2021 PROGRAM COMMITTEE BIOGRAPHIES
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2021 PROGRAM COMMITTEE BIOGRAPHIES
Helen Chin, Amalgamated Bank & Race Forward (Fall Retreat Co-Chair)
Helen Chin serves as the Communities First Senior Fellow at Amalgamated Bank and
Race Forward. Prior to her role at Amalgamated, she served as the Program Director for
Sustainable Environments at the Surdna Foundation. Prior to her role at the Surdna
Foundation, Helen worked for West Harlem Environmental Action (WE ACT), leading
initiatives on land use planning and transportation that were identified as core concerns
by the community and New York City to advance its sustainability efforts. Helen also
worked as Acting Deputy Director at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW),
based in Yarmouth Port, MA, where she managed a grant portfolio that designed and
supported programs in over 15 countries, providing indigenous communities with the
skills and resources needed to preserve and protect natural resources and wildlife
habitat. She spent a significant amount of time in Africa and Asia working directly with
communities, and then she went on to consult for the Wildlife Trust of India, living in
India for almost a year before returning to the U.S. Before joining IFAW, she was the
Community Programs Manager at the New England Aquarium, where she created
outreach and educational programs to cultivate relationships between urban families
and leadership development programs to engage young people. Prior to that, she held
positions with the Natural Resources Defense Council working on national
environmental policies. She holds a Master of Urban and Environmental Policy and
Planning from Tufts University and received her undergraduate degree in Political
Science and Marketing at Pace University.
Dwayne Patterson, Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation (Fall Retreat Co-Chair)
As Chief Equity Impact Officer, Dwayne Patterson supports Mary Reynolds Babcock
Foundation’s grantee partners as they set and advance their equity goals, helps staff and
board document and share their equity journey, and refines the way MRBF captures
partners’ outcomes and demographics for a full understanding of their work. Dwayne
serves on the management, program and equity leadership teams, contributes to
MRBF's ongoing culture work and manages grant portfolios. He also serves on the
investment committee, an important role as the Foundation strives to invest its
endowment in ways that advance economic opportunities for communities of color.
Dwayne comes to MRBF after more than a decade at the Atlanta-based Partnership for
Southern Equity, an organization that promotes racially equitable health, energy,
development and economic opportunities. As Vice President of Strategy and
Engagement, he advised on racial equity, social justice and organizing, and fostered
community-based solutions all over the American South. Dwayne coordinated
organizational and programmatic strategy, led program and management staff, strategy
development, alliance building and relationship management. He helped organizations
grow and improve performance. Dwayne also served as PSE's first Director of Civic
Engagement and Regional Organizing. Through his consulting firm, The Sixth Group,
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Dwayne has provided training and strategic impact guidance to many nonprofit
organizations and foundations. He holds a Bachelor of Science from North Carolina A&T
State University. He has served on the boards of ProGeorgia, the Fund for Southern
Communities and the Latin American and Caribbean Community Center. He lives in
Atlanta with his wife and twin daughters.
trellis stepter, The Mertz Gilmore Foundation (Fall Retreat Board Liaison)
trellis stepter serves as Program Officer for the Mertz Gilmore Foundation’s Democratic
Values and Climate Change Solutions programs. trellis brings 15 years’ experience
working on racial, social, and economic justice policy in the public and philanthropic
sectors. trellis served as the program officer for Money in Politics at the Piper Fund, a
funder collaborative and initiative of the Proteus Fund. In 2011, he was selected to
participate in a yearlong distinguished fellowship program at the Proteus Fund to
engage diverse and entrepreneurial leaders to enter the field of philanthropy.
Previously, trellis worked in public service in both the executive and legislative branch.
He served as Director of Government Affairs for the Secretary of Transportation in the
administration of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. He also served as chief of staff
to the Assistant Majority Leader in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
Originally from New Orleans, trellis is a graduate of the Juilliard School Drama Division .
eMily Alemán-McAlpine, Wege Foundation
eMily Aleman-McAlpine is a Program Officer at the Wege Foundation. Her
responsibilities include leading the program areas of the foundation which include
Environment, Education, Arts and Culture, and Community Health and Well-Being. Her
role is to help ensure equitable processes, funding, and programming that address racial
and other disparities in under-resourced communities. In addition, she is responsible for
proactive outreach and cultivating relationships with current and prospective grantees.
She is involved in the strategic planning of the Foundation along with developing and
maintaining effective collaborative relationships and initiatives with local philanthropic
colleagues, not-for-profit organizations, local government, business, academic and civic
leaders. Her previous role was as a Senior Community Liaison at Blue Cross Blue Shield
of Michigan. She implemented and facilitated statewide programs and initiatives which
included philanthropic funding and coordination with other BCBSM branches of
philanthropy. eMily was also the Executive Director of the Hispanic Center of Western
Michigan. She continues her commitment to equity, inclusion, and community by
serving on the United Way CARES Funding Committee, Latinx Affinity Network, Council
of Michigan Foundations Public Policy Committee, City of Grand Rapids Mayor’s
Complete Count Committee, MI Non-Profit Census Committee and Hispanics in
Philanthropy.
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Valerie Boucard, The Nathan Cummings Foundation
Valerie joined the Nathan Cummings team in 2015 and brings more than 20 years of
experience developing and managing programs in environmental justice, poverty, and
global education. As a Senior Program Associate, Valerie supports grantmaking in the
Corporate and Political Accountability focus area. In 2020, she began managing Inclusive
Clean Economy grantmaking and continues to work closely with leadership across the
organization on issues related to environmental and climate justice and economic
inclusion in the clean energy economy. Valerie is dedicated to helping grassroots
organizations build and strengthen programs focused on poverty, education, the
environment, and the arts. Prior to NCF, she worked with the US Agency for
International Development in Haiti, Hunger Free America, and Artists for Peace &
Justice. In addition to her work in the public sector, Valerie developed corporate socially
and environmentally responsible investment opportunities for clients and public-private
sector partnerships to advance environmental sustainability while managing global sales
for fragrance materials manufacturer, Texarome, Inc., where she continues to serve on
the Board. Valerie holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Rollins
College, with a concentration in Sustainable Economic Development.
