Board of Directors
Rachel Korberg, President
Rachel Korberg (she/her) is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Families and Workers Fund, a $125 million philanthropic fund and collaborative supported by 40 diverse donors working together to build a U.S. economy that uplifts everyone. Previously, Rachel served at the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation and worked in impact investing and global humanitarian response.
Rachel joined Stonewall’s Board in 2018 and began serving as President in January 2021—she is the first woman to be elected into this role. As President, she chairs the Board and its Executive Committee and partners with the Executive Director to advance Stonewall’s institutional and mission aims.
Rachel has worked to be an advocate for the queer and trans community throughout her career, from leading the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation’s LGBTQI+ employee resource groups to helping to develop a U.S. government agency’s first-ever LGBTQI+ inclusion policy.
Rachel has a Master in Public Policy in Global Affairs from Yale University and was named a 2023 Presidential Leadership Scholar and a 2022 New York Times Groundbreaker. Her leadership is also informed by her lived experience as a working parent, survivor of sexual abuse, and a family member who has witnessed loved ones struggle in the face of an inadequate U.S. social safety net and a job market that too often writes off those who don’t hold college degrees. A champion of economic mobility, justice, and equity, her work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, and Fortune. She has been a featured speaker at the Federal Reserve, United Nations, White House, and Aspen Institute.
Melissa Madzel, Vice President
Melissa Madzel (she/her) serves as Managing Partner for Axis Talent Partners, a boutique executive search and people strategy firm, led by women and founded by women of color. In this role, Melissa leads client partnerships, works to deepen the Axis community, and contributes to the strategic growth of the firm. She and the Axis team apply practices to push the social sector further toward inclusion and equity for those whose voices have been historically excluded.
After joining the Board of Directors of Stonewall Community Foundation in July 2021, Melissa stepped into the role of Vice President in May 2022. In this role, Melissa focuses on supporting community-building among Stonewall Board and staff, honoring through practice the Foundation's values of moving in genuine partnership and being deliberate about how we center and care for our people.
Melissa's work centers people and their unique stories, above all. Most recently, Melissa served as Managing Director for Koya Partners/Diversified Search Group, where she held multiple roles, including oversight of the Nonprofit Practice’s equity initiatives and leadership of numerous executive searches in the social justice space. Earlier work includes roles with UNICEF USA, Safe Horizon, and City Year New York.
She holds a Masters in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in Human Services and Theatre Performance from Northeastern University. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her wife and two young children.
Medina, Vice President
Medina is a strategist, creative designer and self-described culture broker who sits at the center of Newark’s rapidly growing innovation ecosystem. He is a respected champion and connector whose legacy work is in the empowerment of multicultural founders.
“Technology saved my life,” says Medina, who was exposed to coding early growing up in Brooklyn, New York. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Fairleigh Dickinson University and began a career as a graphic designer and art director before becoming a visiting professor at Rutgers University.
In 2008, the hustler co-created design haus MEDINA = CITI, an agency that led campaigns for Hershey’s, Foot Action, Xbox, Pepsi and a number of other disruptive brands. Through his work in Creative Strategy, Medina helped corporations see the value in cultural equity. “Anyone can experience success by being their best self. It was such a personal revelation at the time and now I want to pass this on,” he says.
Medina achieves this today through his role as founder of EQUAL SPACE, the largest Black/Brown-owned co-working space in Newark. Since 2014 it has been a culturally affirming environment that creates opportunities for startups and techies to wealth build and win. No stranger to building inclusive spaces, Medina joined forces with other local LGBT business owners to establish the NJ LGBT Chamber of Commerce, an organization devoted to economically empowering LGBTQIA-owned companies and harnessing the community’s combined $3 trillion in buying power.
Outside of all this, Medina is an advocate for health and fitness and explores his passion for design through the creative outlets of photography, social media and blogging for his platform www.citimedina.com. There, he shares his love of all things visual and writes glowingly about his adopted city of Newark.
Mira Patel, Treasurer
Mira Patel (they/them) is a Biden administration presidential appointee serving as the Director of Strategic Partnerships at the U.S. Department of Treasury. Mira has worked at the intersection of public, private, and philanthropic organizations to expand domestic and international economic opportunity, LGBTQ rights, and human rights, including advising two Cabinet officials as an Obama Administration presidential appointee, and most recently served on the Biden-Harris Transition Team as the Economic Area Executive Secretary.
