Born and raised in the Southeast quadrant of Washington, DC, Kier Gaines is a husband, father, community leader, and licensed therapist who has used his platforms to amplify the importance of self-awareness, self-growth, and mindfulness. Through his advocacy, Kier has inspired millions of people to be more proactive in their mental health journey and to simply reframe the way that they think about life, relationships, and especially, parenting. Kier’s unique, transparent, and authentic approach to mental health has received recognition from celebrities like Oprah and Viola Davis and has been hired to speak for events at the White House, NASA, and Amazon Movie Studios. Kier was also recently honored by Emmy award winning actor Sterling K. Brown and Oprah Winfrey on OWN's Special Honoring Our Kings: Celebrating Black Fatherhood.

Dania Matos began her tenure as the 4th Vice Chancellor for the Division of Equity & Inclusion (VCEI) at the University of California, Berkeley, in August 2021. Prior to coming to Berkeley, she was the inaugural associate chancellor and chief diversity officer at the University of California, Merced. 

Dania is a member of Chancellor Carol Christ's Cabinet, advising and guiding the campus on diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice (DEIBJ). She is the co-chair of the Hispanic Serving Task Force, oversees the African American Initiative, and is the executive sponsor of multiple identity-based standing committees. Dania leads with vision and love, centering people and community first and creating change through collective wisdom. 

This year, Dania was awarded the Top DEI Advocate by the National Diversity Council. In 2020, she was selected as a Leadership Academy Fellow by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, and in 2018, she was named one of the Top 25 Women in Higher Education by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education Magazine. 

Over the past decade, Dania has led equity and inclusion work in the private, nonprofit, and government sectors. She was the inaugural deputy chief diversity officer at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and served in Virginia’s public defender’s office. 

Dania holds a J.D. from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, and a BA from Brown University.

Christian Murphy believes that the power of connectivity can help her change the world! A self-proclaimed relationship wizard, she is inspired when able to help others accomplish their goals through their philanthropic endeavors and service. In her current role as Chief Development Officer with Girls Scouts of Greater Atlanta, she can do just that. While attempting to master the brilliance of improv, Christian is happy to be an innovator, risk-taker and champion for women and girls. 

With more than 12 years of non-profit experience as a volunteer manager, fundraiser and event planner, Christian earned her Master of Public Administration from Georgia State University and her Bachelor of Arts from Spelman College. 

A queen of juggling multiple hats, she is equally passionate about advocacy and is committed to increasing diversity in the field of Philanthropy and works towards that end as the immediate past president for the Association of Fundraising Professionals Atlanta Chapter Board of Directors. 

She is a member of the Junior League of Atlanta, the Atlanta Chapter of Twelve Days of Christmas, Inc., and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. 

Finally, Christian is proud mother to the real bosses of her home, four-year old Logan, twelve-year old McKenzie and Iverson, their five-year-old American Bully. She is happy to have found the perfect partner in crime in her husband Chris.

April Walker (she/her) is a non-profit and foundation consultant, equity champion, and writer. Her decade-long career in philanthropy spans fundraising, consulting, and grant making positions at the American Heart Association, Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, CCS Fundraising, VNA Foundation, and a Chicago-based philanthropic advisory firm. In 2021, April founded an equity-centered consulting firm, Philanthropy for the People, to partner with non-profits, donors, and foundations looking to challenge racial biases, confront power imbalances, and advance philanthropy that centers racial equity. Born and raised in Baltimore, April’s background in social service administration informs her commitment to advancing philanthropy rooted in equity and social justice. 

April earned a Master of Arts in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago and a BA in Sociology from the George Washington University. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Cleveland Chapter and also serves on the board of Arts Impact, Enlightened Solutions, and the Curve Foundation.
 

Wanda Cooper-Jones hails from Waynesboro, GA and is the mother of three young adults, Marcus, Jasmine, and Ahmaud.  Wanda’s youngest, Ahmaud, born 27 years ago on Mother’s Day, was a kind, fun-loving young man with dreams, hopes, and aspirations.  His murder in the Brunswick, Georgia community catapulted Wanda into the national conversation, and without hesitation, she waged a campaign with fierce mother love to exact justice for her son.  Through victorious verdicts in both State and Federal trials, Wanda used her voice and her power to ensure a positive narrative around Ahmaud’s legacy. She has worked tirelessly not only to fight for her son, but to stand as an example for so many that have lost children to racially motivated hate crimes. 

Wanda knew that Ahmaud’s life had to stand for something and that his remembrance needed to evoke a message of resilience and hope. From this belief, the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation was founded in the summer of 2021 and the mission of empowering, serving, and affirming Black boys on the journey towards mental wellness was established and the work was underway. 

In her quest to find ways to positively impact young lives, the foundation established the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation Scholarship which benefits African American male senior students at Ahmaud’s alma mater, Brunswick High School.    

Wanda Cooper-Jones continues to seek out partnerships and alliances that support mental wellness, education, and advocacy for young Black males.  Her son Ahmaud will always serve as her beacon of light as she continues the work of the foundation established in his name. 

