Grantmakers Institute 2023 Faculty

Grantmakers Institute faculty are leading professionals with decades of collective experience in the Illinois social impact sector. They will share their lessons on navigating relationships and power dynamics, bust common myths, and give insights into the unexpected joys and challenges of life as a grantmaker.

Lead Faculty:

Faculty:

Michael Aguhar
Program Director • Crossroads Fund

Michael Aguhar is the Program Director at the Crossroads Fund, a public foundation that supports organizations working on issues of racial, social, and economic justice in the Chicago area. He is an attorney and community organizer who is passionate about supporting radical movements for social change. Previously, Michael was the Executive Director of the Alliance of Filipinos for Immigrant Rights and Empowerment (AFIRE) where he worked alongside a coalition of Filipino, Black, Latinx, and Polish workers to pass the Illinois Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, providing for basic labor protections to caregivers, nannies, and housecleaners. Michael earned his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and Juris Doctorate from the University of Houston Law Center. Connect with Michael on LinkedIn.

Holly Ambuehl
Director of Public Policy + Government Affairs • Forefront

Holly is a seasoned public policy expert and advocate, with twenty years of experience in the nonprofit, philanthropic, and public sectors. Most recently, Holly worked for Illinois Partners for Human Service as the Central Illinois community organizer and statewide public policy manager, representing over 100 nonprofit organizations at every level of government. Holly achieved a master’s degree in social work from Boston College, with a concentration in community organizing, policy, planning, and administration. She is a Phoenix native and mountain lover but currently lives happily with her husband, son, and mountain dog in a 105-year-old house in the mostly flat Normal, IL. Connect with Holly on LinkedIn.

Nedra Lucas
Senior Program Analyst for the Education Portfolio • Crown Family Philanthropies

Inspired by an Operation Smile documentary seen at a young age, Nedra felt called to impact the lives of individuals often left out of conversations. At eight, this looked like using her allowance to elevate causes important to her community. Now, she uses her voice and privilege to influence societal change. A native of southern Illinois, Nedra graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Global Health Studies. After graduation, she began a fellowship serving in The Department of Principal Quality in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). During her time at CPS, Nedra supported the department in achieving its mission by working on several programs and initiatives, including the Chicago Leadership Collaborative. Currently, Nedra serves as the Senior Program Analyst for the Education Portfolio at Crown Family Philanthropies, where she focuses on ensuring that all public-school students in Chicago, regardless of race, neighborhood, or societal economic background, have access to high-quality school experiences to achieve the successful life outcomes they seek. Connect with Nedra on LinkedIn.

Heather D. Parrish
Executive Director • The Albert Pick, Jr. Fund

Heather D. Parish currently serves as Executive Director of The Albert Pick, Jr. Fund, which supports furthering social justice in Chicago’s under-resourced neighborhoods in the areas of Civic Activism, Culture, Education and Health and Human Services. From January 2013 – February 2022, she worked for the Pierce Family Foundation (PFF), which provides general operating and capacity building support for nonprofits that provide housing and support services for people experiencing homelessness. Heather was named Co-Executive Director of the foundation in January 2019 as part of a strategic partnership PFF entered into with the Cuore e Mani Foundation, and in 2022 she became the sole Executive Director. Prior to her work in the philanthropic sector, Heather led a full-time independent consulting practice for over 17 years, working with nonprofits and foundations engaged in housing, community development and capacity building initiatives. Her prior professional experience also includes work as a Public Finance Associate with Prudential Securities Incorporated, as a Senior Consultant with KPMG Peat Marwick’s Government Services Practice, and as a Fiscal and Policy Analyst for the California Legislative Analyst’s Office. Heather holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of California at Berkeley, and a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, where she specialized in Housing, Community Development and Urban Economic Development. Since 2019, Heather has served as a founding board member for AMPT: Advancing Nonprofits, a trailblazing initiative that provides targeted and effective capacity building support through an anti-racism lens for small nonprofits on Chicago’s south and west sides, with priority given to those that are led by and serving Black and Latine communities. She also serves on the Steering Committee for the Neighborhood Organizing Funders Group / Chicago Racial Justice Pooled Fund and the Leadership Advisory Committee for Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Chicago. In 2021-22, Heather served as a co-chair for Chicago Funders Together to End Homelessness, a 30+ member funder collaborative. She currently holds memberships in the Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE), Chicago African Americans in Philanthropy (CAAIP), Chicago Women in Philanthropy (CWIP), the Harvard Club of Chicago and the California Alumni Association. Previously, Heather served as a committee member for the Chicago Foundation for Women’s Advocacy Committee and the Metropolitan Planning Council’s Sustainable Growth and Effective Governance Committees. She also served as a board member for the Illinois Finance Authority, the Illinois State Board of Investment and the Wieboldt Foundation. Connect with Heather on LinkedIn.

