Describe your role at Perigee Fund.
I lead and serve as a resource to Perigee’s incredible program team so that our work is aligned and complementary. I maintain a select portfolio of grants and special projects focused on prenatal-to-3 mental health. I represent Perigee with several funder collaboratives and philanthropic affinity groups. I also facilitate Perigee’s equity, diversity, and inclusion journey.
Related to your role, what are you passionate about and/or what is the philosophy you bring to the organization?
As a mom, I passionately believe that the love and rage of mothers can move mountains, especially with the support of the village. I am grateful that a more nuanced conversation has opened up about the challenges of motherhood, especially in the early years, and that these challenges are increasingly seen as the social, systemic, and equity issues that they are.
Tell us a little bit about your professional background, starting with your most recent position.
It has been my honor to serve others through a career in philanthropy. Most recently I was with St. David’s Foundation in Austin focused on reproductive health and birth equity, and before that I led policy and communications focused on health equity at Connecticut Health Foundation. I started with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including the CDC Foundation.
I currently serve on the boards of Grantmakers in Health and the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum.
What excites you about working with Perigee Fund?
It is powerful to understand how prenatal-to-3 mental health and well-being contribute to healing intergenerational trauma. I am excited about the commitments Perigee has made to equity in our work. And I grow from listening to and developing my colleagues who represent the next generation of philanthropic leaders. They have a fresh vision and expectations. We teach each other in dynamic ways.
What is your favorite way to develop early connections with the babies and young children in your life?
Holding babies and toddlers is a meditation because it invites me to be present and reframes what is most important. Through my work with Perigee, I have come to learn that physical connection is how caregivers and young children co-regulate.