Paul Bachleitner

Paul has been the communications director of the Northwest Area Foundation since 2014. Good storytelling and relationship building is at the heart of Paul’s vision for making change. Communications is the tool to help it grow. 

Paul pursues this vision through cross-departmental leadership, impacting a variety of issues that range from justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) to crisis response to networking strategy on advocacy campaigns. Digital content, analytics, and research-based messaging are the nuts and bolts that pull it all together. 

Paul has helped advance change for more than 20 years as a strategic thinker and collaborator through various leadership roles with nonprofits and in philanthropy—at local, regional, and national levels. This includes his position prior to his work at Northwest Area as a member of the D5 Coalition’s leadership team and the first-ever director of the Joint Affinity Groups (now CHANGE Philanthropy), a coalition of national grantmaking professionals that integrate diversity, inclusion, and justice into philanthropic practice. 

He is currently chair of the marketing committee for the board of Marnita’s Table and is a member of the Minnesota Council of Foundations’ Membership and DEI committees.