Mira has been a leader on LGBTQ rights, driving the Obama Administration’s work on international LGBTQ rights under Secretary Hillary Clinton while appointed to her Policy Planning Staff, authoring the related 2011 Presidential Memorandum and founding the Global Equality Fund, a first-of-its-kind multi-million dollar partnership of governments and private sector entities supporting LGBTQ rights organizations in 40+ countries. Informed by their perspective as a trans person of color and first generation American, Mira convened the Biden campaign’s LGBTQ Policy Committee and served as Senior Policy Advisor for LGBTQ outreach, receiving national recognition as Out in National Security 2020 Leader.
Previously, Mira led a $30 million economic impact initiative driving programs and government partnerships in 15+ countries, and worked for Gene Sperling on his 2020 book, Economic Dignity. Mira is a graduate of Wellesley College and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and currently serves on the Ambassadors Council of the Madeleine K. Albright Institute at Wellesley College. Mira was a Council on Foreign Relations Term Member, Atlantic Council Millennium Fellow, Wharton Social Impact Initiative Fellow, and Point Foundation Scholar and Alumni Representative to the Board.
Isaac Jean-François, Secretary
Isaac Jean-François (he/him) is currently a doctoral candidate in the Departments of African American and American Studies at Yale University. Isaac completed his undergraduate work at Columbia University in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies with honors. Interested in the intersection of academia and activism, Isaac joined Stonewall in the hopes of engaging the work of leading Queer and Black Studies scholarship with New York City’s ever-developing LGBTQ+ philanthropy.
Isaac also sits on the board of Elm City Consort, an Early Music performance ensemble in New Haven, Connecticut.
Suman Chakraborty
Suman Chakraborty (he/him) is a partner in the New York office of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris & Glovksy & Popeo P.C. He serves as lead counsel to major insurers and reinsurers in high value arbitrations, and in state and federal court litigation across the country. For several years, Chambers USA has listed Suman as a leading attorney in its insurer-side disputes rankings, and his surging reputation has also been recognized by publications such as Legal 500, Benchmark Litigation, and Expert Guides. Throughout his career, Suman has devoted his time to pro bono efforts, and his past work includes the successful representation of LGBTQ and HIV+ political asylum applicants, and the drafting of amicus briefs to state and federal appellate courts in support of marriage equality, in opposition to conversion therapy, and in support of the rights of adoptive same sex parents.
Suman, who joined the Stonewall Board in December 2021, served for many years on the Board of Directors of the National LGBTQ Task Force, the country’s oldest national advocacy organization, including as its Co-Chair, Treasurer, and an Executive Committee member. He also served as Vice President of the Board of Trustees of FFR/BTGALA, the alumni association for Princeton University. He received his undergraduate degree from Princeton and his law degree from Georgetown University. He feels blessed to have lived in Montreal, Toronto, London, Tokyo, Washington and Oakland, but proudly calls New York City his home.
Devin-Norelle
Devin-Norelle (ze/zim/zis) is a professional model, award winning trans advocate, media figure, and currently hosts PBS’s Brave Spaces. Ze is a public speaker and opinion writer, with published work in GQ, Teen Vogue, Allure, them, and Out Magazine, among others. Ze has walked in New York Fashion Week shows for Chromat and dapperQ, and was featured in the 2019 Stonewall 50 Pride Campaign for New York City Pride. Devin-Norelle facilities D&I Gender Expansive training. As a former member of NYC Pride's Community Council, ze has helped guide Heritage of Pride towards reducing police presence for future Pride marches and events.
Alexis Diaz
Alexis (they/them) is a licensed clinical social worker in New York state working with youth, families, and communities in NY since 2011. They're particularly passionate about working within communities of color and queer communities to elevate our voices, make visible our strengths, and celebrate our beauty and complexity. Alexis is a graduate of Columbia University School of Social Work and the Ackerman Institute for the Family. They hold a small private practice and are an adjunct lecturer at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. Alexis has presented at the 2023 National Sex Ed Conference in NJ, the National Association of Social Workers 2023 conference in Florida, as well as the 2020 Creating Change conference in Texas. Alexis's hobbies and interests include young adult literature, home fermentation, riding bicycles, cooking for community, and hiking.
