The Libra Foundation Announces New Staff Appointments: Ashley Clark and Angie Chen
San Francisco (CA) – The Libra Foundation announces the hiring of two experienced foundation leaders, Ashley Clark as Knowledge and Grants Manager, and Angie Chen as Senior Program Officer.
“The Foundation welcomes Ashley and Angie, each of whom brings a wealth of experience and a commitment to equity and justice,” said Crystal Hayling, president and CEO. “Ashley has extensive knowledge of the sector and deep data management expertise, and Angie’s track record in developing strategic initiatives and partnering with grantees will together add tremendous value to the impact of our social justice grantmaking.”
As Knowledge and Grants Manager, Ashley manages the operations of the Foundation with a focus on refining the Foundation’s processes to be as clear, respectful, and streamlined as possible for Libra’s grantee partners.
Ashley formerly served Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund (SV2) as Director of Grantee Impact & Strategic Initiatives, where she implemented a new customer relationship management (CRM) platform, launched and managed an internal digital collaboration platform, revised the organization’s capacity building strategy, and led a strategic branding project to develop key messaging and a new logo system for the organization. Prior to joining SV2, Ashley consulted with a number of Bay Area-based nonprofits, including Kiva.org, Faces SF, and BUILD. Ashley is an economics graduate of Spelman College, and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is a 2017-2018 Harmony Initiative Fellow with the Justice Funders Network.
“It is a tremendous privilege to join this dynamic team led by three women of color to focus on social justice funding at such a critical time in our country,” said Clark. “It’s also refreshing that the Foundation is dedicated to reviewing and improving its practices to be more honoring and respectful of grantee partners.”
As Senior Program Officer, Angie develops and implements the Foundation’s grantmaking strategy, supporting and partnering with grantees to advance social justice and build community power.
Prior to joining Libra, Angie was founding Executive Director of the Blue Sky Funders Forum, a national funder collaborative that expands equitable access to opportunities to learn, play, and grow outdoors. She previously served as an advisor to the Pisces Foundation during its formation and as Program Officer at the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, where she supported capacity building efforts during its spend down. Angie holds a degree in Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard University, and a Master’s in Public Policy from UC Berkeley. She teaches with Northern California Grantmakers’ New Grantmakers Institute, has served on the board of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy, and was selected as an American Express NGen Fellow.
“I’m excited to join a family foundation that challenges itself to promote justice at all levels of the organization as well as with its partnerships,” Chen said. “It’s an honor to help support grantees that are fighting for equal rights and fundamental freedoms for all.”
The Libra Foundation is a family foundation with an endowment of approximately $300 million that is invested for impact. The Foundation is committed to social justice work in the United States in the areas of criminal justice and drug policy, environmental justice, and women’s rights. Over the past decade, The Libra Foundation has granted approximately $42 million to 124 grantee partners.
Photos available upon request.
Contact: Laurie Kappe, i.e. communications.