Dr. Tyrone McKinley Freeman is a 2022 Inaugural Laureate of the Dan David Research Prize, “the largest history prize in the world.” The award-winning scholar and teacher serves as Associate Professor of Philanthropic Studies at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Previously, he was a professional fundraiser in community development, youth and family social services, and higher education organizations. He was also Associate Director of The Fund Raising School where he trained nonprofit leaders in the United States, Asia, Africa, and Europe. His research focuses on philanthropy in communities of color and philanthropy in higher education. His latest book, Madam C.J. Walker’s Gospel of Giving: Black Women’s Philanthropy during Jim Crow (University of Illinois Press, 2020), won the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Skystone Partners Research Prize in Fundraising and Philanthropy and the Terry McAdam Book Award from the Alliance for Nonprofit Management. His work has appeared or been cited in The New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, TIME, Harvard Business Review, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Black Perspectives, Chronicle of Philanthropy, CASE Currents, and Advancing Philanthropy.  He is co-author of Race, Gender and Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations (Palgrave MacMillan, 2011).

Chelsea Brown is an award-winning philanthropist, social impact advocate, and entrepreneur. Trained as a nonprofit management professional, Chelsea has more than eight years of experience in philanthropy, fundraising, sponsorships, and grantmaking. Through her passion to bring diversity and inclusion to philanthropy, she received the Diverse Communities Scholarship through the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Conference and the Charles R. Stephens Scholarship for the AADO/CASE Conference on Diverse Philanthropy and Leadership. In 2019, she was selected to be a Forbes Under 30 Scholar, University of Maryland's Do Good Institute Philanthropy Fellow, and a William Randolph Hearst Fellow with the Aspen Institute's Philanthropy and Social Innovation Program. This past year, she was highlighted as a "Black Woman to Watch in Philanthropy" in BlackHer's study on Black philanthropy titled "The Black Woman's Guide to Philanthropy." As an advocate for community engagement, she has served on more than five boards, including the Winthrop University Foundation Board of Directors. Currently, Chelsea serves as the Founder of Black Mill, a firm focused on providing Black professionals with strategies for engagement, programs, and partnerships with nonprofit and for-profit partners internationally. Chelsea received her Master of Public Management from University of Maryland in 2021, and her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from Winthrop University in 2014.

Valentino Bryant is the Director of Development for Howard University School of Law, where he is the principal gifts fundraiser, collaborating with university leadership to implement and accomplish fundraising strategies. 

Valentino specializes in creating compelling cases for corporations, foundations, and individual donors to invest their philanthropic and strategic dollars in higher education. He works to forge new and strengthen existing relationships with donors and other organizational constituents to create a vast network of institutional support.

Alisha serves as an Associate Director of Annual Leadership Gifts at The Pennsylvania State University. She is also co-chair for the Cross-Cultural Alliances – BIPOC Employee Resource Group for Penn State’s Division of Development and Alumni Relations. Alisha’s introduction to development was when she participated in the CASE Graduate Trainee Program in 2020. Her virtual start allowed her to explore innovative ways to connect with alumni before she embarked on in-person trips to connect with Penn State alumni across the nation.

Alisha’s prior experiences consist of internships with startup companies within and outside the US. In her role as the campus life fellow for Wake Forest University, her alma mater, Alisha served as the creator and implementor of workshops and programs that promoted wellbeing across the university community. Her love for people, service to others, and higher education connects Alisha to her past and present career experiences. 
 
Alisha holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Wake Forest. Alisha was a first-generation student who saw the impact of a scholarship before she understood the hard work others contributed to building relationships with donors. She now gets to do that work with pride for Penn State students every day.

Devin Rittenhouse is currently an advancement officer for corporate and foundation partnerships at The Henry Ford, where he is responsible for all corporate and foundation fundraising for the institution's K-12 STEM education program, Invention Convention Worldwide.

Prior to joining The Henry Ford, Devin led fundraising for several Michigan political campaigns, worked in Washington D.C. at the United States Senate for Senator Stabenow, then took his talents to the development team at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. 

Devin is a proud graduate of Grand Valley State University, where he studied Political Science and Middle East Studies, and still volunteers his time at the University when he is able. Outside the office you can find him training for marathons and triathlons, playing tennis and traveling with his friends.

Zena Lum joined Harvard Kennedy School’s Alumni Relations and Resource Development team in 2021 as Director of Development, Major Gifts with a focus on the West Coast. She joined HKS after serving as the founding Executive Director of the Boston Latin Academy Association, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to fundraising for Boston Public School’s Boston Latin Academy, one of three exam schools in the district.   

With more than 25 years dedicated to mission-driven organizations, Ms. Lum has directly raised tens of millions of dollars for leading organizations in Boston such as BPS, WGBH, Jumpstart for Young Children, and the New England Aquarium. In addition to her fundraising career, Ms. Lum enjoyed nearly a decade of success in executive search with Lindauer Global and placed development leaders across the country and across the sector that collectively have raised hundreds of millions more to advance education, the arts, health care, and social and environmental justice.
 
Ms. Lum is parent to a BLA junior, residing in the South End with her family. She is an active member of her community, volunteering with United South End Settlements, YW Boston, WID Greater Boston, ARCK, Artisan’s Asylum, and The Record Company. Ms. Lum holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Georgetown University and is a member of LeadBoston class of 2011.

Wendy Wilsker is Managing Partner at Boyden, a global executive search firm.  Throughout her career, she has been responsible for building high performing teams, creating meaningful engagement opportunities for stakeholders, raising millions of dollars to achieve maximum impact and making life-changing connections between individuals and the causes that are meaningful to them. Since 1993, Wendy has led development programs for educational, healthcare and social service agencies, most recently serving as Chief Advancement Officer for Jewish Family & Children’s Service in Boston. Wendy and her husband Michael reside in Westboro in their “empty nest” with their dog, Winnie.