Anita brings an incredible wealth of experience and passion to our team. With a career centered around civic engagement, equity, and voting rights, Anita just recently served as the Senior Program Director for the Media and Tech team at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. She has also served as a consultant to the Leadership Conference and has led digital equity outreach efforts and has been a consultant to census and redistricting projects. Her extensive background includes directing the Illinois Count Me in 2020 program, a statewide Census collaborative that united foundations and a diverse coalition of non-profit organizations.

Having worked for over two decades in the U.S. Congress, Illinois state government, and the nonprofit sector, Anita’s expertise is a perfect match for our commitment to fostering inclusive civic participation. As a legislative director for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, she showcased her dedication to public service. As of Spring 2021, Anita currently serves as the Commissioner on the IL State Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.

Tiffany Neilly joined FCCP as Operations Manager in October 2023, bringing a diverse background in commercial property management, education program and project management, and B2B sales across healthcare and apparel industries. Known for her relationship-building skills and market adaptability, Tiffany is currently enhancing her expertise by pursuing Project Management credentials at the University of California, Irvine, with completion expected in late 2024.
Her career is complemented by a strong commitment to community service, where she has volunteered for the past 12 years, deepening her dedication to servanthood and community engagement. At FCCP, Tiffany is excited to apply her skills and passion to support the organization’s goals of fostering civic participation, equity, and democracy through philanthropic leadership.

Jenna Patel is extremely excited to be a part of an organization that centers their work around building an equitable democracy and achieving intersectional racial justice. Prior to joining FCCP as Program Coordinator, Jenna served as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Buffalo, NY where she was able to help The Community Action Organization’s (CAO) Housing Development Office build program capacity and develop a resident-engaged neighborhood-level improvement plan on Buffalo’s East Side.
Jenna graduated from Rutgers University in May 2020 as a Public Health major, as well as a Planning and Public Policy minor. Throughout her college career, Jenna held several roles that revealed the true magnitude and depth of inequities shaping systematically oppressed communities, including her roles as a Research Assistant for The Essex and Passaic Health and Wellness Coalition and Director for Rutgers Model Congress. Jenna’s ideal day involves taking a spontaneous trip to the thrift store, going on a mini food crawl, and doing any and all things thrill-inducing!

Yara is a dedicated public health professional with over a decade of experience in nonprofit, government, and university settings. She holds a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) and a Master’s in Health Administration. As Senior Manager of Member & Foundation Relations at FCCP, Yara focuses on fostering collaboration and building strong, sustainable relationships with members and partners. She is passionate about creating opportunities for connection and helping communities thrive through shared experiences.

Alana brings a very strong commitment to racial justice as well as expertise in public policy, research, and data analysis. Prior to joining The Fund, Alana worked at Advocates for Children of New Jersey as both Health Policy Analyst and Kids Count Coordinator. She has experience covering topics including health care access, maternal and infant health, and childhood lead poisoning. Alana also co-led the statewide Census 2020 NJ campaign, a complex partnership that resulted in a more complete count of New Jersey residents. Alana is a proud Girl Scout who currently volunteers for the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore and previously served on the Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey Board of Directors. She received a B.A. from Bryn Mawr College and earned her Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.

Alexis Anderson-Reed is the President of State Voices, the largest progressive network in the country that works to champion a multiracial democracy and build power from the ground up.

Alexis joined State Voices as Executive Director in 2018, where she spearheaded a strategic transformation of the network to better meet the political fight of our lifetime. Since 2018, Alexis has significantly expanded the size and influence of State Voices. Under Alexis’ leadership, State Voices has grown to be a $100 million network. Alexis strengthened state infrastructure and the reach of the network from 17 to 24 State Tables, with another eight emerging states. In this time, State Voices has re-imagined and expanded data and technology infrastructure to meet the needs of 21st century organizing, training hundreds of data practitioners that support over 1,200 organizations, reaching tens of millions of voters through on-the-ground organizers and adding over 400 partners, leading to over 228 million voter contacts in 2020 alone.

Her focus on investing in organizing from the ground up, which includes more than $35 million dollars for grassroots infrastructure, has led to victories that impact people’s lives. From launching new municipal electoral strategies so communities have a voice in local elections, to winning on issues like reproductive freedom and economic justice, Alexis' steadfast commitment to empowering people to have a say in the decisions affecting their lives resonates across the country.

