While I have experience in all aspects of philanthropy, my particular expertise is in strategy development, organization design and hiring, team and talent management, and governance and effective decision-making.
I know how personal philanthropy is. I can help you craft a strategy and organization that meets your unique needs, leveraging insights from the sector.
I offer pragmatic advice grounded in lived experience - having built Valhalla from the ground-up. I understand what works (and what doesn't) and know how to improve over time.
Before joining Valhalla, I was a Partner at The Bridgespan Group, where I advised foundation and nonprofit leaders and ultra high net worth individuals for almost 12 years. I helped well over a dozen clients significantly improve their impact, and more than half of these clients asked for multiple engagements. I led recruiting firm-wide, revamping Bridgespan's recruiting strategy to hire 60+ talented people each year. I was also a member of the Partner Promotion and Hiring Committee.
I currently serve on the Successor Board of Valhalla Foundation and on the Board of Teach for America (TFA) Bay Area. I have also served on advisory boards of The Stuart Foundation and The Primary School.
I began my career at Bain & Company and went on to work at NewSchools Venture Fund (one of the first venture philanthropy funds) and Education for Change (a charter management organization in Oakland) before getting my MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Masters in Education from Stanford University. I have a BA magna cum laude from Dartmouth College, and I live in the Bay Area with my husband and three (awesome!) kids.
I led Valhalla to commit over $700M, grow its portfolio to well over 150 grantees, and forge partnerships with dozens of funders and field leaders in service of impact. Most importantly, I helped Valhalla achieve significant measurable improvement in its desired outcomes.
Before becoming an independent philanthropy advisor, I was the Founding President of Valhalla Foundation for five years. I led Valhalla to develop clear strategies and drive outcomes improvement in six issue areas. I also hired and developed a team of nine talented individuals, and I led the team to establish the systems, culture, and governance to enable Valhalla's continuous improvement, durability, and scale.