Previously, Rachel served in program leadership roles at the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation, where she worked to advance economic opportunity, mobility, and equity. Earlier, she was vice president of a boutique investment firm and a global development and humanitarian aid worker serving communities coping with disasters.

Her commentary has appeared in, or her work has been profiled by, the New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, Fortune, TechCrunch, and Stanford Social Innovation Review. She has been a featured speaker at the Federal Reserve, United Nations, National League of Cities, Aspen Institute, and many universities. Rachel was named a 2023 Presidential Leadership Scholar and New York Times DealBook 2022 Groundbreaker. She also received Crain’s New York’s recognition for notable leaders in philanthropy for her service during the COVID-19 pandemic and a 2021 “Stevie Award” for female nonprofit executive of the year.

Rachel is President of the Board of the Stonewall Community Foundation, one of the largest funders of LGBTQIA+ causes. She has a Master of Public Policy from Yale University and executive training in human-centered design from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Rachel’s leadership is also informed by her lived experience as a working parent, survivor of workplace sexual assault, and a family member who has witnessed loved ones navigate the inadequate public benefits system and a job market that too often writes off those who don’t hold college degrees.

Tyonka has a track record leading innovative philanthropic initiatives focused on economic security, including a public-private partnership that launched the first fully funded flexible cash program for families working to overcome public benefits cliffs in order to achieve economic opportunity. She also led economic opportunity initiatives at Goodwill Industries International and the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning. Tyonka earned a BA in Journalism from Butler University and an MBA in Supply Chain Management from the University of Indianapolis.

Jenny brings more than a decade of experience advancing policies and practices to strengthen economic mobility. Most recently, she was the Associate Director of the Workforce Strategies Initiative at the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program, where she led applied research and capacity building projects to improve job quality, in partnership with public agencies, workforce development nonprofits, community lenders, employers, and workers.

Previously, Jenny built the capacity of nonprofit and public agencies to scale their impact. At The Food Trust, Jenny guided the development of food access initiatives, including a small business marketing program that created 100 jobs and $11M in economic impact, and a public/private partnership to increase SNAP utilization. Early in her career, Jenny was a consultant to nonprofit and public agencies at Fairmount Ventures.

Jenny holds a BA from Brown, an MBA from MIT, and an MPA from Harvard, where she was a Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership and editor of the LGBTQ Policy Journal. As a graduate student, Jenny worked with MIT’s Institute for Work and Employment Research to study strategies to increase worker voice, and served as a Dukakis Policy Fellow for Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo.

Jenny is a regular public speaker and writer on workforce issues. Her work has been featured in the Boston Globe, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Federal Reserve’s Invested Magazine, and other outlets. She lives in Philadelphia with her partner Mariele and their dog Frank.

Christian joins the Fund after working at the Coastal Community Foundation in South Carolina, supporting grantees in achieving meaningful wins to benefit the Lowcountry community through relationship management, capacity building efforts, and informing strategic grantmaking direction as a Lowcountry native herself. Previously, Christian served at the North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault as a Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation intern, where she supported more than 200 Black youth from across NC in sexual assault prevention and intervention education through the organization’s annual Young Advocates Institute.

Christian holds a BA in Sociology from North Carolina State University, where she graduated summa cum laude and became a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Christian is also a family caregiver, advocating for the support of care workers and a strong care economy. She brings an appetite for community centered grantmaking and knowledge on place-based impact to the team.

Prior to FWF, Lee was a director with Jobs for the Future focusing heavily on program and grant management for work-based learning, technical assistance for student and worker voice, and quality green job research. Lee previously worked in statewide public policy in Maryland, organizing with students, workers, community organizations, community colleges, employers, and more on legislation to expand access to college tuition assistance as well as low-wage worker access to paid sick leave. Prior to this, they worked in adult education, collaboratively building wraparound support for students. Her love and care for robust, supportive services for both students and workers remains strong. 

Lee lives in Baltimore, her home of 10 years, with their partner and doggo. Outside of work, Lee enjoys trying new recipes, attempting to make a crankie, and working closely with the Baltimore Abortion Fund, a grassroots organization providing financial and logistical support to people seeking abortion care in Maryland. 

Before his role at FWF, Joshua was a researcher at the American Institutes for Research (AIR). His work at AIR focused on promoting the use and generation of evidence within federal workforce agencies to improve program outcomes.

Before joining AIR, Joshua served as the Economic Stability Administration Policy Director at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), where he led strategic planning and COVID-19 emergency response for public assistance programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

Joshua also provided data analysis, policy research, and program implementation assistance to the City of Detroit as the senior data and policy advisor at Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan. Josh is a proud alumnus of the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) fellowship and is a first-generation Saluki and Wolverine with a BA in Economics and Political Science from Southern Illinois University and a Master of Public Policy from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.

Jae has supported operations, fundraising, and administration work for a range of nonprofit and start-up organizations across education, healthcare, arts, and youth health equity sectors. They have also worked as a line cook and bartender. They hold a B.M. in Double Bass Performance from The Juilliard School.

Jae has resided on unceded occupied Lenapehoking lands for the last 9 years (currently in Brooklyn, NY) and is committed to the learning and unlearning of our interconnected oppression and freedom.

