BY Dion Cartwright, TFN President & CEO
The Funders Network’s work centers on cultivating courageous philanthropic leaders who are engaged, emboldened and equipped to bring about a just society.
TFN’s membership undertakes an important task each year: the election of our Board of Directors, which plays an essential role in ensuring we remain a robust, connected and mission-driven organization.
I’m excited to share several updates about TFN’s Board of Directors, including the addition of a new member to our board: Treye Johnson, a program director at the George Gund Foundation, which is based in Cleveland, Ohio.
Treye leads the foundation’s grantmaking focused on economic justice and community power. He has been involved with TFN’s Inclusive Economies working group, as well as its predecessor, the Restoring Prosperity in Older Industrial Cities working group.
Treye originally joined Gund as a Fellow from 2013 to 2015 before working on program development and community engagement with the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. He re-joined the Gund team in 2022. Treye also previously worked as a program officer at Burton D. Morgan Foundation, which focused on entrepreneurship education on the youth, collegiate and adult levels.
A former high school athletic director with a master’s degree in sports administration, he currently serves as athletic director at his son’s school.
Our network’s Board of Directors reflects the depth and breadth of our membership, representing a range of grantmaking institutions and a wealth of professional expertise and lived experience.
In addition to Treye, this recent slate of candidates included four returning board members.
The board approved the 2025 – 2027 slate of directors at its January meeting, and the slate was elected by virtual ballot among TFN’s organizational membership in March.
Read on to learn more about this year’s slate of candidates, as well as the board officers elected by the Board of Directors at their January meeting. (For more information on TFN’s board selection and election criteria, please read our Election FAQ page.)
TFN offers a wealth of volunteer leadership opportunities that not only give you a chance to support TFN and our broader mission, but also expand your own professional networks. If you or a member of your team is looking to deepen your engagement with our community of funders and partners, don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly at dcartwright@fundersnetwork.org.
Second Term
Isabel Barrios
Director for Disaster Recovery and Resilience
Greater New Orleans Foundation
Lisa Jacobson
Senior Program Officer, Mobility
Barr Foundation
and TFN PLACES Alum
Nathaniel Smith
Founder and Chief Equity Officer
Partnership for Southern Equity
Third Term
Sheena Solomon
Executive Director
The Gifford Foundation
and TFN PLACES Alum
Board Officers
Officers are elected for a one-year term, except the chairperson, who has a two-year term.The current chair is at the mid-point of her two-year term.
Chairperson
(2024-2026)
Sheena Solomon
Executive Director
The Gifford Foundation
and TFN PLACES Alum
Vice Chairperson
(2025-2026)
Surabhi Pandit
Director, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion & Community Engagement
Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and TFN PLACES Alum
Treasurer
(2025-2026)
Karla Twedt-Ball
President & CEO
Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation
Secretary
(2025-2026)
Lisa Jacobson
Senior Program Officer, Mobility
Barr Foundation and TFN PLACES Alum
Fond Farewells
The January meeting of TFN’s Board of Directors marked the final board meeting for members Chan Brown of the Kansas Health Foundation and Don Hickman of the Initiative Foundation.
We’re grateful to Chan and Don for their dedication to the board and support for TFN’s broader mission. Don’s time on the board also included serving as board chairperson from 2022-2024.
Thank you, Chan and Don!
With Gratitude
We’d also like to share our appreciation for the sitting board members who were not up for reelection this year:
Jessica Boehland
Kresge Foundation
Nathan Boon
William Penn Foundation
Kaying Hang
The Center at Sierra Health Foundation
Janel M. Hines
Greater Milwaukee Foundation
Elizabeth Love
Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation
Surabhi Pandit
Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
Kumar Raj
W. K. Kellogg Foundation
Mark Tran
The California Endowment
Thank you to all of our board members, past and present, for your service!
Featured image: TFN Board Chair Sheena Solomon greets Treye Johnson, the newest addition to the board, at TFN’s 25th Anniversary Conference in March. Photo credit: Jen Sapienza