Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors

The full-time staff of Rockefeller Philanthropy AdvisorsMelissa A. Berman, President and CEO. Melissa Berman has led Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors since January of 2001. Previously, she served as Senior Vice President, Research and Program Development at The Conference Board, a nonprofit, independent business research organization. She oversaw all research and publications on management practices, including global corporate citizenship and governance.A frequent speaker, Ms. Berman has been profiled in the New York Times and the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Her ideas and views have also been featured widely in the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Financial Times, Bloomberg, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, and Alliance magazine. She has been interviewed on the Today Show and NPR, among other radio/TV programs.Ms. Berman is a director of City Harvest, the Foundation Center and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. She is an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of Business, where she teaches philanthropy. She is a member of the national advisory panel for New Ventures in Philanthropy and serves as a Judge for the Ron Brown Award for Corporate Citizenship, a presidential award. Ms. Berman holds a B.A. from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.back to topDoug Bauer, Senior Vice President. Doug Bauer leads the organization’s Strategic Initiatives Team. Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in March 2002, he was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs and President of the Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund, the firm’s charitable giving vehicle. From 1997 to 2000, Doug was Director of Community Partnership at SmithKline Beecham (now GlaxoSmithKline) and Executive Director of the SmithKline Beecham Foundation, where he focused on community-based health care around the world. From 1992 to 1996, Doug was a Program Officer for Culture at the Pew Charitable Trusts where he directed two programs supporting arts organizations. And from 1988 to 1992, he managed the Scott Paper Company Foundation. Doug’s opinions and ideas on philanthropy have been featured in the Associated Press, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Contribute, the Financial Times, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Post and on CNBC.Doug chairs the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance and the Support Center of Nonprofit Management and serves on boards or committees for the Carbon Disclosure Project (UK), Children’s Health Fund and New York Regional Association of Grantmakers (NYRAG). He is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania where he teaches a course and seminars on philanthropy. Doug is a graduate from Michigan State University. He also holds a M.S. from Penn and a M.J. from Temple University.back to topJudy Belk, Senior Vice President. Judy leads the organization’s West Coast operations with offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles, where she is currently located. Before joining RPA, Judy served as Vice President of Global Public Affairs for Levi Strauss & Co., reporting directly to the Chairman and CEO. During her tenure at the company, Judy also spearheaded the Levi Strauss Foundation, with assets totaling over $120 million. Under her leadership the foundation and company developed a global reputation for its international work in the fight against AIDS, economic development, and anti-racism initiatives. Judy has over twenty years of leadership experience in strategic philanthropy, community relations, corporate citizenship, and non profit management.She currently serves on the boards of the Marlborough School, the Ms. Foundation for Women, and the Southern California Association of Grantmakers (SCG). Most recently she has served as a board member for The Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Judy has written and lectured extensively on organizational ethics, race, and social change. Her articles have aired on National Public Radio and have appeared in The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle and The Washington Post. She received her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from California State University, East Bay.back to topChris Page, Senior Vice President. Chris Page leads the organization’s New York-based Donor Services Team helping individual and institutional donors develop their philanthropic interests and manage their grantmaking activities. Together, the team manages philanthropic programs in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, and the Caribbean for donors whose interests include the arts, community development, environmental conservation, education, and poverty alleviation. Previously a Program Officer at the Ford Foundation, he served in its Rural Poverty and Economic Development divisions for seven years. He was a co-founder and chair of the Foundation’s Affinity Group on Development Finance, a research and grantmaking collaborative comprised of representatives from 11 countries. Prior to joining Ford, Chris led the nonprofit Economic Development Council of Northern Vermont between 1978 and 1992. He is chairman of the board of Community Resource Group, Inc. (Fayetteville AR), a nonprofit organization that helps poor communities in seven states of the mid-South to develop safe drinking water, adequate housing, rural transportation systems and consumer finance services. Chris also serves on the boards of the Northland Institute (Minneapolis, MN) and CFED, formerly the Corporation for Enterprise Development, (Washington, D.C.). Chris holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from the Southern New Hampshire University’s School of Community Economic Development.back to topC. Daniel Stubbs, Jr., SVP and Chief Financial Officer. Dan Stubbs joined RPA in 2004. Most recently, as Director of External Reporting in Prudential Financial’s Controllers Department, Dan reported