Mae Hong

Mae leads the Chicago office of RPA and is responsible for serving individual donors, families, foundations, and corporations throughout the Midwest. In addition to providing high-touch, custom services to help clients manage their charitable giving, develop effective strategies, and discover joy in their philanthropic journey, she is also a frequent speaker and writer about issues, trends, and ideas in philanthropy. 

With 25 years of nonprofit and philanthropy experience, she previously served as Program Director at the Field Foundation of Illinois. Her funding expertise includes children, youth and families; poverty alleviation; women and girls’ issues; and advocacy. She has also been actively involved in RPA’s leadership on the issue of diversity in philanthropy. Prior to entering the nonprofit sector, she worked in the publishing industry for several years.

Mae currently serves on the boards of Illinois Humanities and the Council on Foundations. Other leadership affiliations include the Advisory Board of the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, and the Leadership Council of the Dorothy A. Johnson Center at Grand Valley State University.

She completed her graduate work in social service administration at The University of Chicago, and is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Continuing her commitment to lifelong learning, Mae is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Public Interest Communications from the University of Florida.

Mae is a serious shoe collector.