Alexis’ superpower is creating strong cultures and rebuilding organizations to be more powerful. She says that “how we do the work is just as important as what we do.” This ethos of being a reflection of our values has been a model for organizations across the country and is exemplified in the piece Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast. Alexis has deepened the network's strategy and culture through instituting now-regular convenings for knowledge sharing, and working to ensure that BIPOC voices, women, and other underrepresented groups are reflected, particularly in leadership roles. An expert in progressive advocacy, Alexis serves as a thought leader at the intersection of organizing and philanthropy, with published pieces in The Guardian, Essence, and Inside Philanthropy.

Alexis’ vision to create a space “For Us, By Us” that invests in the next generation of leaders of color was realized in 2019 when Alexis co-founded the Strategic Resilience Network, a program that supports dozens of new executive directors of color who are at the helm of leading the country’s largest and most impactful progressive and social justice organizations.

Alexis has been an activist since she was a college student, inspired by her grandmother's fight for the right to vote as a Black woman from Memphis, and her mother’s advocacy for women and children who are survivors of sexual assault. In college, she founded a nonprofit organization, Youth Reclaiming Our Communities, that organized young people around access to a quality public education. Before her tenure at State Voices, Alexis served as the deputy director of the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation, a philanthropic affinity group dedicated to enhancing democratic participation in all aspects of civic life. Alexis has also served as the senior director of programs for State Voices and the executive director of Wisconsin Voices, where she played a pivotal role in passing a historic Living Wage ordinance, defending voting rights, building cross-sector alliances, and scaling civic engagement.

Alexis graduated with honors from Alverno College with a degree in History and Political Science and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she studied in the Education Policy Masters Program. Alexis serves on the boards of the Alliance for Youth Organizing, State Innovation Exchange, and the Scherman Foundation. When not at work, she can be found trying out new recipes for family and friends and traveling with her husband, Derek.

Corinne Connor is a Program Associate supporting The Heinz Endowments’ Civic Participation and Workforce portfolios. Prior to serving in a grantmaking role, she provided policy analyses, quantitative data analyses, and engaged in collaborative community research opportunities as a Program Analyst supporting the Sustainability team.

Before joining the Endowments in August 2023, Corinne served as research assistant and coordinator at West Virginia University’s Institute for Policy Research and Public Affairs, where she oversaw the collection, organization and management of large data sets for a range of projects.

She also was the Policy Coordinator for the West Virginia Innocence Project at the West Virginia University College of Law, and was a Judith A. Herndon Fellow for the West Virginia State Legislature.

Corinne holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in political science and psychology and a Master of Arts degree in political science, all from West Virginia University. Her research and analysis work has included projects related to quality-of-life improvements for children with disabilities, worker displacement in Appalachia, criminal justice reform, education and health policy.

Steve Preston is the Program Officer for Democracy and Civic Initiatives at the William Penn Foundation in Philadelphia Pennsylvania.

Prior to his role at the William Penn Foundation, Steve worked as the Chief Program Officer at Share Food Program, the largest-distributing food bank in the Philadelphia region. Before his role at Share Food Program, Steve served in Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration in multiple roles, including First Deputy Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer and Deputy Chief of Staff to Mayor Kenney, where he helped lead efforts to pass the City’s beverage tax. Steve also previously served in various roles focused on community organizing and politics, including NextGen New Hampshire, Organizing for Action, and Obama for America.

Steve holds a BA in International Relations and Spanish Language from Duquesne University.

Alana brings a very strong commitment to racial justice as well as expertise in public policy, research, and data analysis. Prior to joining The Fund, Alana worked at Advocates for Children of New Jersey as both Health Policy Analyst and Kids Count Coordinator. She has experience covering topics including health care access, maternal and infant health, and childhood lead poisoning. Alana also co-led the statewide Census 2020 NJ campaign, a complex partnership that resulted in a more complete count of New Jersey residents. Alana is a proud Girl Scout who currently volunteers for the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore and previously served on the Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey Board of Directors. She received a B.A. from Bryn Mawr College and earned her Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.

