As communities across the country face increasing challenges and competing needs, community foundations are stepping up, leveraging their many assets to work with residents and partners across sectors to tackle tough issues.
ELI is a year-long learning opportunity that focuses exclusively on community leadership for community foundation vice presidents. Over the year, ELI cohorts meet three times for two-day small group meetings which includes time for structured peer counseling – always a big hit with our participants!
“This has been the most on-target, impactful professional development experience of my career. CFLeads continues to challenge me and my foundation to step up our game for bigger community impact.”
ELI creates the space for VPs to learn from their peers while working towards their own community leadership goals. This program is a great fit for any community foundation leaders who are:
- Looking to step up their game and deepen their foundation’s impact
- Seeking information on the practices that have shown promise elsewhere
- Interested in exchanging ideas with their peers and getting advice from colleagues who understand their challenges
We also offer ELI for community foundation CEOs. Separate cohorts are created for community foundation VPs and for CEOs to create an intimate peer-to-peer environment.
“[ELI for VPs] was exactly the experience I needed as I began my community foundation journey, especially during this time of significant transformation.”
2021-22 Cohort
Below are the participants in our current 2021-22 ELI for VPs cohort:
- Courtney Bengtson, Chief Strategy Officer, Wichita Community Foundation
- Jonathan Cohen, Vice President for Programs and Strategy, Greater Worcester Community Foundation
- Rasheda Cromwell, Senior Director, Community Strategies, Greater Cincinnati Foundation
- Marisa Magallanez, Vice President of Strategy & Equity, Albuquerque Community Foundation
- Andrew Muldoon, Vice President, Philanthropic Engagement, Rochester Area Community Foundation
- Sarah Rose, Director of Engagement, SouthCoast Community Foundation
- Jenny Walski, Vice President of Donor Engagement, Brooklyn Community Foundation
- Diana Zarzuelo, Vice President, Community Philanthropy, Greater Houston Community Foundation
To see previous ELI for VPs cohorts, visit our alumni page.