Michelle Morales
President • Woods Fund Chicago

ichelle Morales is the President of the Woods Fund Chicago. She is a first-generation US born Puerto Rican. Prior to Woods Fund, she led the Illinois chapter of the Mikva Challenge, an organization that develops middle & high school aged youth to become civically engaged and creates space for their civic participation and leadership. Michelle’s background has been in the field of alternative education, focusing on and advocating for educational justice, first as a teacher at an alternative high school in Chicago’s Humboldt Park community and then as Associate Director at the Alternative Schools Network. In addition, Michelle was a community organizer for 16 years in Chicago’s Puerto Rican community, organizing against police brutality and gentrification, and for community-informed economic development and educational justice. Since Michelle’s leadership, Woods Fund Chicago has centered racial justice both internally and externally, has increased its payout, restructured to embed a Trust-Based Philanthropy framework into its practices, and continues to advocate in the sector on behalf of its grantee partners. She received a BA in Latin American/Latino Studies from DePaul University, a Master's in Special Education from UIC and a Master's in Educational Leadership from Northeastern Illinois University. Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn.

Mary Pounder
Executive Director • Comer Family Foundation

Mary Pounder serves as the Executive Director at the Comer Family Foundation collaborating with over 180 non-profits to inspire meaningful change in communities throughout Illinois and nationwide in the areas of education, environment, healthcare, and the arts. Pounder has a passion for advancing systemic change for equitable health care through the framework of harm reduction, preventing overdose and the transmission of HIV and HCV through drug use. As the longest standing private funder of harm reduction, she works closely with low barrier rural and urban harm reduction and syringe access programs and serves as a resource for best practice grant making nationally. With a distinct commitment to racial equity, she is the Policy and Advocacy Chair for the Board of Directors at AIDS Foundation of Chicago and serves on Forefront of Illinois’ Board of Directors and Advancing Racial Equity Committee. In 2020 she collaborated with philanthropic leaders to create the Chicago Racial Justice Pooled Fund with an ongoing commitment to raise and move at least $10 Million in five years to Chicago community organizers building and sustaining movements for justice that center Black lives and address anti-Blackness. Prior to joining the Comer Family Foundation, Mary led UnitedHealthcare’s Central Region Corporate Social Responsibility, National Medicaid program implementation, Midwest provider mergers and acquisitions, large operational process improvement projects, and supported local physician contract negotiations. Mary received her master’s in public health at Northern Illinois University. Connect with Mary on LinkedIn.

Adriana Viteri
Executive Director • Comer Family Foundation

Adriana Viteri is a senior philanthropic advisor at The Chicago Community Trust. She is responsible for building and cultivating trust-based relationships with current and prospective donors and grant partners. Adriana works with individuals, families, foundations and corporations to facilitate strategic grant making, sector knowledge, and philanthropic educational programming. In addition, she advises Nuestro Futuro (Our Future), an identity fund focused on inspiring philanthropy and supporting Latinx-serving organizations. Prior to joining The Trust, she was the associate director of development & public affairs at Mujeres Latinas en Accion, where she managed the organization’s fundraising, communications, and advocacy efforts. She has a BA in political science from Florida Atlantic University and an MA in women and gender studies from DePaul University. In 2022, Adriana was selected as a fellow in Hispanics in Philnthropy's Líderes Fellowship, a national leadership program for mid-career Latinxs working in philanthropy and nonprofits. In 2020, Adriana participated in 21/64’s inaugural Certified Advisors of Color Program and now serves as an Advisory Committee Member. She served as co-chair of Chicago Foundation for Women’s Young Women’s Giving Council from 2018-2020 and participated as a fellow in 2016-2017 for the Community Memorial Foundation’s Ladder to Leadership program. Connect with Adriana on LinkedIn.

Lead Faculty:

Faculty:

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