By Jillian Blume
After receiving a Ph.D in English from Stanford University, Melissa Berman, President and CEO of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, realized that the academic life was not for her. That decision turned out to be good fortune for philanthropy on a local, national, and global level. After working for the Federal Reserve Bank, she moved to a non-profit organization called The Conference Board. “It was my first experience with what philanthropy could do,” Ms. Berman said about serving as Senior Vice President, Research and Program Development. The non-profit was founded in 1916 around events that forecast labor unrest and management corruption, such as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. Today, according to their mission statement, they conduct research and organize conferences in order to help businesses strengthen their performances so they can better serve society.