Brandon McKoy, President of The Fund for New Jersey, is an established leader in public policy analysis and advocacy statewide and nationally. Prior to his current position, he worked as the Vice President for State Partnerships and Co-Leader of the State Fiscal Policy Division at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C.

Brandon is well known for his accomplishments from his time at New Jersey Policy Perspective, where he held several roles over the course of seven years, first as a State Policy Fellow through the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ program, next as a Policy Analyst, and then as Director of Government and Public Affairs, before assuming leadership of the organization as NJPP’s President from 2019 through late 2021. Throughout those years, he researched and promoted a variety of issues including the minimum wage, paid sick leave, equitable taxation, public budget processes, the legalization and regulation of cannabis, and much more. Returning to The Fund for New Jersey in 2024 served as a homecoming given that Brandon worked as a Program Associate at the organization and served as its first philanthropy fellow from 2012 to 2014.

Brandon completed his bachelor’s degree at The College of New Jersey and earned a master’s degree from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. He is a lifelong New Jerseyan and now resides in Hunterdon County with his family.

Lisa Abbott is a Senior Fellow with the Community and Worker Power Team at Freedom Together Foundation. Prior to joining FTF, she organized with Kentuckians For The Commonwealth for more than three decades, where she served in many roles, including organizing director and co-Executive Director. Lisa lives in Berea, Kentucky, where she leads an all-volunteer organizing project in her home county to show up for people and communities under attack and oppose autocracy.

Gabriela Philo is the Partnerships Manager, Elections and Institutions at Democracy Fund, an independent foundation working to ensure that our political system is able to withstand new challenges and deliver on its promise to the American people. As a Partnerships Manager, Gabriela provides an advisory role to foster collaborations within philanthropy that drives resources to programs that protect and expand American democracy.

Prior to joining Democracy Fund, Gabriela worked as Director of Development for The Andrew Goodman Foundation, a national nonprofit supporting young leaders in their efforts to remove barriers to the ballot box on nearly 100 college and university campuses. In this role, she managed a team in raising the organization’s funds and collaborated on the development of digital advocacy campaigns, GOTV efforts, and production strategic summits. Her work in the voter advocacy space began a decade ago when launching a campaign at Bard College, her alma mater, to move a polling location on campus. This became an eight-year long fight, and after two rounds of litigation a polling location was successfully secured by the 2020 Election. Additionally, Gabriela has experience in preservation advocacy, previously working in development positions at the Municipal Art Society of New York and the Los Angeles Conservancy. In her work at the Los Angeles Conservancy, Gabriela produced documentaries on significant architectural works of renowned Californian architects Ray Kappe and Paul R. Williams. Gabriela holds a Masters in Public Policy from University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and a B.A. from Bard College in Anthropology and Global and International Studies.

For examples, go to: https://www.democracyfund.org/about-us

As Co-Executive Director of the Trusted Elections Fund (TEF), Melissa Spatz brings 30 years of experience as a community organizer, non-profit leader, attorney, and funder. Immediately prior to joining TEF in 2022, she served as the Director of the Piper Fund, a pooled fund focused on the right to protest, judicial independence, and combating the influence of money in politics. In addition to her focus on building an inclusive democracy, her work has addressed a wide range of issues including media justice, housing rights, police accountability, health care, and gender equity. Melissa has founded and co-founded numerous projects and organizations, including the Columbia Journal of Gender & Law, the Women’s Rights Project at Human Rights Watch, and the Chicago Freedom School. She holds a BA from Swarthmore College and a JD from Columbia Law School.

Tynetta Brown currently serves as the Interim Executive Operations Director for the Philanthropy Network of Greater Philadelphia. She is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the organization, including operational responsibilities, member services, educational programming, public policy/advocacy and the implementation of the strategic plan.
Previously, Ms. Brown served as the President and CEO, Philanthropy Delaware, Inc. for the last 5 years. In that role, led the philanthropy service organization to expand philanthropic awareness in Delaware, assist members and other organizational partners to increase the impact of grantmaking, and ensure members have access to national best practices and philanthropic resources.

She also served as Director of Development and Marketing/Communications for the WRK Group (The Warehouse, REACH Riverside Development Corporation and Kingswood Community Center). She was responsible for implementation and collaborative oversight of fundraising efforts and the marketing and communications efforts for all three entities.

