Jonathan Kaufman (he/him) is a Co-Founder and Principal at Third Plateau, where he collaborates with nonprofits, foundations, and social entrepreneurs all over the world, helping them expand and deepen their social impact. He specializes in business and strategic planning, team culture, board development, program design, and organizational innovation for a wide array of Third Plateau’s clients.

He began his career on the front lines of the nonprofit sector, addressing hunger in Chicago, homelessness and mental health in Los Angeles, and refugee rights in Athens, Greece. In these roles and through Third Plateau, Jonathan has built a knack for challenging long-held assumptions, imagining a better future, and building meaningful programs that can deliver.

Jonathan holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from Vassar College and an M.B.A. in Nonprofit Management and Social Entrepreneurship from WashU in St. Louis, where he graduated at the top of his class, was a Danforth Scholar, and received the Dean’s Award for Corporate Social Responsibility. He is an instructor of social innovation at Hebrew Union College, a guest lecturer on entrepreneurship at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, and serves on the National Board of Advisors for Improve Your Tomorrow. Jonathan lives in Sacramento with his wife and two kids, plays every instrument he can find, and is on a mission to cook the world’s most perfect steak.

Jaré (she/her) is the Chief Impact Officer at Third Plateau, where she maximizes the strategic impact of the firm’s partnerships and leads teams to drive meaningful change. She ensures all efforts are thoughtfully designed to create lasting and measurable outcomes.

Jaré has been a grantmaker, a nonprofit executive, a development professional, and a direct service provider. In these roles, she built systems for organizational capacity, supported research projects, developed and implemented programming, and generally rocked. Jaré holds a B.A. in Environmental Science and Public Policy from the University of Maryland and a master’s in Public Administration from San Francisco State University.

Jaré is a Louisiana native (Geaux Tigers!) who recently moved to Nashville, Tennessee. In her spare time, she can be found on a hiking trail, traveling to visit friends around the world, or fine-tuning her baking skills.

Rebecca (she/her) is a Vice President on the Leadership Development Team at Third Plateau. In this role, she leads Third Plateau’s leadership development and executive coaching practice, which provides tools and experiences to spark transformation in social sector leaders and teams.

Rebecca draws on her experience coaching and advising social entrepreneurs around the world to cultivate space for growth and insight for her clients. Previously, Rebecca worked for Ashoka in Washington, D.C. as a liaison to Ashoka’s country offices across Europe. She spent three years in Stockholm, Sweden, where she played a key role in designing and launching Ashoka Scandinavia’s Fellowship program, which provides leadership development and capacity-building support to social entrepreneurs across the region.

Rebecca received her B.A. from Emory University, her master’s in Global Health from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and her coaching credentials from the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI). Rebecca is a credentialed Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation and a certified practitioner of The Leadership Circle Profile and Leadership Mindset Indicator. Rebecca lives in the East Bay with her husband and two kids. Born in San Francisco, Rebecca grew up in North Carolina and is a Tar Heel at heart.

Whitney (she/her) is a Vice President at Third Plateau, where she supports nonprofits, funders, and leaders across sectors and oversees the firm’s overall practice: ensuring our services are integrated; the firm is diverse, equitable, and inclusive; and that our work drives better outcomes for people and the planet. Over her tenure at Third Plateau, she has run numerous business and strategic planning processes for national organizations such as NDN Collective and PopChange Institute; built out evaluation systems and processes for funder collaboratives such as NewsMatch; and led the grantmaking strategy and execution for foundations including the Penney Family Fund, Arkay Foundation, and Golden 1 Credit Union. Whitney is a 21/64-certified philanthropic advisor.

Prior to joining Third Plateau Whitney received her master’s of International Affairs at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy. Whitney also spent two years in Nicaragua, where she worked at a microfinance organization, taught Spanish, and supported an international internship program focused on asset-based community development.