on over $14 billion in assets. Prior to Prudential, Dan served in a Board of Regents appointment as the Executive Secretary (Director) of the New York State Board for Public Accountancy, formulating laws, rules and regulations governing the practice of public accounting in New York State. He held senior positions at Bellcore, including CFO of its Network Systems division and Controller of its corporate computing facilities. As Corporate Controller of what is now called the Empire State Development Corporation, Dan managed financial activities associated with major development projects including the Javits Convention Center and the Syracuse University Carrier Dome Stadium.As an advisory board member of both the Career Opportunities in the Accounting Profession Program held annually at Pace University and the Accounting Careers Awareness Program held at Rutgers University, he helps high school students pursue careers in accounting. Dan serves on the board of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy’s Center for the Public Trust, is a member of the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers’ Finance Committee and is Treasurer of the Prince Hall Urban Renewal Corporation. Active in the New York State Society of CPAs and the National Association of Black Accountants, he received NABA’s National Community Service Award in June 2007. Dan holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Business Administration from Pace University and teaches accounting as a member of the Faculty of Management of Rutgers University and as an assistant professor in Long Island University’s Graduate School of Business.back to topYolanda Arias, Director of Operations & Human Resources. Before joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Yolanda gained organizational experience in the health care field where she worked for over 13 years. Aside from her managerial duties at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, she is also heading one of our special projects, a groundbreaking initiative designed to advance the socio-economic progress of Dominicans in the United States and in the Dominican Republic. Yolanda holds a B.S. in Health Services Administration from Lehman College - The City University of New York. She also holds a Human Resources Generalist certificate from the Society of Human Resource Management and a certificate in Human Resources Studies from Cornell University, IRL School.back to topJessica Chao, Vice President. Jessica is a noted expert in foundation and program management, and has launched numerous major multi-million-dollar grant programs in various fields. Among other responsibilities at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, she leads the American Red Cross Recovery Grants program and The New York State Music Fund, two grantmaking initiatives of $90 million and $30 million respectively. Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, she launched the Coalition for New Philanthropy, an initiative to strengthen philanthropy in emerging donor communities, including African American, Asian and Latino. Prior to that, she was vice president of the Wallace Funds, where she designed and developed one of the largest national arts programs in the country, which received the Presidents Medal of Arts. Jessica frequently writes and addresses conference audiences on numerous philanthropy-related topics, notably on the traditions and preferences of the multi-cultural donor. She has advised many leading foundations, including the Ford, Kellogg, Packard, Rockefeller, Twenty-First Century, Asia and Gill Foundations. She has been a member of the Advisory Committees of the National Center for Family Philanthropy, the Ford Foundation’s Social Justice Initiative, the Smithsonian’s Asian American Initiative, and on the Board of the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers. Jessica holds a B.A. and M.A. from Columbia University.back to topPenny Fujiko Willgerodt, Vice President. Penny Fujiko Willgerodt started her career in philanthropy at the Ms. Foundation for Women. Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors she was a Program Officer at the Joyce Mertz-Gilmore Foundation (now called the Mertz-Gilmore Foundation) where her work spanned human rights, environment and world security grantmaking. While there, she also directed the Foundation’s New York City programs which encompassed the performing arts, non-profit technical assistance, and urban social and environmental policy concerns. Currently her work includes human rights, the environment and the arts. Shortly after the 2005 storms Katrina and Rita, she worked with colleagues in Environmental Grantmakers Association and Health & Environmental Funders Network to create the Gulf Coast Fund for Community Renewal and Ecological Health.Penny has served on the boards of the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers (NYRAG) and Women & Philanthropy. She was an active member of the New York City AIDS Fund and New York Grantmakers in the Arts, and has served on the New York Women’s Foundation’s “Grant Allocations Committee.” A member of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP), she also serves on the Asian American Federation of New York’s “Asian American Community Development Fund.” Currently, she is a trustee of the Weeksville Heritage Center and the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Among several other previous board service experiences, she was a founding board member of Sustainable South Bronx. Penny holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.A. from Teacher’s College, Columbia University.back to topRichard F. McKeon, Director. Rich McKeon advises individuals, foundations and corporations on their philanthropic giving. He assists with situation analysis, goal setting, strategic planning and implementation of philanthropic programs. Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Rich spent five years overseeing the FleetBoston Financial Foundation’s (now the Bank of America Foundation) grant program in the Metro New York market. In this role, he funded hundreds of nonprofit organizations working in community and economic development, youth development, education and arts and culture. He also managed a program for Seedco, a nonprofit community development financial institution, which helps small businesses in New York City in the areas of financing, marketing and business planning. In addition, he spent ten years in management positions for The Chase Manhattan Bank (now JPMorgan Chase) and Fleet. Rich was appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to Chair the New York City Youth Board of the Department of Youth and Community Development, the largest after-school funder in the U.S. He currently serves as a trustee for the Berkeley Heights Education Foundation. He previously served on the boards of Teach for America New York, Lehman Center for the Performing Arts (Chair) and Contributions Advisory Group (Treasurer). He received his B.A. from Fairfield University, his M.B.A. from Fordham University and also completed the Educational Grantmakers Institute at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.back to topWalter Sweet, Director. Walter is an advisor for two New York-based family foundations that support nonprofits in the areas of health, mental health, community development, education, and entrepreneurship. He also serves as the senior program officer for the American Red Cross Recovery Grants Program. He has served as a program officer at the New York Community Trust, the nation’s largest community foundation. In his capacity as Budget and Special Projects Officer for The New York Community Trust, Walter developed a $30 million annual discretionary grants budget; conducted special project grantmaking in the program areas of substance abuse, mental health, human justice, civic affairs, and economic development; recommended fund sources for grants; and monitored and evaluated programmatic activities. Further, he served as the emergency grants program officer for the September 11th Fund, a joint fund of The New York Community Trust and The United Way of New York City. Most recently, as Vice President of the family-owned Sweet Analysis Services, he managed contractual agreements for international joint ventures and new business development, including with the U. S. Federal government and military operations. Walter holds a Bachelor’s degree in American History from Columbia University and serves as an outside reviewer to a major, national foundation for civic affairs proposals.back to topDonna L. Christie, Senior Manager. Donna reports to the Chief Financial Officer and is involved in the day-to-day financial management of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and its charitable giving vehicle, The Philanthropic Collaborative. Prior to joining RPA, Donna was Office Manager of The Door - A Center of Alternatives, a large nonprofit youth center in Manhattan. She has worked in law firms in New York City and Washington, DC. She serves on the Board of the International Center for Integrative Studies and has served as editor and production editor of its international, multidisciplinary dialogue by correspondence, The Forum. She is also a New York State licensed massage therapist.back to topRae Richman, Senior Philanthropic Advisor. Rae Richman has more than twelve years experience providing services to organizations of all sizes, from local nonprofits to Fortune 100 global corporations. Before joining the West Coast team of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, she was a consultant with expertise in meeting facilitation, corporate social responsibility, and project management for values-based companies. Prior to starting her own consultancy, Rae was Senior Manager of Consulting Services at Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), working with Fortune 500 companies to facilitate their stakeholder engagement efforts and assist them in implementing more socially responsible policies and practices. Rae brings to her work a decade of marketing and production experience at entertainment, multimedia and high-tech companies. Rae currently serves on the Board of the Black Rock Arts Foundation. She received her B.A. from the University of Virginia and is currently enrolled in the Berkeley-Columbia Executive M.B.A. program.back to topMitchell Singer, Senior Philanthropic Advisor. Mitch has over twelve years of experience in philanthropy, nonprofit management, and government. Before joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Mitch served as Associate Director of The Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy at the University of Southern California, an academic research center that studies the field of philanthropy. Prior to joining USC, Mitch worked for The California Endowment, a $4 billion conversion foundation that seeks to improve the health of underserved communities in California. At The Endowment, Mitch analyzed trends in giving, managed the foundation’s discretionary grant programs, and spearheaded its ethics programs. He has taught students and foundation staff members about effective philanthropy and has been published in Foundation News and Commentary. Prior to his work at The Endowment, Mitch served as a congressional aide and caseworker for Congresswoman Jane Harman. Mitch serves on the Los Angeles Leadership Committee of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund and as a board member of the Mid City West Community Council. He received his B.A. from San Francisco State University and his M.B.A. in Nonprofit Management from American Jewish University.back to topShermane Bilal, Relationship Manager. Shermane serves on the Donor Services Team, where she manages the grantmaking programs of individual donors, collaborative charitable giving vehicles, and the Marilyn M. Simpson Charitable Lead Trusts. She also serves as a Program Officer for the American Red Cross Recovery Grants Program. Much of her funding work focuses on improving the lives of youth, women and girls. Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in 1992, she served for five years as Grants & Program Manager/Assistant to the Director of Long Island University’s Institute for the Advancement of Mathematics and Science, a National Science Foundation-funded middle school math and science teacher retraining institute. Shermane actively serves on the boards of The Arab-American Family Support Center and on the Clara Muhammad School of Masjid Khalifah. She is also an active member of the Program Committee of Grantmakers for Children, Youth and Families and the Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE). She has served on the Increasing and Diversifying Philanthropy Committee of the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers. Shermane holds a B.S. from Long Island University and a M.S. in Nonprofit Management from The New School University.back to topJune W. Choi, Philanthropic Advisor. June works primarily on the New York State Music Fund, a multi-million dollar competitive grants program established by the New York State Attorney General as a result of a series of investigations into the practice of “pay-for-play” in the music industry. Over the past eighteen years, she has worked with organizations ranging from startup community-based dreams to established institutions in a broad spectrum of organizational and programmatic areas. Before joining RPA, June’s independent consulting practice specifically focused on change issues, organizational effectiveness, and philanthropy serving a range of clients. Able to quickly develop tailored, innovative approaches to problems and issues, she has particular strengths in assessment, planning and strategy, facilitation, development, training and counseling, and public speaking. Before starting her consulting practice, she was Executive Director of the Asian American Arts Alliance where she rapidly grew the organization into a nationally prominent arts service organization. June also has extensive experience speaking at conferences and workshops on topics such as nonprofit management, philanthropy, race issues, policy matters, and career development; serving on national, regional, local funding panels; participating as a member of various professional and community advisory bodies, boards, and committees.back to topLauren Russell Geskos, Manager. Lauren is a member of RPA’s Strategic Initiatives Team, and she works closely with the team to develop and enhance RPA’s marketing and communications efforts. Prior to joining RPA, Lauren founded an independent marketing consulting firm, Highmark, oversaw all aspects of the private investor membership at the Institute for Private Investors, and worked as a marketing manager in the Silicon Valley. Lauren’s recent philanthropic experiences include organizing two major benefit concerts at Carnegie Hall, serving as a volunteer with the Taproot Foundation, and sitting on the board of a venture philanthropy giving circle. She has also been active with environmental and inner city youth projects. Lauren earned her B.A., in English with minors in Communications and Anthropology, from Stanford University.back to topPooja Joshi, Philanthropic Advisor. Pooja serves as a Philanthropic Advisor with the Donor Services Team that helps individuals, corporations and foundations identify their philanthropic interests and manage their grantmaking activities. Pooja comes to RPA with a diverse range of experience working in the private, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. Most recently, Pooja was the sole Program Officer at the Thomas and Jeanne Elmezzi Private Foundation, where she managed all of the Foundation’s program areas and also developed and implemented the Foundation’s Education Funding Initiative, which focuses on K-12 education in New York City. In addition, Pooja has valuable experience in the areas of strategic planning, board development, program development and foundation management. Prior to working at the Elmezzi Foundation, Pooja was a Development Associate at South Asian Youth Action (SAYA!), a community based organization that works to address the needs of immigrant South Asian youth in New York City.Pooja holds a Bachelors Degree in Business from the University of Mumbai (India) and a Masters Degree in International Marketing and Management from Leeds University Business School (U.K.). She is a graduate and supporter of the Coro New York Leadership Center and its Immigrant Civic Leadership Program. Pooja also serves on the Board of Advisors of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP).back to topMaryan Newbury, Relationship Manager. Within the Donor Services Team, Maryan manages the grantmaking of several individual, foundation and donor-advised fund clients. The primary focus of her client service management and planning is international grantmaking. She has also contributed to the development of RPA’s grants processing database and related systems, as well as, served as the Chair of the donor database user group. Prior to joining RPA in 1997, Maryan was Grants Manager at the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund for seven years. She currently serves on the Executive Board of the Grants Managers Network-New York Region (GMN) and the Program Committee of GMN National. In her community, Maryan has volunteered as a yoga instructor and as a karate instructor for children and the disabled. She is currently pursuing a degree in the Thomas Hunter Honors Program of Hunter College.back to topJulia Parshall, Philanthropic Advisor. Julia conducts grantmaking, research and program design on a range of issues including mental health, disaster recovery, ethnic and women’s philanthropy, and criminal justice reform. She serves as a primary program officer for the Red Cross September 11 Recovery Grants program, which supports long-term recovery through social service, health care and mental health programs. She also advises for the W. K. Kellogg Foundation’s “Cultures of Giving” program. Julia came to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors with diverse experience in development for child welfare and international human rights organizations. She was also a founding member of the Bluestockings