Council

The Women’s Philanthropy Institute Council is a select group of individuals who are committed to advancing the vision and mission of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute, serving as ambassadors to external stakeholders, elevating the Women’s Philanthropy Institute profile, and strengthening the institute’s impact globally.

The Women’s Philanthropy Institute Council serves in an advisory capacity, focusing on strategic planning and marketing the Women’s Philanthropy Institute as the leading resource for women’s philanthropy trends, best practices, and information.

Meet the Women’s Philanthropy Institute Council.

Dianne is Managing Director, National Philanthropic Strategy Executive, Philanthropic Solutions at Bank of America. In this role, Dianne and her team deliver customized consulting and advisory services to Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank boards of directors, investment committees, and senior professional leaders. Dianne has more than 20 years of experience working with nonprofits. Previously, as an attorney, Dianne’s practice was dedicated to the representation of tax-exempt organizations. 

Dianne’s professional commitment to nonprofits is deeply personal. An active community leader, she has served on and chaired many nonprofit boards of directors including, most recently, Discovery Place and Women Executives. An evangelist for women's philanthropy, she is a founding member and past president of Women's Impact Fund. Her professional recognition includes a Charlotte Business Journal Women in Business Achievement Award and the Leadership Charlotte Circle of Excellence Award. Dianne was named The Mecklenburg Times 2015 Woman of the Year. She graduated with high honors from the University of California at Berkeley and cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center.

Michael is founder and CEO of Candlelion LLC, a global consulting firm that advises the world’s largest companies, most iconic brands, major startups and investors, next-gen entrepreneurs and leading nonprofits. He has personally coached and trained more than 25,000 people, ages 3 to 93, over 100 companies, from Amazon to Uber, from Anchorage to Zanzibar. For 25 years, he has been an expert in strategic communications, leadership development, philanthropy and corporate responsibility. Trained as a public interest attorney, he is adjunct faculty at Johns Hopkins University.

He has awarded over $500 million in grants through key leadership roles: Entertainment Industry Foundation (Senior Vice President), Council on Foundations (Board Secretary), Philippine Development Foundation (Board Secretary), California Volunteers (Chairperson) and the Liberty Hill Foundation (Board Chairperson). 

Michael is a lifelong advocate of racial and gender equity and social justice. He has volunteered with many nonprofits including California Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Girls Inc., Girls Leadership, Lean In, National Domestic Workers Alliance, and V-Day. He enrolled at Princeton University at age 16 and has taught students, faculty, and staff at a dozen campuses from Harvard and MIT to historically black colleges and universities. With a B.A. in International Relations from Princeton and J.D. from UCLA, his career has taken him to 50 countries, 40 U.S. states, and 300 cities on six continents.

He does his laundry and yoga in Manhattan. Someday, he hopes to have his own family and maybe even a puppy or a llama.

Julie is a philanthropy leader who is dedicated to giving back to the communities where she has lived. Continued learning and service have been the hallmarks of her career. She recently returned to school and received a graduate degree in social policy from Columbia University, where she currently serves on the board of the Mailman School of Public Health. Nationally, Julie is a Presidential appointee and board member of the Corporation for National and Community Service and a board member of the National Center for Family Philanthropy. As a native of Michigan, she has served on numerous local boards, including the Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan, United Way of Southeastern Michigan, Detroit Arts Commission, Michigan Community Service Commission, and the Council of Michigan Foundations, a regional association of 400 grant-making organizations, which she ultimately chaired.

For the last five years, Julie has also served as the managing trustee of her family’s foundation, The Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation, whose other members include her mother and four siblings. The foundation supports work that strengthens families and communities in need.

Kristen is chief operating officer at Fidelity Charitable, an independent public charity whose mission is to grow the American tradition of philanthropy by providing programs that make charitable giving accessible, simple, and effective. Kristen assumed her current position in 2018 and brings a passion for customers and innovative digital solutions to her work managing development of the donor and advisor experience, as well as expansion and retention strategies. She leads integrated teams in service, operations, learning and development, and marketing that support and improve the experience for nearly 150,000 donors nationwide.

