BOARD OF DIRECTORS
QUANITA TOFFIE, BOARD CHAIR
Executive Director, Groundswell Action Fund
Quanita is the Executive Director of Groundswell Action Fund, a first-of-its-kind 501(c)(4) public foundation founded in 2017 resourcing electoral organizing efforts led by women of color, transgender and gender expansive people of color in reproductive and social justice. We had the luxury of building on 15 years of wisdom and power from our work on the c3 side, Groundswell Fund, which is one of the largest funders of the Reproductive Justice (RJ) movement in the U.S. Quanita has helped to raise $100M for grassroots social justice organizations advancing democracy and reproductive justice.
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Prior to this role, Quanita led Groundswell’s 501(c)(3) Integrated Voter Engagement (IVE) program, which equipped 20 Reproductive Justice (RJ) groups with cutting-edge voter engagement skills and technology. Quanita began organizing for social and racial justice alongside her parents in her native South Africa during the transition from apartheid to democracy. She joined her parents as they voted, for the first time in their lives, for Nelson Mandela in 1994. It was this moment that sparked a lifelong passion for electoral organizing. Passionate about advancing multi-entity organizing for reproductive and social justice, she currently serves on the 501(c)(4) boards of Proteus Action League, Tides Advocacy and National AAPI Power Fund.
JESSE BEASON
President & CEO, Northwest Health Foundation
Jesse Beason is Northwest Health Foundation’s President and Chief Executive Officer. He leads the Foundation in pursuit of its vision of health for everyone in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Before becoming President in 2019, Jesse served as the foundation’s Vice President of Strategy & Public Affairs. He has also served, among other roles, as Executive Director of Proud Ground and as Senior Policy Director for then-Commissioner Sam Adams. Jesse keeps saying yes to serving on boards – too many, really. It’s a dangerous habit. He moved from Denver, Colorado to Portland to attend Lewis & Clark College two decades ago. Jesse is a proud uncle, a semi-closeted sci-fi geek and a middling beekeeper.
RICHARD BURNS
Interim Executive Director, Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation
Richard Burns is the interim executive director of the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation and is Senior Advisor at the Johnson Family Foundation. He has served as interim executive director of GLAD Law, JFF, the Drug Policy Alliance, Lambda Legal, the North Star Fund, PENCIL, the Funding Exchange, Funders for LGBTQ Issues, and the Stonewall Community Foundation.
He is chair of the founding board of directors of the American LGBTQ+ Museum.
He was previously the chief operating officer of the Arcus Foundation and was executive director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center for 22 years, from 1986 to 2009.
Richard is a trustee of the New York City AIDS Memorial Park.
He served on the advisory board of the Center for HIV Law & Policy from 2005 through 2022 and was Managing Editor of Gay Community News in the late 1970’s.
Richard is a graduate of Hamilton College and Northeastern University School of Law.
NIC CAMPBELL
Founder of Build Up Companies
A. Nicole Campbell is founder of the Build Up Companies, comprised of Build Up Advisory Group, The Campbell Law Firm, and Build Up, Inc. She is Chief Executive Officer of Build Up Advisory Group, an advisory firm that specializes in improving governance, grant making, and organizational design for brave philanthropists, philanthropies, movements, and nonprofit organizations to provide them with the structural capacity to deliver on their missions.
PAUL DI DONATO
President & CEO, Proteus Fund & Proteus Action League
Paul Di Donato has been President and CEO of Proteus Fund and Proteus Action League since 2016. He is a deeply committed activist for comprehensive, progressive social change with a record of over thirty years of accomplishments. Prior to becoming President, Paul directed Proteus Fund’s Civil Marriage Collaborative a groundbreaking donor collaborative that played a critical role in winning the freedom to marry in the United States in 2015.
GUILLERMO QUINTEROS
Executive Director – Weaver at Partnership for Democracy & Education
Guillermo Quinteros is the Executive Director of the Partnership for Democracy & Education, LLC.
JESSIE ULIBARRI
Co-Executive Director, State Innovation Exchange
Jessie Ulibarri has spent the last 25 years working at the intersection of community organizing, social justice and public policy. He's served as a Colorado State Senator, field organizer, public policy wonk, trainer, co-executive director, and convener. He prides himself on being a hope monger, rooted in the embodied belief that when people have a sense of their own power, we can change the world.
CHRISTINE WHITE
Executive Director, Georgia Alliance for Progress
Christine White is the Executive Director of Georgia Alliance for Progress, where she facilitates a funding network of grassroots, civic and social change organizations across the state. Christine advises donors, family funds, community foundations, and national funding institutions on how to invest in communities of color in ways that build power and create a more responsive and representative democracy.
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Prior to joining the Georgia Alliance, Christine served as a business counsel and management consultant, supporting clients in the areas of strategic planning, labor and employment law, and growth financing. As a judicial clerk and prosecutor in Fulton County, Georgia, Christine witnessed first-hand the horrific effects of poverty, racism, and unjust educational opportunities. In response, Christine continues to support local efforts to change policy, address inequity and serve marginalized communities. Christine earned an MBA from the Georgia Institute of Technology, in the Scheller School of Business, and a JD from John Marshall Law School. Christine is a proud graduate of Spelman College, where she studied political science and economics.