Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors

RPA Picture The full-time staff of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors

Melissa 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.

Judy 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 Southern California Association of Grantmakers (SCG) and the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP) and is a former member of the board for the Ms. Foundation for Women. She has also recently 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.

Chris 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.

Yolanda Arias, Director of Operations & Human Resources. As Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ Director of Operations & Human Resources, Yolanda is a member of the Senior Management team and responsible for providing leadership and guidance on matters related to organizational development. Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in January of 2000, Yolanda gained organizational experience in the health care field for more than 13 years.

Yolanda earned her B.S. in Health Services Administration from Lehman College - The City University of New York. She also holds certificates in Human Resources Studies from School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University and in HR in Alignment and as a Human Resources Generalist from the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). Additionally, she has taken courses in the Certificate in Grantmaking and Foundations program at the New York University’s George H. Heyman, Jr., Center for Philanthropy.

Jessica 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.

Ann Brownell Sloane, Vice President. Ann specializes in counseling, operating and directing both grantmakers and grantseekers. Before joining RPA, Ann was chief executive officer and founder of Sloane & Hinshaw, a firm dedicated to providing planning, administrative and counseling services to foundations and philanthropists. In June of 2008 after a satisfying year of collaboration with RPA, Ann, her staff and their clients joined RPA. She previously served as executive vice president of the International Development Foundation, worked in the Latin America bureau of the Agency for International Development and with foreign government development agencies and nongovernmental organizations in Great Britain, France, Latin America, the Middle East, the Russian Federation and The People’s Republic of China. A longtime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Ann has also served on the boards of Leake and Watts Family and Child Services Agency; the Non-Profit Coordinating Committee of New York; InterAmerican Foundation; Swarthmore College; the Train Foundation; and The Investment Fund for Foundations. She is an honors graduate of Swarthmore College and did graduate work in economics at the National University of Venezuela.

Richard 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.

James O’Sullivan, Director. Jim comes to RPA from the John A. Hartford Foundation, where he was responsible for the Foundation’s $64.5 million national Geriatric Social Work Initiative and staffed the Paul B. Beeson Career Development Awards program. Prior to the Hartford Foundation, Jim served as program officer for grants at the Open Society Institute’s Center on Crime, Communities and Culture and as program officer at the Charles A. Dana Foundation. In his 19-year career, he has worked to create scientific research programs and faculty development grants in neuroscience and neuroimaging, geriatric medicine, nursing and social work, health services research, pharmaceutical trials, and public policy. He also has experience in evaluation, grants management, and finance. Jim is a member of the Founder’s Group of the Opportunity Charter School in New York City, volunteers with Friends of the High Line, and serves on the NYRAG Gulf Coast Recovery Task Force and the National Advisory Board of the Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program, funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies.

Rae Richman, Director. Rae has more than 15 years experience providing strategic consulting to organizations of all sizes, including family and corporate foundations, leading nonprofits and a wide range of Fortune 500 global corporations. Rae manages the Bay Area office of RPA. Her funding expertise includes climate change and environmental protection, education, and cultural preservation, with focused work in Israel and China. She has also been actively involved in RPA’s leadership on the issue of Mission Related Investing (MRI.)

Rae is formerly a consultant with expertise in corporate social responsibility, meeting facilitation and organizational development. Prior to starting her own consultancy for values-based organizations, she was Senior Manager of Consulting Services at Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), working with Fortune 500 companies to facilitate their stakeholder engagement efforts, assist them in implementing more socially responsible policies and practices, and provide counsel on issues of global corporate community engagement. Rae brings to her work a decade of marketing and production experience at entertainment, multimedia and high-tech companies. She received her BA from the University of Virginia and her MBA from the UC Berkeley/Columbia University Executive MBA program. Rae serves as a Board Member and Officer of the Black Rock Arts Foundation.

Walter 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 leads the team that administers Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ charitable gift fund. He served as the senior program officer for the American Red Cross Recovery Grants Program and was a program officer at the New York Community Trust, the nation’s largest community foundation. 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, and civic affairs; 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. Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, he was Vice President of the family-owned Sweet Analysis Services where 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 is board member of the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York, the Business Outreach Center Network, and Columbia University’s Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing.

Donna L. Christie, Senior Manager. Donna reports to the Director of Charitable Giving and is involved in the day-to-day management of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ charitable giving vehicle, The Philanthropic Collaborative. She also serves as Corporate Secretary. 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.

Mitchell 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.

Shermane 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.

Cheikh Diop, Senior Accountant. Cheikh reports directly to the Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining RPA, Cheikh was the Comptroller of Sloane and Hinshaw, Inc., a specialized management and consulting company servicing grantmaking organizations. Previously, he worked for The Macmillan Publishing Group. Cheikh has extensive experience in financial applications of automated systems, as well as financial analysis and reporting, investment planning and monitoring, tax planning, and developing and monitoring accounting plans. Fluent in French, he has a rich multicultural background, and is an active member of several non-profit community-based cultural and educational organizations in New York. Cheikh graduated from Baruch College/CUNY, with a BBA degree in Finance and Investments, and an MBA in Management and Accounting.

