Proteus Fund owes a great debt to current and past Board members who have done so much to bring our organization to where it is today. And we’re very excited about the progressive leaders recently voted onto our Board, given their diverse backgrounds, focus areas, and geographic locations.
Together our Board members bring an incredible array of skill sets and networks, enabling us to enhance our current social justice work as well as new work we plan to tackle in the future.
Please join us in welcoming the two newest members of our Board and in congratulating the Board's two new officers. Take a few moments to review their brief profiles below, and click to learn more. As they each bring their talents and perspectives to Proteus Fund, we can say with certainty that this force for progressive social change—and philanthropy’s critical role in that change—is as formidable as ever.
We are also thrilled to note that our 501(c)(4) affiliate, Proteus Action League, has appointed three new Board members as well. For more details on these talented individuals, visit proteusactionleague.org.
Sincerely,
Paul Di Donato
President & CEO, Proteus Fund
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Tia Oros Peters
CEO, Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples
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Nationally recognized expert on Indigenous women’s leadership, the protection of water as a sacred element for Indigenous Peoples, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
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Active in community organizing and nonprofit development to further social, cultural and environmental justice.
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Elizabeth (Betsy) Schmidt
Professor of Practice, School of Public Policy, University of Massachusetts Amherst
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Expert in nonprofit development and management, specifically policies and strategies for successful social-change organizations.
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Has taught nonprofit and social enterprise at several universities across myriad fields of study. Has practiced law, consulted with nonprofits, and worked directly for nonprofit organizations in legal and management capacities.
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Eric Ward (Vice Chair)
Executive Director, Western States Center and Senior Fellow, Race Forward and Southern Poverty Law Center
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Nationally recognized expert on the relationship between hate violence and preserving inclusive democracy.
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Established over 120 task forces to combat organized bigotry in six states through the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment.
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Nima Shirazi (Secretary)
Director, Spitfire Strategies
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Consultant on communications, campaign and message development for organizations dedicated to defending civil rights, desegregating education, ending white supremacy, and more.
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Helped found the Narrative Initiative, a training network designed to show leaders how stories and stereotypes shape the unwritten rules of society.
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"We are living in deeply unsettled times, where the historic challenges to inclusive democracy are eclipsed only by our potential to overcome them. We are being tested as a nation, and as a society. Proteus Fund has never been more necessary or had greater opportunity to secure progressive change. Despite everything that has happened, I am filled with hope when I think about all that we will accomplish together."
—Eric Ward, Proteus Fund Board Vice Chair
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Jason Franklin PhD (Chair)
Kellogg Community Philanthropy Chair, Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Founder & Principal, Ktisis Capital Advisors
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Eric Ward (Vice Chair)
Executive Director, Western States Center and Senior Fellow, Race Forward and Southern Poverty Law Center
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Odell Mays (Treasurer)
Founder and Principal, Mays2 Consulting, LLC
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Nima Shirazi (Secretary)
Director, Spitfire Strategies
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Ryan Alexander
Principal, Hyphen Consulting
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Richard Burns
Interim Executive Director, Drug Policy Alliance
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Patricia Eng
President & CEO, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy
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Sara K. Gould
Organizational Consultant, Coach
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Tia Oros Peters
CEO of the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples
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Elizabeth (Betsy) Schmidt
Professor of Practice, School of Public Policy, University of Massachusetts Amherst
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Mai-Anh Tran, CFA
Chief Financial Officer, Ford Foundation
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Paul Di Donato
President and CEO, Proteus Fund & Proteus Action League
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