Women’s Bookstore Collective, where she implemented community programming relevant to feminist causes and spearheaded an ongoing anti-racism education initiative for volunteers. Julia serves on the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers Special Committee on Increasing Diversity in Philanthropy and the New York Women’s Foundation Grants Advisory Committee. Julia holds a Bachelors degree in English with a concentration in feminist and gender studies from Bryn Mawr College and is a graduate of the Radcliffe Publishing Course.back to topGage Weekes, Manager. Gage serves as a Manager on the Strategic Initiatives Team where he provides advice and support to the grantmaking programs of various donors, foundations and corporations. Gage is the project director for Strong American Schools, a $60 million public awareness campaign funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates and Eli & Edythe Broad Foundations to elevate the discourse on K-12 public education reform to make it a top priority in the 2008 presidential election. Prior to joining RPA in 2004, Gage was a Program Associate for El Pomar Foundation focusing on the development of the Penrose Nonprofit Institute, a knowledge center for Colorado nonprofits. He was also a Foundation Associate with the United States Golf Association Foundation specializing in program evaluation for the $50 million “For the Good of the Game” initiative. Gage serves as chairman of the board of the Chelsea Piers Scholarship Fund which provides scholarships to disadvantaged children and youth to participate in after-school athletic programs in New York City. He is also a trustee of a family fund that supports numerous organizations on Long Island in the areas of children and youth, education and the environment. Gage holds a B.A. from the University of Richmond and a M.B.A. from Fordham University.back to topDana Betterton, Senior Associate. Dana is responsible for research, program implementation and supporting the grantmaking services of the Strategic Initiatives Team. Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Dana was an AmeriCorps member and worked with Project Enterprise, a community development microcredit program. Dana is a member of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP). She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Trinity College, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and completed the Cities Program, Trinity’s urban studies honors program. Dana also holds a certificate in Grantmaking from New York University’s Heyman Center for Philanthropy and is currently pursuing a Certificate in Conservation Biology from Columbia University’s Center for Environmental Research and Conservation.back to topJulio Bautista, Associate. Julio provides administrative support to Chris Page and Shermane Bilal as a part of the Client Services Team. Julio rejoins our staff after spending the last two years with the Knight Foundation in Miami, Florida and The Fund for the City of New York. While at the Fund for the City of New York he worked as part of the Beacons Technical Assistance Team, which provided technical assistance and youth development training to staff members of 81 New York City Beacon Program that worked closely with disconnected youth. Julio was a Philanthropic Assistant with Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors from 2001-2004. He has a B.A. in Marketing from Long Island University, C.W. Post College.back to topJames McClelland, Associate. James works as a Program Associate with the Donor Services Team. Prior to joining RPA, James worked for three years at the Nathan Cummings Foundation as a Program Assistant in the Environment and Contemplative Practice Programs. His previous experience includes working at the Foundation for a Civil Society, as a Project Manager. James received his B.A. in political science, with a minor in music, from the University of California, San Diego. He also received his M.A. in International Relations and Diplomatic Studies from the University of Westminster (U.K.), Paris Program. James also serves on the New York City Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) steering committee.back to topDerrick Strachan, Accountant. Derrick reports directly to the Chief Financial Officer. His responsibilities are to maintain the General Ledger and to produce Financial Statements on a monthly basis, providing customer and management financial information for decision making. Prior to joining RPA, Derrick was the Assistant Controller of the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services, a midsize nonprofit organization based in Manhattan. Prior to that, he was the Controller for the Community Associates Development Corporation, a small nonprofit organization based in Brooklyn. Derrick graduated from BMCC and Baruch College earning the Baruch Transfer School Scholarship from General Electric.back to topErica Sanchez, Philanthropic Associate. Erica serves as a philanthropic assistant for Judy Belk and Rae Richman in the West Coast office. She provides administrative and grants management support to a number of clients. Before joining RPA, Erica taught HIV/AIDS education to schoolchildren in Tanzania with Students for International Change. She also interned at El Centro Chicano and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she co-created an obesity program for at risk minority youth. Erica has assisted in research for the San Mateo County Public Health Division and UCSD Department of Pediatrics. She graduated with a B.A. from Stanford University in 2004.back to topKate Lane, Executive Assistant. Kate provides administrative support to Dan Stubbs, Yolanda Arias, Donna Christie and the rest of the finance team. She also offers project support to the Strong American Schools program. Prior to joining RPA, Kate worked as the Front Office Coordinator/ Legislative Correspondent for Congressman Christopher Shays in Washington, D.C. Kate received her Bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies, with a focus in Political Science, from Columbia University.back to top