Council’s strategic vision and partners with the president and CEO to ensure that the Council’s work is values-driven and member-informed.
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About the Council on Foundations
The Council on Foundations is a nonprofit membership association that serves as a guide for philanthropies as they advance the greater good. Building on our 75-year history, the Council supports over 1,000 member organizations in the United States and around the world to build trust in philanthropy, expand pathways to giving, engage broader perspectives, and co-create solutions that will lead to a better future for all. Learn more about the Council and become a member by visiting www.cof.org.