Kate Doniger
Kate L. Doniger (she/her) is a partner in the New York office of Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP. Kate represents companies, financial institutions, and individuals in complex civil litigation, internal investigations, and criminal and regulatory enforcement matters. Kate maintains an active pro bono practice, including her firm’s recent constitutional challenge to Florida House Bill 1557 (widely known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law). Kate is a member of the firm’s diversity and inclusion committee and is the firm’s 2022 Fellow to the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. She was honored by the National LGBT Bar Association & Foundation as one of its 2020 Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40.
Kate is a graduate of the New York University School of Law. Before law school, she worked for the Center for Court Innovation as Deputy Director of the Red Hook Community Justice Center, the nation’s first multi-jurisdictional community court. Kate also holds a M.P.A. in Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy from New York University and a B.A. from Barnard College.
Tatyana Fazlalizadeh
Tatyana Fazlalizadeh (she/her) is a Brooklyn based interdisciplinary artist working primarily in painting, public art, and multimedia installation. She is from Oklahoma City, born to a Black mother and Iranian father. Tatyana, whose social practice is rooted in Black feminist praxis, considers image-making as a site of protest, contestation, affirmation and possibility. Her work centers community engagement and the public sphere, making site-specific work that considers how people, particularly women, Black folks and queer folks, experience race and gender within their surrounding physical environments. She is the creator of Stop Telling Women to Smile, an international street art series that tackles gender-based street harassment. Stop Telling Women to Smile was a cultural shift – creating nuanced and bold conversations on public violence against women and femmes. The project has been ongoing for 10 years, studied in schools, and in 2020, Tatyana released the book, Stop Telling Women to Smile: Stories of Street Harassment and How We're Taking Back Our Power.
Tatyana has lectured about her work and social practice methodology at institutions such as The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Brooklyn Museum, as well as several schools including Brown, Pratt, Stanford, and The New School. Fazlalizadeh has been profiled by the New York Times, NPR, the New Yorker, and Time Magazine. Her work has been exhibited at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the California African American Museum. She is a Forbes Under 30 lister, a University of Michigan Mellon Foundation Fellow, and in 2018 she became the inaugural Public Artist in Residence for the New York City Commission on Human Rights.
Sandy Fernandez
Sandy (he/him) serves as Vice President of Social Impact at the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, where he leads the development and execution of the Center's strategy and programs across North America. Throughout his career, he has dedicated himself to enabling equity and opportunity for underserved communities with a focus on innovative, sustainable, and scalable impact.
Before his tenure at Mastercard, Sandy held senior positions at Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase & Co. In these roles, he created national community and economic development programs and spearheaded coalition efforts with civil rights, policy, and advocacy groups to address economic disparities across a range of communities including low-income, people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ, and people with disabilities.
He began his career in the community health field, where he worked directly with low-income immigrant communities, conducting outreach, performing research, and providing education on diabetes and cardiovascular health.
Sandy also contributes his expertise and leadership to the boards of the Community Reinvestment Fund, Enterprising Ventures of Color, and is an Eisenhower Fellow. Sandy lives in New York City with his husband and holds a B.A. from Boston University and an MPA from New York University.
Keesha Gaskins-Nathan
Keesha Gaskins-Nathan is the director for the Democratic Practice–United States program and the Racial Justice Initiative at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Ms. Gaskins-Nathan is dedicated to advancing measures and ideas that improve democratic systems and engage democratic culture in the United States to support full and fair democratic and economic opportunity for all.
Keesha has worked as an organizer, lobbyist, and trial attorney. Prior to joining the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, she was senior counsel with the Brennan Center for Justice, serving as the director of the Redistricting and Representation program. Her portfolio included redistricting reform, voting rights, and elections, with a focus on voter suppression issues. Ms. Gaskins-Nathan is a frequent lecturer and writer on issues related to gender equity and politics, movement building, and democratic transformation.
In her early career, Keesha served as executive director for the League of Women Voters Minnesota and the executive director for the Minnesota Women’s Political Caucus. She worked for several years as a civil trial attorney and served as a special assistant appellate public defender for the State of Minnesota.
