Kristen Summers

Kristen Summers is responsible for managing all day‐to‐day grantmaking processes related to the entirety of grants processed at RPA. This includes providing high‐level input toward the design and maintenance of workflow processes, policies, procedures, and related instructional documentation; upholding compliance and data management best practices across our grants management and CRM systems; and managing the allocation of GM‐team resources in response to workload. She works to ensure compliant, efficient, and client service‐focused grantmaking operations and to the ongoing development and improvement of processes and informational resources necessary to support RPA clients’ increasingly complex grantmaking needs.

Before joining Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in 2023, Kristen worked as a Grants & Scholarships Manager at East Bay Community Foundation and as a Senior Grants Manager at Saint Luke’s Foundation. Kristen values streamlining processes with an eye toward equitable grantmaking and is happy to share her knowledge in data analysis/visualization for grants managers. Before finding her calling in Grants Management, Kristen managed admissions processes for international students at Kent State University and dabbled in grant writing.

Kristen has a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in French Translation from Kent State University. In her spare time, she likes designing t-shirts for philanthropy and grant professionals, volunteering with the women’s justice nonprofit Collaborate Cleveland, and spending time with her husband and son.

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