Lauren Russell Geskos, Manager. Lauren is a member of RPA’s Strategic Initiatives Team. She has spent nearly a decade in managerial roles in the Silicon Valley and New York.

At RPA, Lauren is responsible for overseeing all external communications with RPA’s clients and philanthropic network. This includes RPA’s strategic partnerships and relationships, monograph books, website, conferences and events, newsletters, surveys, presentations and analysis. She is also involved in the organization’s Mission-Related Investing practice. Prior to joining RPA, Lauren founded an independent communications consulting firm, Highmark, led outreach to ultra-high net worth families at the Institute for Private Investors as Manager of Private Investor Membership, and worked as a Marketing Manager in the Silicon Valley.

Lauren earned her B.A., in English with minors in Communications and Anthropology, from Stanford University, where she was a member of the Women’s Honors Society. She has completed Wharton’s Private Wealth Management course for Investors. She is regularly engaged in a variety of philanthropic activities including her current role on the Advisory Council of the New York Venture Philanthropy Fund, and has personal philanthropic interest in climate change. She has also been active with the Taproot Foundation, environmental and inner city youth projects, and has co-chaired two major benefit concerts at Carnegie Hall.

Amy Holmes, Senior Philanthropic Advisor. Amy administers a variety of client projects, including Afghan Women Leaders Connect, family foundations, a Gulf Coast recovery program, and individual giving programs focusing on environmental conservation, education, the arts, and climate change. She manages youth funding programs, and oversees Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisor’s Washington D.C. Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, which supports grassroots youth development work in Washington’s Wards 7 & 8. Previously, Amy served as Development Associate for the Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center, a settlement house serving Yorkville and East Harlem in New York. She sits on the board of Harlem United, a comprehensive agency providing medical, social, and supportive services for adults with HIV/AIDS whose diagnoses are often complicated by addiction, mental illness, and homelessness, and is a member of the strategic alliance committee. She holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University, and a B.A. from the College of William and Mary.

Pooja 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).

Maryan 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.

Julia 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.

Sheila Thélémaque, Office Manager. Sheila is responsible for the effective management and efficient day-to-day operations of all office activities including technology utilization. Prior to joining RPA, Sheila worked as an information services specialist for the Wildlife Conservation Society. Sheila is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Kenya from 2004-2006 training the staff of Tulaga Farmers Dairy Co-Operative in the use of personal computers and Microsoft Office applications. Previously, Sheila worked with Permal Asset Management as a Director of Information Systems. There she managed systems development by evaluating current and future business requirements. Sheila received her Bachelor of Science in Finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business and her Master of Science in Information Systems from Pace University’s School of Computer Science & Information Systems. Sheila is also fluent in French and Créole.

Gage 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.

Dana 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.

Julio Bautista, Associate. As part of the grants administration department, Julio conducts due diligence and grant processing for Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. Julio rejoins the staff after working for the Knight Foundation in Miami, FL, and The Fund for the City of New York. While at the Fund for the City of New York, Julio worked as part of the Beacons Technical Assistance Team, which provided assistance and youth development training to the staff members of 81 New York City Beacon Programs 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.

Molly Hickok, Associate. Molly works with the Grants Management Team under the direction of Walter Sweet. She provides support to several private, public and American Friends organizations. Prior to joining RPA, Molly served as the Grants and Contributions Manager at Sloane & Hinshaw, a specialized management and consulting company servicing grantmaking organizations. Ms. Hickok has been involved in the downtown arts community for many years, working with Big Dance Theater, a BESSIE and Obie winning dance/theater company. She served for three years on the Theater Panel at the New York State Council for the Arts.

James McClelland, Senior 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.

Ezra Vazquez-D’Amico, Associate. Ezra works as a Program Associate for the New York State Music Fund, the Gulf Coast Fund and W. K. Kellogg Foundation’s Cultures of Giving program. Before joining RPA, Ezra worked as a consultant connecting U.S. non-profits to government, NGO, civil society and indigenous actors in Bolivia. His previous experience includes working at the National Environmental Education Foundation in Washington, DC, where he coordinated the EnvironMentors Project and the Watershed Media Project. Ezra received his B.A. in Ethnicity, Race & Migration and Music from Yale University, where he was a Gates Millennium Scholar and a Mellon Minority Undergraduate Fellow.

Joy Osemwenkhae, Accountant. Joy reports directly to the Director of Finance. Prior to joining RPA, Joy was a Senior Auditor at Deloitte & Touche, LLP specializing in areas of financial services that included auditing mutual funds, hedge funds, funds of funds (Investment Management Industry), Insurance, Private Equity and Wealth Management Industry. Prior to Deloitte & Touche, LLP, Joy also worked at Merrill Lynch as a Collateral Analyst, and National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship as an Accounting Clerk while attending school full-time. Joy has extensive experience in financial reporting and audit applications. Joy is an active member of the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. Joy graduated from Baruch College/CUNY, with a BBA degree in Accounting, and is currently pursuing her CPA.

Derrick Strachan, Accountant. Derrick reports directly to the Director of Finance. 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.

Erica Sanchez, Senior Assistant. 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.