Currently, she serves as a Commissioner for the New York State Public Finance Board. She also served as the 2022-2023 Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity, the 2021-2022 Daynard Public Interest Fellow at Northeastern University School of Law, a 2019 Aspen Ideas Scholar, and a 2008 Feminist Leadership Fellow with the University of Minnesota, Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs – Center on Women and Public Policy. Keesha is also an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs teaching courses on Democracy, Movements, and Public Policy.
She is the board chair for The Workers' Lab, a national home for worker-centered innovation to realize a nation where the systems and structures that serve all workers are modern and inclusive. And serves on the advisory board for The Partnership Funds, Trusted Elections Fund, and the Center for Information & Research on Civic Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University.
In memoriam: Cecilia Gentili
Cecilia Gentili (she/her) started Transgender Equity Consulting after serving as the Director of Policy at GMHC, the world’s first and leading provider of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and advocacy from 2016 to 2019. Originally from Argentina, Cecilia found her passion for advocacy and community service when she started working as an intern at the LGBT Community Center in New York City. From 2012 to 2016, she managed the Transgender Health Program at the Apicha Community Health Center. Cecilia is also contributor to Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: A Resource for the Transgender Community, and a board member for Translatina Network, Transcend Legal, Stonewall Community Foundation and the New Empire Pride Agenda.
Throughout her career, Cecilia has trained more than 3,000 individuals on a range of issues that include LGBTQ inclusion, immigration, drug use, sexual health, trans sensitivity, and intersectionality. She has worked with city, state and federal governments, non and for profit organizations to ensure that their employees and customers have a seamless experience, and her knowledge has helped organizations bring about lasting and meaningful change.
For fun, she loves performing at storytelling and stand-up comedy events where she talks about her life experiences as a Latina transgender woman. Cecilia was a guest star at POSE for their first and second season playing Ms. Orlando.
Tabytha Gonzalez
Tabytha (she/her) is a Human Rights Specialist for the NYC Commissions on Human Rights, providing expert TGNB cultural competency education to community and intergroup relations to enforce human rights laws. Tabytha was featured in the HBO documentary, The Stroll, which won the Sundance Film Festival’s 2023 U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award.
A founding member of the National Trans Visibility March and Trans Equity Coalition NYC, she has received a Proclamation from New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Citation of Merit from Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson for her years of work in the non-profit sector. Tabytha is also active in the Ballroom scene as a leader in the Haus of Maison Margiela and Lead Advisor of the Margiela Matters Initiative, a group of house members with a community organizing mission, addressing social issues specific to the Black and Latino LGBTQIA+ House and Ballroom community.
She is committed to ensuring that LBGTQIA+ communities have access to health and wellness with dignity and respect. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tabytha created innovative virtual outreach strategies to engage and meet the needs of NYC’s most vulnerable populations, providing access to essential resources for individuals with dual diagnoses of substance use and mental health. The project reached over 750 BIPOC gender diverse individuals.
Tabytha is a public speaker dedicated to social justice, empowerment, and equity for Black and Brown gender diverse communities and has consulted on several projects for capacity building and inclusion for various LGBT organizations.
Nick Hodges
Nick Hodges (he/him) joined Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in 2014 as Chief Operating Officer and oversees Finance, Investments, IT, Operations and Sponsored Projects and Funds. In this capacity he is responsible for end-to-end client experience across programs managed and supported by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. He leads program work in impact investing and financial inclusion work in Nigeria and Tanzania.
Prior to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Nick was the inaugural COO at Schwab Charitable responsible for launching the first wide-scale investment management solution for donor-advised funds. He has also held senior roles at Tides and the San Francisco Foundation. He has more than 15 years working in philanthropy with donors. Prior to philanthropy, Nick spent 15 years in financial services serving in senior management roles with Charles Schwab & Co. Nick received his bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of San Francisco and is a certified trainer with 21/64, working with next gen philanthropists. He has held numerous securities licenses and completed management curriculum at Stanford University.
Nick has held board positions with Horizons Foundation and Community United Against Violence and is delighted to serve as a director at Stonewall Community Foundation as of Spring 2019.
