Advancing social justice requires investing in powerful leaders from historically excluded communities to grow their capacities, increase their leadership effectiveness, and provide opportunities for relationship building and collaboration to support an equitable philanthropy movement. In support of this vision, Rockwood is proud to announce the fifth Equity in Philanthropy Fellowship cohort in partnership with Wellspring Philanthropic Fund (WPF). Bringing together 16 leaders from across the nation, this Fellowship was created to catalyze a shift in philanthropy in which diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the center of all decision-making levels.

The 2024-25 Equity in Philanthropy Fellowship Fellows are:

Cleopatra Jach Acquaye | Director of Programs, Funders for LGBTQ Issues 

Cleopatra is a Black Gender Non-Conforming* Queer, born and raised in The Bronx, New York. As a child of Ghanaian immigrants, her values are intensely centered on radical storytelling; Cleopatra defines this through transparency, centering lived experiences, and capacity-building. She has over a decade of experience in community organizing, organizational development, and team management; Jach’s teachers have come from Generative Somatics, Black Organizers for Leadership and Dignity, and the Audre Lorde Project. This allowed her to create a foundation for her work based on healing justice, black liberation, and relational organizing. Cleopatra continues to be a part of the Online Training team for Training for Change, instilling the skill of facilitation into organizers and changemakers globally. To maintain Cleopatra’s imagination levels, she incorporates screenwriting, cosplaying, and joke-telling in her spiritual practices. Today, you can find Jach as the Director of Programs at Funders for LGBTQ Issues.

Conrhonda E. Baker | Program Officer, Arts, Culture & Community Enterprises , Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta

Conrhonda’s love for the arts started with after-school dance and twirling classes in rural Georgia. Nowadays, you might find her shuffling in a tap class or stretching on a yoga mat. She’s all about holistic and regenerative grant-making approaches. Conrhonda honed her skills at places like Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Alabama Dance Council, Vulcan Park and Museum, Birmingham Museum of Art, Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, and South Arts. A veteran grant panelist, she’s lent her expertise to Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, Dance/NYC, National Endowment for the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and NY Community Trust. In addition to being a Women of Color in the Arts member, she holds a Master of Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University and dual B.A.s in African American Studies and Sociology with a minor in Dance Education from The University of Georgia.

Nouha Boundaoui | Program Manager, Crossroads Fund

Nouha is an anti-surveillance organizer and community weaver dedicated to cultivating healthy and community-centered grassroots organizing. As a graduate of Northwestern University and Emory University’s School of Public Health, Nouha has investigated the intersections of race and health and how social determinants of health, colonialism, and structural violence impact the health and freedoms of communities of color. Since 2021, Nouha has been a National Organizer with Believer’s Bail Out, a community-led bail fund freeing Muslims from pre-trial & immigration incarceration, and believes deeply in reimagining and building a world that prioritizes health, healing, and liberation for all. Nouha joined Crossroads Fund in April 2024 after years of managing public health research projects, leading community-based art interventions, and consulting for human rights nonprofits and community organizations.  As a granddaughter of Algerian revolutionaries and lifelong resident of ‘Little Palestine,’ her commitment to movements for liberation and freedom is deeply rooted and unwavering.

August Clayton | Manager, Racial Justice, and Equity, Humanity United 

August  is a full-time SoS, sonshine, grandbaby, brother, and steward of land, resources, and relationships. He was trained to organize under Advocates for Youth and deepened his politics through years of regenerative practice and land-based strategies for freedom. Over the last seven years, August organized around trans youth justice, HIV destigmatization-decriminalization, and transformative leadership development under the Just Transition framework. He currently organizes resources within, without, and against extractive economies across movement ecosystems, philanthropies, and his people. His work is centered around cooperative economics and developing the leadership of Black trans men and transmasculine Marylanders. He joined Humanity United in 2024 as the Manager of Racial Justice and Equity (RJE), working toward shifting resources and decision-making power to BIPOC movements organizing for political and economic power.

Ashley Green | Associate Director, Content Production, Nia Tero Foundation

Ashley currently serves as Associate Director of Content Production for the Nia Tero Foundation, where grant-making focuses on the specific needs of their Global Indigenous Partners. She joined Nia Tero after working with the National Geographic Society, where she was the Production Manager for the Pristine Seas and Impact Media Teams. For the National Geographic Society, Ashley led the charge of producing several documentaries that have influenced policymakers to create Marine Protected Areas worldwide. This includes the Emmy Award-winning feature documentary The Last Ice, which helped to raise the Indigenous-led proposal for an Inuit co-managed protected area of Pikialasorsuaq between Canada and Greenland to an international audience.Before National Geographic, Ashley worked for Smithsonian Channel, managing the delivery of over 250 hours of content for their OTT platform, Smithsonian Earth, and managing the production of many independent films and stage plays. Ashley holds a B.A. in Communications—Media Production from Salisbury University. In her spare time, she can be found planning her next whitewater rafting adventure, camping with the wild horses of Assateague Island, or reading a selection of books from her self-created must-read list.