Prior to joining Fidelity Charitable, Kristen was a leader in the business transformation efforts of Personal Investing, a unit of Fidelity Investments that provides retail brokerage, managed accounts, and other financial products and services to millions of individual investors. The majority of her 10-year career at Fidelity Investments was spent as senior vice president of digital experience for Personal Investing, leading several digital innovation initiatives including the new mobile app, a digital advisor, engaging digital educational experiences for millennial and women investors, and new digital tools for over 10,000 customer-facing associates.

Before joining Fidelity in 2007, Kristen held senior-level executive positions in multiple start-ups, including leading global multi-channel distribution, product development, client experience/services, and operations for security identity and credential bureau market disruptor Geotrust (acquired by Verisign) and as managing director for a smart card software company in Hamburg, Germany. Earlier in her career, she held several sales, operations, and service leadership roles at Global Crossing.

After more than 20 years as a successful executive in banking/corporate finance, Jennifer now serves on several national and regional nonprofit boards. As past Chair of the Board of Directors of the Girls Athletic Leadership School Denver (GALS), she now heads its fundraising efforts and serves as Vice President of the Board of the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver.

Jennifer is also the first female member of the Wabash College Board of Trustees (a men’s college in Indiana from which her son graduated) and executive director of the Tankersley Family Foundation. Jennifer has a B.A. from UC Berkeley and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University. You can see her artwork at www.thefolkloremajor.com.

As Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility, Jen works to help Henry Schein fulfill its responsibilities as a corporate citizen, including environmental, social, and governance work and advancing its philanthropic efforts globally. This includes leading the Henry Schein Cares program and being responsible for the Henry Schein Cares Foundation, both of which are focused on advancing wellness, building capacity in the delivery of health care services, and assisting in emergency preparedness and relief to “help health happen” for at-risk and underserved populations globally. As a member of the Office of the Chairman and CEO, Jen brings over 20 years of experience to Henry Schein in the areas of business development, program management, strategic planning, corporate community service, and partnership building. 

Prior to joining Henry Schein, Jen worked at the United Nations Foundation where she led public-private partnerships with Fortune 500 companies in support of the UN. She also oversaw the launch of the Girl Up campaign, a global movement of empowered young women leaders who defend gender equality. From her earlier work at PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting (now IBM Business Consulting) to her work at Points of Light Foundation and VolunteerMatch, Jen’s career has often bridged the corporate and nonprofit worlds through technology, marketing, partnership-building, fundraising and communications.

Jen is on the Board of the Eastman Dental Center Foundation and a National Advisory Committee Member of the American Dental Association’s Give Kids A Smile Program. She also serves on the advisory council for the Northeast Council for MedShare. Jen hails from Alabama, where she acquired a taste for grits and fried catfish. She graduated from Bowdoin College and lives on Long Island with her husband, Evan, and their young children, Annabelle and Harrison.

Bio forthcoming.

Bruce serves as the Vice President for The American University in Cairo and is a former principal at Bentz Whaley Flessner, an international fundraising consulting firm serving colleges, universities, and major medical centers in Asia, Europe, and North America. During his 30 years of consulting experience, he has served clients such as American University of Beirut, Boston College, Michigan State University, University of California-Los Angeles, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of Sydney, and many others.

Bruce is a recognized expert on new wealth philanthropy and has been quoted in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Star Tribune, Dallas Star, Detroit Free Press, Chronicle of Philanthropy, Chronicle of Higher Education, and several other major newspapers. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Council on Foundation’s New Ventures in Philanthropy. He is a frequent speaker at the Council of Advancement and Support of Education, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, and other professional association conferences.

Sara Lomelin is a connector of people and ideas, a relationship builder, and a firm believer that everyone can be a philanthropist. As founding CEO of Philanthropy Together, she works to diversify and democratize philanthropy by creating the infrastructure needed for the giving circle model to flourish in all communities. Prior to Philanthropy Together, Sara served as Senior Director of Leadership Philanthropy at Opportunity Fund (now Accion Opportunity Fund), the largest nonprofit small business lender in the U.S. She also served as Vice President of Philanthropy at the Latino Community Foundation, where she created the Latino Giving Circle Network—the largest network of Latinx philanthropists in the U.S., with 22 circles and 500 members.