Jimmy Johnson
Jimmy Johnson (he/him) is a residential real estate broker who has worked in the New York City real estate industry since 2008. As the head of the Jimmy Johnson Team at Compass, he works across a wide range of Manhattan and Brooklyn properties, helping buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants find their place in NYC. Jimmy began his connection to SCF in 2007 as a charter member of Stonewall Quarter Share, where he served on the Leadership Council for five years. During that time, Jimmy organized educational and volunteer events for SQS and helped the program to expand its membership. In 2016, Jimmy joined the Recruitment & Governance Committee for the foundation, working to bring new talent to the Stonewall Board.
Jimmy holds a bachelor of arts degree in Theater Studies from Yale University, where he was a member of the Duke’s Men of Yale and the Whiffenpoofs. In his free time, Jimmy enjoys singing with the Empire City Men’s Chorus, exploring his neighborhood in Brooklyn, and traveling with his closest friends.
Carmelyn Malalis
Carmelyn P. Malalis (she/her) is the former Chair and Commissioner of the New York City Commission on Human Rights, the agency tasked with combating discrimination in New York City. During her tenure, the NYC Human Rights Law was amended over 20 times to expand protections in the City, and the Commission was known for its aggressive law enforcement, creative approaches to education and outreach, a strong commitment to restorative justice principles, and outreach to historically underserved and marginalized communities throughout the City. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Malalis was a partner at Outten & Golden LLP where she co-founded and co-chaired its Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Workplace Rights Practice Group. While at the firm, she successfully represented employees in negotiations, agency proceedings, and litigation involving claims of sexual harassment, retaliation, and discrimination based on race, national origin, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy, disability, and religion.
She is a frequent speaker and commentator on human rights and issues involving diversity, equity, and inclusion; has held various leadership positions within the New York City Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and other bar associations; has previously served on Human Rights Watch's Advisory Committee of its LGBT Rights Project, and the boards of the NYC Bar Association and Queers for Economic Justice, and is the recipient of numerous honors for her commitment to championing the rights of LGBTQIA, BIPOC, immigrant, and religious communities.
Depending on the season, Carmelyn can be seen in Brooklyn coaching her older child’s softball team, playing a pick-up game of beach volleyball, or trying to keep up with her daughter on ice skates.
Yvette Miley
Yvette M. Miley (she/her) serves as EVP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the NBCU News Group. Her responsibilities include recruiting and retention, training and development, employee engagement, strategic partnerships across all four networks. Miley has held several leadership roles within the news group including SVP for MSNBC and NBC News overseeing weekend, overnight, breaking news and special events programming on MSNBC as well as NBC News’ “Early Today” broadcasts; Head of Diversity and Inclusion for NBC News and MSNBC; VP for MSNBC; Executive Editor of MSNBC Dayside and thegrio.com; and Executive-in-Charge of the NBC News digital platform NBCOUT. Miley has worked for NBCUniversal for 33 years.
Gabe Morales
Gabe Morales (he/him) joined the board of Stonewall Community Foundation in May 2019. He is a Director with the global communications team at Tradeweb, an electronic marketplace for fixed income securities, which he joined in July 2023. Previously, he spent more than 10 years at Citi leading the communications and media relations strategy for multiple lines of businesses and initiatives. Most recently he supported Citi Global Wealth, including Citi Private Bank, Citi Global Wealth at Work and Citi Global Wealth Investments. He also supported the bank’s philanthropic and employee engagement efforts.
Prior to joining Citi, Gabe was with the NYC Mayor's Office helping coordinate its visibility activities with the Young Men's Initiative, a comprehensive multi-agency effort to improve social and economic outcomes for black and Latino young men in the five boroughs. He has also worked as a general assignment news reporter and writer in Southern California and Texas.
Gabe has a Master of Public Administration from the Wagner School of Public Service at NYU, and a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism and International Relations from the University of Southern California.
In his free time, Gabe tries to keep up with his fitness goals, see the newest exhibits at the Whitney and MoMA, and hop on a plane to visit a new city and/or country every chance he gets.
Javier Morgado
Javier Morgado (he/him) is the Executive Producer of CNN’s morning show New Day. Since 2014, Javi is responsible for overseeing the editorial production and strategic vision for 15 hours of live programming every week. He was part of CNN’s team recently honored with the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for continuing coverage of Hurricane Maria devastating Puerto Rico. Prior to joining CNN, Javi held several management positions at NBC News during his 11-year tenure. Most recently, he served as Supervising Producer of NBC’s TODAY show.