Ira Wade Harris | Director of Programs, Pride Foundation

Ira is the Director of Programs at Pride Foundation. They identify as Southern, Black, queer, neurodivergent, and non-binary from Montgomery, Alabama, with generational lineages in Demopolis and Union Springs, Alabama. They have lived in the Deep South the Mid-Atlantic and most recently landed in the Pacific Northwest in 2016. They have worked in higher education as faculty and administration, as well as in non-profit and government sectors. As a lifelong learner, they hold a Doctorate of Education with a focus on educational activism in formal and non-formal education from the University of Portland, a Masters of Arts in Urban Affairs from Norfolk State University with a focus on career decision-making for LGBTQ+ students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as well as a Bachelors in Interpersonal and Public Communications with a minor in Political Science from Mississippi College. They are currently working on their PhD in Urban Studies at Portland State University, focusing on queer of color epistemologies, materialisms, and liminal ecologies in green and built environments. Always a ‘yes’ to traveling and anything involving the arts! They also can’t keep succulents alive but continue to try (kinda). Ira Wade’s main goal this year is to get more than 4 hours of sleep lol, so close!

Ebony Johnson | Senior Director of Brighter Futures, United Way of Greater Atlanta

Ebony, MPA, CNP, serves as Senior Director of Brighter Futures at United Way of Greater Atlanta, where she leads the organization’s place-based portfolio, setting the strategic direction for investments in targeted neighborhoods across three counties in metro Atlanta. Additionally, Ms. Johnson provides thought leadership on the effectiveness of place-based strategies and why place-based philanthropy is critical to advancing racial equity. Before this role, Ebony led economic inclusion initiatives for early education programs, court diversion, and domestic violence shelters across Miami-Dade and Broward counties. A Georgia native, Ebony received a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Policy and Management from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia, and a Master of Public Administration from Florida International University in Miami, Florida. Ms. Johnson is also certified as a nonprofit professional, with credentials from the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance in Kansas City, Missouri.

Vanessa Lee | Program Officer, Collective Giving, Chicago Foundation for Women 

Vanessa has over a decade of experience working for nonprofits serving children and families in a variety of direct service and administrative roles, including as a mental health professional in a residential center, a coordinator of a family literacy program for immigrant and refugee families, and a program evaluator for school-based programs. Currently, Vanessa is the Program Officer of Collective Giving at Chicago Foundation for Women (CFW), where she supports almost 150 Giving Council and Circle members in leveraging the power of collective giving to invest in women, girls, transgender, and gender non-binary people in Chicagoland. Prior to joining CFW, she was the Equity Strategy Coach on the Community Systems Statewide Supports (CS3) team at Illinois Action for Children; CS3 provides training and technical assistance to early childhood community collaborations across Illinois. Vanessa was a Chicago United for Equity fellow and senior fellow. 

Kanitra Lopez | Director of People & Experience, Women’s Foundation California 

Kanitra is committed to creating diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments where communities can thrive. Her dedication to social, economic, and political equality is deeply informed by her experiences as a Black woman, which have shown her how intersections of identity impact health, safety, and professional growth. Kanitra believes that those closest to the problem are best positioned to solve it, advocating for women’s presence at every decision-making table, a principle central to her work in philanthropy. With two decades of experience in education, human resources, nonprofit management, policy, and law, she has made significant contributions in both public and private sectors. As the Director of People & Experience (DOPE) at Women’s Foundation California (WFC), Kanitra uses her expertise to drive innovation, align core values with HR practices, and build a culture of community, belonging, and wellness, advancing WFC’s mission for social justice and gender equality.

Kody Melancon | Associate Partner, NewSchools Venture Fund 

Born and reared in rural southern Louisiana, Kody has always been ignited by a vision to uplift and serve BIPOC communities. Kody’s experience in rural public schools shaped his passion for providing all children with a culturally relevant, first-rate education. Always seeking ways to create systemic change and improve outcomes for students and families of color, Kody has spent much of his career in K-12 education as a classroom teacher, research analyst, program director, and pre-K program evaluator. Currently, Kody is an Associate Partner on the Innovative Schools investment team at NewSchools Venture Fund, an early-stage funder who invests in entrepreneurs who seek to reimagine public education. In his role at NewSchools, Kody leads the selection and diligence process for the Innovative Schools team. Kody currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Fellowship for Black and Latino Male Educators (NFBLME).  Outside of work, Kody enjoys exploring performing and visual arts, tracing his family history, and, sometimes, preparing traditional Creole cuisine.

Dr. Carrie Kholi Murchison | Director of Communications, Borealis Philanthropy

Kholi is a femme, nonbinary embodiment practitioner, writer, and diviner of Black queer magic who’s been convening, shifting, and growing communities, brands, and businesses for 20 years. As a writer, researcher, entrepreneur, and communal growth strategist living in Winston Salem, North Carolina, her work and advocacy have been guided by time spent in Wake Forest’s Masters of Divinity program; her formal and political educations earned at Hampton and Rutgers Universities; and the words of her chosen ancestor, Toni Cade Bambara: “Are you sure, sweetheart, that you want to be well?” Kholi currently serves as Director of Communications and Management team member at Borealis Philanthropy and also invests her time as Co-founder of Black, lesbian, and trans-run education production and change management companies, HOLI. Brands and Oratory Glory; steward of her family’s homestead, Celie & Squeak; and creator of a traveling proactive effort to hold brave space, Hella Black Brunch. Most importantly, the bulk of Kholi’s joy is derived from being micromanaged by her 3 animal companions, Cholula Jean, Parker Childress, and Missy Misdemeanor Eliot.