Sara has traveled the world speaking about the power of collective giving and the correlation between civic engagement and Latino philanthropy. Her Work has been featured at TED, Netroots Nation, and Unity Summit, as well as in Forbes, the Associated Press, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, and more. Sara currently serves on the board of directors of Giving Tuesday and Battery Powered.

Allyson is a financial services industry veteran who brings more than 20 years of business development, operations, and management experience to her role as CEO of Boston Common Asset Management. She has worked with and led teams at some of the leading financial services institutions, including Goldman Sachs, Fidelity Investments, and New York Life/Mainstay Investments. Most recently, Allyson served as CEO of Work Capital, an impact investing distribution and consulting company. She is a former Partner in Ellevate Asset Management LLC and Partner and former Global President of Ellevate Network.

Allyson’s commitment to pursuing professional endeavors that drive positive social impact led to her tenure as Head of Development and Communications for the Clinton Foundation’s climate and health access initiatives—and to her establishment and operation of a successful consultancy in the areas of impact investing and philanthropic services. Prior to that, she built a team and business model that raised billions for charity at Fidelity Charitable, where she fully embraced her passion for “doing well by doing good” and honed her skills in creating efficiencies and growing businesses with impact.

Allyson currently sits on the board of the Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust and is a board member for the SHAUN Foundation for Girls and an advisory board member for Komera.org.

Dorri became CEO of the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago in 2013, embarking on a journey to transform the 140-year old social services agency into a 21st century social enterprise. Dorri is moving the agency into the digital age and has led the YWCA’s expansion of digital services with the launch of YShop.org (e-commerce platform), womenshealthexchange.org (health insurance and information) and the MPWR—pronounced “empower”—mobile app (community engagement).

Dorri leverages her large-scale change experience from working over 20 years in management consulting to the work that YWCA does to create social change. Dorri led the process for the YWCA to develop an exchange traded fund (ETF) for women’s empowerment (NYSE: WOMN) in partnership with Impact Shares, first non-profit investment advisor to develop an ETF product. Dorri was included in the inaugural list of “The Blue Network”, comprised of the top 100 innovators in Chicago by Chicago Tribune’s Blue Sky Innovation and was recognized by Good City Chicago, receiving its Innovative Leader Award. She is also a 2019 Inductee in the Chicago Innovation Hall of Fame.

Dorri prides herself on being a socially-conscious business leader and is committed to creating an inclusive marketplace by leveraging a multi-sector approach across business, civic, and community organizations. Most recently, she was a partner at Crowe Horwath LLP, one of the largest accounting firms in the U.S.

She has also held senior positions with Snap-on Incorporated and Booz Allen Hamilton. Dorri serves on the Board of Directors for Lifeway Foods, William Blair Funds, and Skyway Concession Company (Chicago Skyway). Dorri is also active in the accounting profession, having served as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and as the current Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Illinois C.P.A. Society.

Dorri is dedicated to empowering women as a member of the Women in Entrepreneurship Institute at DePaul University. Dorri’s civic and philanthropic leadership includes the board of directors for the Chicago Center for Arts and Technology, 1871 (Technology Business Accelerator), Civic Consulting Alliance, and the Civic Federation. She is also a member of the Illinois Charitable Trust Board. Dorri received a bachelor of business administration degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a master of business administration degree from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Lake Forest College.

Adrienne joined Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) in 2008 and is a managing director, as well as the executive director of the BBH Center for Women & Wealth (CW&W). She led the development of the CW&W, which supports women as they create and manage wealth and seeks to foster a dynamic and inclusive environment where women can engage in conversations about wealth, family, and values. Adriene provides women with the investment, planning, and philanthropic resources they need to navigate transitions, help the next generation thrive, and plan for the succession of privately-owned businesses.

In 2019, she received the Boston Estate Planning Council Excellence Award. Adriene was named a member of the Boston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 in 2016 and one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Private Wealth by Private Asset Management in 2015 and 2016. She serves on several boards, including New America’s Better Life Lab Advisory Council, the Massachusetts Women’s Forum Board of Directors, and the Boys and Girls Club of Boston Board of Trustees. Adriene is also past chair of the Boston Foundation Professional Advisors Committee and a former member of the Winsor School Board of Trustees and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy Board of Trustees. In addition, she speaks and writes on a variety of issues related to women and wealth, wealth planning, and family communication about wealth and values. 