The two-time Daytime Emmy award-winning producer got his start in local news two decades ago in his hometown of Miami. Javi holds a Master of Business Administration in media management from Fordham University and a Master of Science in human resource management from New York University. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, where he received a Bachelor of Science in communication.
Javi joined the Board of Directors of Stonewall Community Foundation in 2019. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Martha Graham Dance Company; on the Advisory Board for the Provincetown Film Festival; and on the Dean’s Visiting Committee at the University of Miami School of Communication.
Byron Pacheco
Byron Pacheco (he/him) is a partner in the New York office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. He specializes in complex litigation disputes at the trial court level and on appeal, in a variety of areas, including antitrust, class actions, fraud, labor and employment, and securities. He has also handled government and internal investigations and maintains a thriving pro bono practice around immigration and LGBTQ+ issues. Byron has been active in LGBTQ+ bar associations and is a member of his Firm's LGBTQ+ affinity group.
Earlier in his career, Byron was a law clerk to federal judges in New York and California. During law school, he was active in efforts to overturn Prop. 8, and has been active in politics and political fundraising. Prior to law school, he was a researcher at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government focusing on immigration policy. Byron holds a B.A. from Hamilton College, a Masters in Social Policy from Harvard, and a J.D. from Stanford Law. He joined the Stonewall Board in September 2020.
Otis Rolley
Otis Rolley (he/him) is the immediate past president of the Wells Fargo Foundation and Head of Philanthropy and Community Impact for Wells Fargo Bank. While there, Otis directed all policies, objectives, and initiatives regarding the Foundation in philanthropically investing $300MM annually in 17 nations with a staff of 125+ employees. His efforts helped to maximize the effectiveness of the Foundation’s strategic investments in the communities served while increasing the visibility of the Bank’s brand in market areas. He was able to leverage the Foundation’s philanthropic investment 3:1 in private and public social impact investments.
Prior to his role at Wells Fargo, Otis served as Senior Vice President, U.S. Equity and Economic Opportunity Initiative (US EEO) at The Rockefeller Foundation. Otis led The Rockefeller Foundation’s 2030 sustainability development goal of decent work and economic growth, SDG Goal 8, within the United States. Recognizing low wage workers as essential, even prior to COVID-19, Otis directed all U.S. work focused on enhancing the ability of every working person to meet the basic financial needs of their family and have a path to a better future. With a focus on equity, Otis provided stewardship for U.S. grant making and investing ensuring that it was aligned to strategic levers to fill key US economic opportunity gaps in tax and budget policy design and implementation; access to capital and asset ownership; and worker coalition-building and advocacy. Between 2019-2022 his team deployed over $100MM.
Immediately prior to becoming an SVP in 2019, Otis served as a North America Managing Director for 100 Resilient Cities, a major project sponsored by The Rockefeller Foundation. There he provided urban resilience (economic, environmental sustainability & community development) technical assistance and portfolio management for 29 cities throughout the U.S. and Canada. He also served as Managing Director for the Africa portfolio of 10 cities for over a year. In both North America and Africa, he facilitated the development of 18 Urban Resilience Strategies that advanced an equity agenda and resulted in $500MM in leveraged investments.
A true urbanist, Otis’s career has been dedicated to advancing equity, economic and community development in cities, and leading organizations in the for-profit, public, and non-profit sectors. His 25+ years of experience also includes serving in various leadership positions. He managed the strategic planning and urban development unit of a national management consulting firm. He has held cabinet roles with five different mayors in three large U.S. cities. He has been a chief of staff, managing a $2B budget; city planning director for America’s largest independent city; and he has served as the first deputy housing commissioner for the 5th largest public housing and community development agency in the United States. Ever committed to volunteerism, building capacity and pursuing justice, in addition to Stonewall Community Foundation’s Board, which he joined in December 2021, Otis has served on a number of governing boards, including the Asset Funders Network, Living Cities, and the Executive Committee of the Families & Workers Fund.
Otis is the father of three children. He has a Masters in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University.