Richy Pena | Program and Grants Manager/Officer, NBA Foundation 

Richy identifies as a multi-racial person of color, seasoned philanthropic professional, equity and justice advocate, and systems-reform enthusiast. Stemming from his intersectional lived experience as a first-generation and formerly low-income BIPOC individual, Richy is passionate about transforming adversity into fuel to uplift generationally disenfranchised communities. His north star as an emerging leader in the sector is to collectively move society closer to racial, social, economic, disability, gender, LGBTQ+, and Indigenous justice. Richy is a Chicagoland native who serves as a grantmaker for the NBA Foundation, with the mission to drive economic opportunity for Black communities. He brings years of professional experience in philanthropic consulting, grantmaking, project management, organizational change, and policy reform. Richy is a proud alumnus of the Cristo Rey Network, received his BA in Government from Georgetown University with a minor in Justice and Peace Studies, and completed his MA in Public Policy and Public Administration at Northwestern University. In his free time, Richy loves to do everything and anything related to basketball, spend time with family and friends, explore new restaurants and neighborhoods, play video games, watch and rewatch movies, and lean into his new role as a cat-Dad to twins.

Veronica Rucker | People and Culture Manager, Headwaters Foundation for Justice

As the People and Culture Manager at Headwaters Foundation for Justice, Veronica’s role is to provide the staff of Headwaters with tools and care so they can show up as their best selves to be able to do the work of funding movements. Often, staff are overlooked members of the community, and it is her responsibility to make sure they are held and supported. She works to support workplaces in moving towards a radical and creative way of being internally – from the benefits offered to how decisions are made. She hopes someday to bring her work beyond her current organization to push other workplaces to be more profound in how they think about the care of their employees. Veronica spends much of her free time with her husband, chasing a toddler, and passing on her love of learning about new cultures through food to her son.

Mafe Salazar Rodriguez | Program Officer, Equality Fund 

Maria is a lifelong intersectional feminist activist and social justice champion. Originally from Colombia, she migrated to the US and Spain and is currently based in Lisbon. After years of working with feminist activists, movements, and initiatives in the Global Majority, she has seen the incredible spirit and energy that they harness. They are at the forefront of social justice struggles, holding the line and resisting oppression, exploitation, and marginalization globally while creatively working for long-term system change and justice. And yet, they often fall on the margins, barely recognized, supported, or funded. Maria Fernanda has dedicated her life to embracing these struggles while supporting them as part of her professional roles. Currently, as a program officer at the Equality Fund, she primarily holds a portfolio through which she supports feminist funds around the world in resourcing the movements they are rooted in through feminist grantmaking practices and values of collective care, mutual accountability, and empathy.

Alexis Smart | Manager, Sustainability & Membership Growth, SoCal Grantmakers (SCG) 

As a manager on the Membership & Sustainability Team, Alexis leads sponsorships, membership growth, and eligibility work. In prior roles, she worked with all of SCG’s fundraised revenue streams, including grants, fiscal sponsorships/intermediaries, and membership renewals. She served on SCG’s Culture Committee before joining the Equity Committee in 2022. Her zeal for pursuing various social service roles supporting under-resourced communities was ignited by an epidemiological research internship offering free health services to unhoused populations in San Diego. She has coordinated programming for high-school students, refugee families/youth, formerly unhoused families/youth, disenfranchised communities of color, immigrants, asylees, survivors of domestic violence/abuse, and senior citizens before transitioning into fundraising in Los Angeles for two years, then joining SCG. Her passions include arts, behavioral health, public health, astronomy, racial equity, Afrofuturism, effects of trauma research, the empowerment of survivors of domestic violence and abuse, and initiatives focused on women and femme-identified folks experiencing homelessness.

Cheri Souza | Hawai’i Postsecondary Success Program Officer, Stupski Foundation 

Cheri is a fourth-generation Japanese American whose family’s plantation roots in Hawaiʻi have deeply influenced her commitment to her community. As a proud product of Hawaiʻi’s public education system, she advocates for increased equitable access to culturally engaging educational opportunities and career-based experiences for young people, especially in rural areas. In her role as the Hawaiʻi postsecondary success program officer for the Stupski Foundation, she collaborates with organizations and institutions to build a stronger support system for Hawaiʻi’s youth using trust-based approaches. She is passionate about preserving Hawaiʻi’s culture and preventing the brain drain that occurs when young people, who are priced out of paradise, leave the islands. Cheri’s dedication to wellness and community building drives her grantmaking efforts, aiming for a future where the aloha spirit is preserved, and every student can confidently choose to live, work, and thrive in the community they call home.