Prior to joining BBH, Adriene practiced at the law firm of Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP in Boston. She received her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she was the executive editor of the Virginia Tax Review, and her B.A. in history and political science from Johns Hopkins University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Steve is Founder and Chairman of Paylocity (PCTY), a leading U.S. provider of payroll and HR solutions. In addition, Steve also serves as CEO of Blue Marble, an international payroll provider, and as Director of Payescape, a UK payroll provider. He is also an international philanthropist with an interest in promoting unity and universal education and advocating for the elimination of racism, sexism, nationalism, and religious prejudice. He also serves on the board of NCAT, an organization that builds state-of-the art training centers in urban areas.

Steve is also a filmmaker who was active in promoting the documentaries He Named Me Malala and Rosenwald. He served as executive producer for the award-winning documentary Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise and The Gate: Dawn of the Bahai Faith, a groundbreaking documentary about the founding of the Baha’i Faith. Most recently, he became a partner in Wayfarer Studios, a movie studio whose highly-anticipated film ‘Clouds’ is available for streaming on Disney+.

Steve is an avid runner who has been inducted into the Chicago Area Runners Association Hall of Fame and is a two-time winner of the MSE Division in the Chicago Chase Corporate Challenge. Steve is married with two children and holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Illinois.​

Dalila Wilson-Scott serves as executive vice president and chief diversity officer of Comcast Corporation and President of the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation. In this role, Dalila oversees all diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and philanthropic strategy for the corporation, including the company’s $100 million commitment to advance social justice and equality. Dalila also leads Comcast’s community impact initiatives, working across the organization to provide strategic leadership throughout all aspects of its corporate social responsibility programs, including employee engagement and volunteerism. In addition, Dalila oversees efforts to utilize Comcast’s world-class media platforms to bring greater attention to the work of its philanthropic partners.

Dalila joined Comcast in 2016 after more than 16 years at JPMorgan Chase, where she served as Head of Global Philanthropy and president of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation. She led the firm’s philanthropic and economic opportunity initiatives, including the firm’s $100 million commitment to Detroit’s recovery, while helping to set the company’s overall corporate responsibility strategy. Prior to joining the Office of Corporate Responsibility, she served in the firm’s Corporate Merger Office as an integral member of the team managing the integration of JPMorgan Chase and Bank One.

In addition to serving on the boards of Welcome America, Inc. and Box.org, Dalila is a member of the Executive Leadership Council. She previously served as a member of the Committee for Economic Development, and the Advisory Council of My Brother’s Keeper Alliance.

Dalila has been named one of the “Most Powerful Women in Cable” by Cablefax Magazine, receiving the 2019 inaugural “Wave Maker” Award; one of the “Most Powerful Women in Business” by Black Enterprise; and an “Innovative Rising Star: Building Communities” by Forbes magazine.

Dalila speaks regularly on philanthropy and equity issues, most recently at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Social Innovation Summit, MIT Solve, USC Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy, and the Women’s Philanthropy Institute’s Annual Symposium. She earned an M.B.A. in Finance and Management from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business and a B.A. in Economics from New York University’s College of Arts and Science.

Caren started Croland Consulting to help high-net-worth families and businesses develop philanthropic practices in line with their values. Her focus is on governance, cross-generation engagement, strategic planning, and evaluation. Caren previously served as president of Crown Family Philanthropies as the first professional, non-family leader, where she engaged three generations of family members, planned and facilitated policy development, and guided strategic initiatives in the U.S., Israel, and the developing world. As executive director of the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, Caren built and managed Oprah Winfrey’s philanthropies during a period that included Oprah’s Live Your Best Life and Use Your Life Awards initiatives on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Caren currently chairs the board of the Poetry Foundation in Chicago, is a member of the Board of Visitors at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, and is a member of the Pardee RAND Graduate School’s advisory team. She is a partner in Entertain2Educate, a production company focused on ethics in the workplace. She teaches a certificate program in sports and entertainment philanthropy at Johns Hopkins and is in the process of developing an M.P.A. course in strategic philanthropy for Tulane.

Caren has a degree in broadcast journalism from Emerson College and a certificate in nonprofit strategic leadership from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. Caren enjoys coaching, mentoring, and working alongside people who believe they can make the world a better place.