'I’ve been engaged in community philanthropy efforts as a community organizer, donor and trustee for over 15 years and have been inspired ever since my first day by the power of collective giving to produce community change.

Since joining the Johnson Center for Philanthropy as the first WK Kellogg Community Philanthropy Chair last June, I’ve been privileged to work full time on these issues. My work is focused around discovering answers to one central question: – How can we give better together and strengthen our giving to the communities we care about? In particular, it has been a thrill to work with the Global Fund for Community Foundations to release the first call for funding to link research & practice to advance community philanthropy. Ultimately we awarded a first set of 14 research grants on topics from very pragmatic explorations of giving tools and mechanisms to more cultural or anthropological questions about traditions of giving and solidarity. Projects are spread across the globe including research in Kenya, Brazil, Romania, Palestine, India, Argentina and the USA as well as a pair of African regional projects and when finished, will offer a range of new insights into how collective giving is practiced and built in communities around the world. I’m excited to hear of the initial insights from this work at the Summit and to continue learning from community philanthropy leaders around the world.

There is a vibrant and growing movement to expand and democratize philanthropy and the Summit could not come at a better time to deepen our connections as a global community committed to collective philanthropy.'

People Behind the Summit