Courtney joins the Fund after spending several years in administrative roles in the nonprofit sector aiding children and families challenged by food insecurity. Courtney holds a B.A.in Psychology and is the proud momma of a son and two rescue pets.

Jaidah holds B.A. in International Affairs from American University’s School of International Service. Previously, Jaidah supported key operations in the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Energy.

Named by Fortune magazine in 2010 as one of the “40 Most Influential Leaders in Business” worldwide under 40 years old, Eric previously served as CEO of Rex Group, CEO of the Clinton Foundation, and a partner and co-founder of McKinsey & Company’s government practice – as part of a career at the firm from 1997 to 2013.

At the Clinton Foundation, Eric led an effort to secure an endowment, develop infrastructure to support best-in-class operating practices, improve strategic planning and financial management, strengthen Board governance and internal controls, and use data effectively. During his tenure from 2013 to 2015, Charity Navigator awarded the Foundation a perfect score for transparency and accountability.

At McKinsey, Eric was the global leader of McKinsey’s work on government innovation and an expert on the transformation of complex institutions. He counseled heads of state and former presidents, cabinet secretaries, civil service officials, and business leaders in media, entertainment, and technology. Eric also served as an advisor on performance management for President Obama’s transition team in 2008.

At Yale, he was a Senior Fellow for more than a decade and continues to teach on public leadership matters including ethics, innovation, and global competitiveness. Eric is a member of YPO and the New York State Bar, and in addition to his work with the Families and Workers Fund also served on the boards of America’s Frontier Fund, Ready, Arena Stage, and other organizations.

During her tenure at Jobs With Justice, Sarita led a network of 30+ labor and community coalitions that anchored campaigns, changed the conversation, and moved labor, community, student, and faith voices into action. Jobs With Justice has been on the frontlines of successful organizing and policy campaigns to boost wages and working conditions for all working people, ensure worker voice and dignity in workplaces, and improve labor and civil rights protections for immigrant men and women. Sarita played a key role in seeding numerous campaigns and efforts, like the Asia Floor Wage Alliance, which is a global coalition of trade unions, workers’ rights, and human rights organizations that is actively innovating regional initiatives for higher wages in the global garment industry; the United Workers Congress, bringing together workers centers and organizations focused on raising labor standards and protections for low-wage workers across industries; and Caring Across Generations, a national movement of families, caregivers, people with disabilities, and aging Americans, working to transform the way we care in this country so that all families can live well and age with dignity.

As co-director of Caring Across Generations, Sarita spearheaded the campaign calling for policy solutions that create a much-needed care infrastructure that provides high-quality, affordable options for people who need care, support for family caregivers, and that strengthens the care workforce. Caring Across Generations was instrumental in paving the way for the Home Care Rule, the effort to provide minimum wage and overtime protections for two million home care workers. The campaign was also successful in winning state funding for the Kupuna Caregivers Program in Hawaii, which provides a financial benefit to working family caregivers. And, most recently, it shepherded the Washington Long-Term Care Trust Act into law, establishing the first state-based, public, long-term care program in the nation.

She is a Hunt Alternatives Fund Prime Movers Fellow as well as a graduate of the Rockwood Leadership Training Program. Among the awards Sarita has received are the National Women’s Law Center Annual Leadership Award, the Frances Perkins Open Door Award, a Mount Holyoke College Alumnae Achievement Award, and Corporate Ethics International’s BENNY Award.

Most recently, Danielle was responsible for a philanthropic grant portfolio at the Walmart Foundation that focused on issues of employment technology, place-based systems change and employer practice change and served as an internal advisor to Walmart U.S’s People team. Danielle was an appointee of the Obama Administration where she led strategic partnerships for the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education. In this role, she worked with stakeholders in the corporate, labor and philanthropic sectors on behalf of the US Department of Education. She was also led the Clinton Global Initiative’s domestic education and skills development team with responsibilities that included managing the CGI U.S. Youth Employment Action Network in partnership with the Office of Secretary Clinton’s JobOne program, overseeing the strategy of CGI America’s education and skills Working Groups, and leading the growth of the workforce development portfolio of Commitments to Action. She received h er MSc in IR from LSE and her undergraduate degree in American Studies summa cum laude from Dickinson College where she was a Posse Foundation Scholar and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She was also a Fulbright Scholar to Italy. Danielle sits on the Humanity in Action Board of Directors and American Planning Board. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.

He also co-developed and managed Sons & Brothers, the Endowment’s $50 million grantmaking and leadership program focused on improving the health, wellness, and opportunity of boys and young men of color. During his tenure there, he co-developed a $260 million public-private loan fund, the FreshWorks Fund, to increase access to healthy foods and spur economic development in underserved communities in California.

Prior to the Endowment, Charles was a grantmaker at the Marguerite Casey Foundation, managing an $8 million portfolio of grants focused on community economic development, civic engagement, educational equity, violence prevention, and family support.

Charles currently serves on the board of ABFE, membership-based philanthropic organization that advocates for responsive and transformative investments in Black communities, and he serves an executive committee member of the Families and Workers Fund.

Charles has a master’s in education and a bachelor’s in organizational communications from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.