Kate Lane, Executive Assistant. Kate provides administrative support to Melissa Berman, as well as the Senior Management Team and the Board of Directors. 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.

Bryan Diaz, Assistant. Bryan joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors as an Assistant to the Operations Team in 2008. Previously, Bryan served in the United States Armed Forces for eight years, and he attended the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University concentrating in computer science. Bryan holds a mechanical engineering certification from Apex Technical School and is a Licensed New York State Real Estate Agent.

Josh Dooley, Assistant. Josh provides support to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ Grants Management team. Prior to joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in 2007, Josh worked as a Community Relations and Marketing Coordinator for Shore Health Services, a community-owned healthcare conglomerate in Virginia. He also gained experience in the nonprofit sector as a grant writer for a local theater group. Josh is a graduate of the University of Virginia where he earned his B.A. in Philosophy.

La Shonda Handy, Receptionist. La Shonda joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ Operations Team in July of 2008 as Front Desk Receptionist and is responsible for maintaining a professional front office operation. La Shonda holds a professional culinary certification from Kingsborough Community College and currently hosts an urban cooking show, contributes articles to various online food blogs, and is interested in continuing her education in sustainable agriculture.

Melissa McMahan Heynen, Finance Assistant. Melissa joined RPA’s Finance Team in 2009. Prior to joining RPA, Melissa served as Director of Educational Partnerships for Food for the Hungry in Kigali, Rwanda, where she was responsible for its semester abroad program. Among other things, her responsibilities included managing the budget, overseeing fundraising activities, and participating in developing student curriculum focused on the Rwandan genocide, the peace process, and the roles of Westerners. Melissa holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from Greenville College and a M.S. in International Community Economic Development from Southern New Hampshire University.

Ari Kushner, Assistant. Ari provides administrative support for Jim O’Sullivan, Director, Foundation Services, as well as the Foundation Service team. Since joining RPA in 2007, Ari has provided project support and grants management for the New York State Music Fund, the Red Cross Recovery Grants program and various Foundation clients. Ari also organizes a Professional Development Roundtable Series for junior staff at RPA. The series engages thought leaders in the field and provides a forum for staff to grow important skills for careers in philanthropy. Prior to joining RPA, Ari worked as a Legal Assistant at the law firm of McCarter & English LLP, and as a Research Assistant to the Dean of the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, where he developed an interest in public policy and development issues. Ari graduated with distinction from the honors program at the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Political Science. Ari is proficient in Hebrew and is currently enrolled in Arabic language courses to support current interests in Human Rights, Conflict Resolution and Middle East Politics.

Karen Perry, Associate. Karen works on RPA’s marketing and communications efforts as part of its Strategic Initiatives Team. Prior to joining RPA, Karen was the Communications Associate /AmeriCorps*VISTA with National Student Partnerships, a nonprofit organization dedicated to linking low-income individuals with the resources needed for self-sufficiency. In this role, Karen managed the organization’s public relations and marketing. She received her undergraduate degree from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.

Simon Rosen, Assistant. Simon provides support to the Grants Management Team under the direction of Walter Sweet. Prior to joining RPA, Simon served as a paralegal at the Legal Aid Society in Utica, NY. In this role, Simon researched and drafted legal memorandums for numerous cases. Previously, Simon interned with the William J. Clinton Foundation, where he gained an initial interest in philanthropy. Simon graduated from Colgate University with a B.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies, and Economics.

Meghna Shah, Associate. Meghna Shah works on diversity programs at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors as part of the Strategic Initiatives Team. Meghna’s work includes grants management and program support for the Cultures of Giving Fund and research on diversity in philanthropy. Meghna is also a member of the New York chapter steering committee of Asian Americans-Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy. Prior to joining RPA, Meghna interned at the Legal Aid Society, the New Press, and the Fresh Air Fund, where she developed her interest in the nonprofit sector. Meghna graduated with honors from New York University with a B.A. in Metropolitan Studies and French, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Tej Shah, Philanthropic Assistant. Tej works as a Philanthropic Assistant and supports the Donor Services team. Prior to joining the Rockefeller team, Tej worked as a Talent Associate at the Acumen Fund where he focused on talent development, compensation and performance management across Acumen’s worldwide offices. Tej graduated with an MBA from the Lubin School of Business at Pace University in 2007. In 2006, Tej spent the summer as an associate at Aavishkaar Micro Venture Capital Fund, focusing on development of socially relevant investment programs. His prior experience includes developing a children-based software education business line as a manager at Boston Education and Software in Mumbai. He previously volunteered in relief programs for victims of the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat, India and organized medical aid for civilians during the Kargil war. Born in Boston and raised in India, Tej is also fluent in Hindi and Gujarati.

Haley Zernich, Assistant. Haley provides support to Richard McKeon as well as to the Strategic Initiatives Team. Prior to joining RPA, Haley worked as a paralegal at the Federal Trade Commission in the Bureau of Consumer Protection’s Division of Advertising Practices, where she gained an interest in the intersection between the public and private sectors to effect change. In this role, she provided investigatory and legal support. Haley graduated from Oberlin College in 2007 with a B.A. in Politics.