Prior to the WRK Group, she was employed at United Way of Delaware as the Director of Community Impact as well as the Associate Director of Health. She also served as staff liaison on the Public Policy Committee, as an Ally to their PRIDE Council Affinity Group, which focused on LGBTQ+ youth, adult health, and workplace equity. During her time with United Way, she also represented the organization on various committees, task forces, and conference planning teams related to youth, education, public policy, and health.

Ms. Brown has over 27 years of experience in the public health, corporate, and pharmaceutical sectors with demonstrated skills in strategic sponsorship development, relationship management, social marketing, and management of non-profit and government programs. Additionally, she has expertise in public policy and advocacy that emphasizes health and economic equity.

Her past career also includes serving as Vice-President, Social Marketing with Ogilvy Public Relations in Washington, DC; Director, Corporate Relations for the American College of Cardiology in Washington, DC; Senior Alliance Development Manager in the cardiovascular franchise at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals; Executive Director of the Tri-State Stroke Network for the North Carolina Dept. of Health and Human Services and the CDC; Program Manager for both the American Heart Association and Operation Health 27610 in North Carolina.

Tynetta currently serves on several Boards and Committees. She is a newly appointed member of the Delaware Commission for Women, serves as Chair of the Council of Advisors for Christiana Care and is a Board member of the Wilmington Rotary, Kids Chance of Delaware, End Community Gun Violence Now, the Delaware Affordable Housing Group. Previous national, local board and volunteer service includes the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition, WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, The Delaware Contemporary, the National Coalition of 100 Black Women-Delaware Chapter (VP of Development), and the US-DHHS Heart Attack Expert Panel.

Awards and honors include the Technical.ly Delaware ReaLIST Connectors award for 2024, Board Leadership Award recipient from the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition, Delaware Today magazine’s 2017 Women in Business Award, and recognition by the Association of Black Cardiologists with the Commitment to Diversity and the Elimination of Health Care Disparities Award.

She has consulted on small projects in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors offering tailored solutions in strategic planning, marketing, project management, partnership engagement, and design for community environments.

Her personal passions include interest in African and African-American culture, art, residential and commercial interior design and enjoys designing custom jewelry and crafting.

Sol Marie has been with the New York Community Trust Fund since Spring of 2009. As senior program officer, she manages the Fund’s competitive grantmaking programs in the areas of Education, Youth Development, and Community and Economic Development. She also leads the Foundation’s strategic initiatives, including ensuring an accurate census count, developing regional solutions to racial and economic inequities, advancing fair and affordable housing, improving the performance of minority-owned small businesses, and helping to combat Long Island’s opioid crisis.

Sol Marie has more than 25 years’ experience in nonprofit management, community building, program development and evaluation. Prior to LICF she worked at Sustainable Long Island where she directed the organization’s community revitalization and brownfield redevelopment programs. She also served as director of the Fight for Families Coalition, an alliance of health and human service, community-based agencies working to enhance service delivery systems in Nassau County. Before her employ on Long Island, Sol Marie spent 17 years working in New York City: 12 years overseeing youth development programs at Sponsors for Educational Opportunity and five years as a community liaison in Governor Mario Cuomo’s Office of Hispanic Affairs.

Sol Marie is an adjunct professor at Stony Brook University’s School of Social Welfare. She is co-chair of Engage New York, a network of foundation leaders across the State working to advance equity, social justice, civic and community participation, and chair of the Funders’ Census Initiative, a working group of the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation that mobilizes philanthropic engagement towards a fair and accurate Census. Additionally, she is on the Board of Directors of the Regional Plan Association and served on its Steering Committee for the Fourth Regional Plan. In 2022, Sol Marie was elected to serve on the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council state panel on business aid. She also served as a member of the NYS Health Foundation Community Advisory Committee which reports to NYS Health’s President and CEO and broaden community input and perspectives on the development and implementation of activities related to NYS Health’s strategic priorities.

A graduate of the University of Rochester, Sol Marie received a B.A. in 1987. She is a member of the Energeia Partnership’s class of 2011, a leadership academy dedicated to identifying and addressing complex and multi-dimensional issues challenging the Long Island region.
Sol Marie lives in the hamlet of New Cassel with her husband and two daughters.