Genora Givens, The David & Lucile Packard Foundation
Genora Givens supports the Climate and Land Use subprogram as a Research Analyst
through UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business Philanthropy Fellowship. Genora
primarily works with the Bioenergy, Palm Oil, and Agriculture, Livelihoods, and
Conservation strategy teams on monitoring, evaluation, and learning. Prior to joining the
Foundation, Genora was an Environmental Grantmakers Association Fellow at Clean
Water Action researching the impact of oil and gas production on U.S. water quality and
quantity. Her interests include land use law and watershed protection, as well as the
development of methods to incorporate understandings of social vulnerability and
inequity into analysis of geographic risk and watershed management and planning.
Genora graduated from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies with a
Master of Environmental Management and holds a B.A. from Willamette University in
Salem, Oregon.
Stephanie Goodrid Lawson, McKinney Family Foundation
Stephanie is the Executive Director of the McKinney Family, where she leads grant
programs focused on sustainability, resilience, climate solutions, environmental justice,
capacity building, environmental education and strengthening democracy. Through
strategic partnerships MFF advocates for environmental justice, seeks to conserve
natural resources and empower Indiana communities to live in a healthier, more
prosperous and more sustainable manner. She has presented at the Climate
Infrastructure Forum in Barcelona, Spain, the Bloomberg Philanthropies American
Cities Climate Challenge Partners Meeting in New York and the Climate and Energy
Funders Group annual meeting. She is a member of the adjunct faculty at the
Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Stephanie's previous
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experience has been in public health, human rights and advancement. Stephanie holds
an MPA in nonprofit management from the Indiana University O'Neil School of Public
and Environmental Affairs and a BA in global public health, international affairs and
political science from The George Washington University.
Natasha Hale, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Natasha K. Hale is a program officer for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation based in
Albuquerque, NM. Hale is responsible for identifying and nurturing opportunities for
effecting positive systemic change within communities across the state and sovereign
tribes. Natasha leads the Employment Equity Portfolio in New Mexico. Prior to joining
the foundation, Hale served as a Director for the Grand Canyon Trust based in Flagstaff,
AZ. During her time with the Trust, she co-founded Change Labs, designed to support
social entrepreneurs as they navigate processes and obstacles to launching their
business in tribal communities. Hale played a critical role in the designation of the Bears
Ears National Monument, and was appointed by the Tribal
Coalition to execute a national campaign. Hale served as Interim Bears Ears Inter-
Tribal Coalition Executive Director and is a co-founder of the Colorado Plateau
Foundation. Hale has also served as a politically appointed legislative staff assistant at
the Navajo Nation Office of the Speaker, where she advised and guided public policy
decisions in New Mexico, Arizona and Utah.
Cynthia Renfro, Laughing Gull Foundation
Cynthia is the principal and CEO at Civis Consulting LLC, a consulting firm launched in
2012 to support philanthropic institutions and community-based organizations in
developing and implementing strategic and intentional programs. Cynthia served as a
consultant on LGF's LGBTQ Program Expansion project in 2016-2017 and managed LGF's
LGBTQ Program from 2018 to 2020. Cynthia previously worked at
the Marguerite Casey Foundation, the Beldon Fund, and the Turner Foundation in
Atlanta. Cynthia serves on the board of directors of the Public Citizen
Foundation and Funders for LGBTQ Issues and has joined the Advisory Committee for
Front and Centered. She previously served on the boards of the National Committee for
Responsive Philanthropy, the National Network of Grant-Makers, the Environmental
Leadership Program, and the Neighborhood Funders Group, as well as on the Capital
Campaign Advisory Committee at the Highlander Research & Education Center. Cynthia
is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles, where she received a
Bachelor of Arts degree in history, and went on to become a Rackham Merit Fellow Ph.D
student of American History at the University of
Michigan. Cynthia loves to read sci fi, binge watch Netflix with her partner, and sail in
Puget Sound. But she is currently most excited about playing a role with some of the
best social justice philanthropy in the South.
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Mariah Tate, Energy Foundation
Mariah Tate supports prospecting and funder engagement through research, analysis,
and relationship-building. She assists in implementing innovative plans for cultivating
philanthropic support while coordinating with staff and current funding partners to
expand Energy Foundation’s reach. Mariah previously served as Systems and Operations
Manager for Energy Foundation’s Strategic Partnerships team. Before joining the Energy
Foundation team, she was a Senior Program Associate at Hopelab Foundation, where
she partnered with health systems, non-profits, and academics to improve health and
well-being for youth and young adults. Mariah used her experience in human-centered
design research, academic research, and product ideation to inform product and
systems development.
Olivia Trabysh, Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation
Olivia Trabysh has worked as a program design and strategic communications consultant
for progressive national funders and previously led development and communications at
the Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights and coordinated Special Projects at
the Amarillo Area Foundation. Most recently a fellow of The Coaching Fellowship, an
international program that nurtures and brings together the world’s high potential
young women leaders of impact, Olivia graduated from West Texas A&M University
where she studied English with an emphasis in post-colonial studies, political science,
and art history. She served West Texas communities for several years as a Court
Appointed Special Advocate for children and LGBTQ youth in the foster care system and
sexual assault emergency responder before advocating for place-based grantmaking
nationally.
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