Leverage Philanthropic Partners is led by Indigenous, Black and People of Color teams and represents a diverse network of professionals who provide a range of expertise. For each client, we assembled the best possible team to meet your needs. We have decades of experience in leading dynamic, highly-visible philanthropic and social change organizations to deliver aligned, mission-driven outcomes to inform your strategy, structure, and culture for greater impact and integrity.
Partners
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Edgar Villanueva
Founder and Principal
Edgar is an award winning author and globally-recognized expert in progressive philanthropic strategy. Edgar has managed several multi-million portfolios and has held leadership positions in various philanthropic organizations, including the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust in Winston-Salem, NC, the Marguerite Casey Foundation in Seattle, WA and the Schott Foundation for Public Education in New York City. In addition, is the founder of Decolonizing Wealth Project and Liberated Capital, a community of donors and fund that support Black, Indigenous and other communities of color. Edgar serves on the Board of Directors for Native Americans in Philanthropy, Andrus Family Fund, NDN Collective and Mother Jones. He is an Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity as well as an Aspen Institute Civil Society Fellow. Edgar regularly contributes to various media outlets and is the author of the best selling book, Decolonizing Wealth - a book focused on equitable leadership within the philanthropic and financial sectors. For more about Edgar, click here.
William Cordery
Donor Advisor and Consultant/Principal of Freedom Futures
Will is an Advisor and Consultant with Leverage Philanthropic Partners and leads Freedom Futures, a donor advisory firm dedicated to moving money to the frontlines of liberation for Black, Indigenous and people of color communities. He has held several roles in the field of philanthropy – from working at large national private grantmaking institutions to managing fundraising efforts for large, international nonprofit organizations. Over his career, Will has developed and implemented multi-million dollar grantmaking and fundraising portfolios aimed at advancing racial justice and economic justice.
Will received his B.S.B.A. in Business Finance from Xavier University and his M.P.A. from New York University. He formerly worked with Marguerite Casey Foundation, Surdna Foundation, and Wellspring Philanthropic Fund. His philanthropic board leadership includes Hill-Snowdon Foundation, Tides Advocacy, the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, Greater New Orleans Funders Network, Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing, and Grantmakers for Southern Progress. Additionally, Will is a 2021 Advisor for the Global Engagement Lab at the EDGE Funders Alliance, and is an alum of the Association of Black Foundation Executives’ Connecting Leaders Fellowship.
Gita Gulati-Partee
Consultant & Founder/Chief Strategist of OpenSource Leadership Strategies
Gita is a lead consultant with Leverage and leads OpenSource Leadership Strategies, Inc., a national consulting practice that amplifies the work of social justice groups as both units and agents of structural change which she founded. Gita brings expertise in structural power and equity, organizational and movement strategy, adaptive leadership and change, organization and network development, systems change advocacy, and strengths-based inquiry and engagement. Previously, she served as public policy director with the NC Center for Nonprofits, program officer with The Cleveland Foundation, and program manager for two education organizations.
Gita earned an MBA with concentrations in entrepreneurship and organizational behavior, as well as a Certificate in Public Policy, from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. She received her BA and Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University.
Fleur Larsen
Consultant & Facilitator
Fleur is a independent consultant and facilitator with 20-years of experience which has given her a perspective on what is needed to move our sector from a cycle of putting out fires, to a movement based in lasting equity and empowerment. In her commitment as a social justice facilitator, she bring strong skills and experience in community building, power and privilege, and liberation work.
Fleur has degrees from the University of Washington and the Evergreen State College in Washington State.
Kerrien Suarez
Consultant & Executive Director, Equity in the Center
Kerrien is a lead consultant with Leverage Philanthropic Partners and is the executive director of Equity in the Center.
With over 19 years of management and consulting experience, Kerrien has supported executive and leadership teams in bold decision making to solve strategic and operational challenges. As an independent consultant and executive coach, Kerrien supports social change organizations, senior leaders and social entrepreneurs in clarifying a vision for measurable social impact and building the leadership and management capacity to achieve it.
Kerrien is a graduate of Harvard College and London School of Economics and resides in the DMV area.
Nicole Robinson
Nicole is a research manager with Leverage Philanthropic Partners. Nicole received her MSW and Masters in Public Health from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. She has more than 10 years' professional experience working in the nonprofit sector, mainly as a program evaluator and nonprofit technical assistance provider. She is currently a PhD student and lecturer at the University of Wisconsin. Nicole's past experience includes national evaluations of advocacy and social policy initiatives, evaluation capacity building, and evaluation of foundation grantmaking activities. Her research interests include social justice, community engagement, and program evaluation. Nicole is based in Milwaukee, WI.
Allison Brown
Allison Brown is a consultant with Leverage Philanthropic Partners. She has ten years of experience in strategy consulting and has supported dozens of organizations with strategy and project planning. In addition to extensive experience with strategic planning and helping organizations articulate the purpose and strategy for new initiatives, Allison brings excellent project management, laser focus on decision-making that aligns with strategies and desired outcomes, and a track record of success with grant-writing and building buy-in among partners.
She has worked predominantly with organizations focused on systems changes and movement building within education, youth development, and reproductive justice, and brings a deep analysis of racial and gender equity. Allison is based in Denver, CO.
Rebecca Schumer
Rebecca is a Project Manager with Leverage Philanthropic Partners. She has provided consulting to mission-driven organizations in the private, philanthropic and nonprofit/social impact sectors, bringing specific expertise in the following areas: organizational strategy, evaluation and impact communications, development and stakeholder management, and human-centered program design and delivery. She most recently founded The Greenhouse, a platform for teen-led social innovation offering high school students’ skills- and network-building opportunities with industry experts, business leaders and social entrepreneurs.
While completing her Bachelor of Science and Master of Public Administration at New York University, Rebecca served as Deputy Director of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy, a national association delivering professional & leadership development services to 5,000+ Next Gen grantmakers stewarding philanthropic resources to communities all over the world. Rebecca is based in Los Angeles, CA.
Bari Katz
Bari Katz is a senior consultant with Leverage Philanthropic Partners. Bari is a NYC-based social justice educator and facilitator who works with nonprofit organizations, schools and grantmaking institutions across the United States. Bari’s work includes designing and facilitating trainings, writing custom curricula, coaching leadership teams, and supporting organizational development to create spaces and relationships where everyone’s humanity is honored and oppressive systems and dynamics are disrupted.
Bari has been an Adjunct Professor of Sociology at CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College since 2008 and at Medgar Evers College since 2018. She is committed to supporting and empowering young people as they navigate systems of urban education and gain access to higher education. Bari teaches courses in Introduction to Sociology, Sociology of Race and Ethnicity and Sociology of Oppression. Bari received her Master’s degree in Sociology and two Bachelor’s degrees in Politics and Sociology from New York University where she studied race and ethnicity, education, and collective action.