Philanthropy Watchdog Group Welcomes New Board Members

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 16, 2009 — The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy announced today the election of Ana Garcia-Ashley, Joy Persall, Cynthia Renfro and Gerald L. Taylor to the organization’s board of directors.

“We are excited to welcome new directors who are deeply committed to helping philanthropy better serve the public good,” said Aaron Dorfman, executive director of NCRP. “They bring to our board an incredible depth and breadth of experience working to promote fairness and justice.”

Ana Garcia-Ashley is the associate director of the Gamaliel Foundation, one of the nation’s largest community organizing networks. She previously served as the lead organizer at the Milwaukee Inner City Congregations Allied for Hope where her leadership led to a $500 million dollar reinvestment victory and the development of the regional organization of WISDOM in Wisconsin. Ms. Garcia-Ashley also is a co-director of the Civil Rights for Immigrant Department and the director of the Southern Territory at Gamaliel Foundation.

Joy Persall is the executive director of Native Americans in Philanthropy, which promotes philanthropic practices based on Native values and traditions. Formerly, she directed the Headwaters Fund for Justice’s capacity building program for grassroots organizations. Ms. Persall worked on the expansion of Fund of the Sacred Circle and chaired a $2 million endowment campaign for the fund that supports Native American social justice projects in Minnesota and Wisconsin. She currently serves on Indiana University’s Board of Visitors and is Board Chair of Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center.

Cynthia Renfro is director of programs at the Marguerite E. Casey Foundation, a Seattle-based grantmaker that seeks to build a more just and equitable society. Prior to joining the foundation, she worked for the Beldon Fund and aided in managing $25 million in payouts to more than 400 environmental organizations each year for the Turner Foundation in Atlanta, Ga. Ms. Renfro previously was a member of the National Network of Grantmakers (NNG) board and co-chaired the NNG conference committee in 2001.