Whitney is committed to centering racial equity in her work, continuously exploring what it means for her to be a white woman in the social impact space and leveraging her privilege to support organizations that are led by and serving Black, Indigenous, and people of color. A native of northern California, she lives in the East Bay (unceded Lisjan territory) with her husband Eduardo, where she enjoys walks around the neighborhood, eating good food, playing tennis, and running (or sitting) around Lake Chabot.

Erin Hellthaler (she/her) is a Vice President and Executive Coach at Third Plateau, where she partners with clients to develop bold and data-backed strategies and implementation roadmaps to accelerate their impact. Erin has led numerous strategic planning, business planning, development strategy, and philanthropic strategy engagements with organizations such as Teach Access, &Mother, New Pluralists Collective, Give Us the Floor, and Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation.

With 15 years of experience in the social sector, she cares deeply about systems-level change. Prior to joining Third Plateau, Erin served in multiple leadership roles with Teach For America – Connecticut, where she developed expertise in building and leading high performing teams, nonprofit fundraising, managing organizational performance, strategic planning, board management, business operations, and staff and organizational learning.

Erin holds a B.A. in Political Science, Italian Cultural and Literary Studies from the University of Connecticut and an M.B.A. from the University of Edinburgh Business School, with a special concentration in entrepreneurship and innovation. She completed executive coach training through the Co-Active Training Institute in San Rafael, CA. Erin lives in mid-coast Maine with her husband and daughter. She spends weekends on the trail, in the garden, or on the water and is always up for a lively game night with friends.

Zafreen (she/her) is Vice President of Research and Evaluation at Third Plateau. In this role, she oversees client engagement for research and evaluation projects to enhance our partners’ initiatives and strengthen Third Plateau’s overall impact. She specializes in building client capacity to make sense of their data and translating research to nonprofit leaders, policymakers, and funders. Drawing upon collaborative approaches to research and evaluation, Zafreen engages in client work with organizations such as the NDN Collective and Jim Joseph Foundation. She oversees a team of talented researchers to ensure we have evidence to inform program and policy decisions and tell the story of organizational and system-level change.

Zafreen is driven by a love of learning, evident in her two master’s degrees and a doctorate in Educational Leadership. Her dissertation research focused on educating children from low-income backgrounds. She has managed research supporting programs for mental health and substance use treatment and prevention, racial and gender equity, social-emotional learning for children, and early care and education systems for children from birth to five. Her teaching and research career spans the P-20 spectrum in Florida, the Pacific Northwest, and Pakistan. She has taught at Portland State University, Florida International University, Beaconhouse School System, and Lahore College for Women University. Originally from Pakistan, Zafreen is fluent in five languages.

Zafreen can be found volunteering at a shelter for women and children experiencing homelessness in historic Overtown in Miami. She and her husband, Iqbal, have two nephews and five nieces who are the love and joy of their lives. When she is not working and spending time with her family, she tries to keep up with Iqbal’s travels.

Laura (she/her) is the Vice President of Jewish Community Impact at Third Plateau. She supports organizations and leaders to be adaptive and strategic by facilitating effective planning processes. In her time at Third Plateau, she has led strategic and business planning for a wide variety of organizations across the Jewish communal sector, including Reconstructing Judaism, Moving Traditions, the Hadassah Foundation, and Resetting the Table.

Laura started her career in the media industry, managing syndication and licensing for The New York Times in Europe and the Middle East, and has since had a diverse set of experiences both inside and outside of the Jewish community. She has lived and worked in several different countries, including France and Israel, and holds a B.A. in History and French from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s in Public Affairs from the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley.

Originally from the Washington, D.C. area, Laura is currently based in Asheville, North Carolina. She enjoys exploring the great outdoors, hitting up the local farmer’s market, and cozying up with a good book.

Jon (he/him) brings two decades of experience from the non-profit, political, and philanthropic sectors. As a Vice President at Third Plateau, Jon builds and guides philanthropic collaborations where funders align and pool resources in service of achieving more together than they could individually.

Jon has staffed three different foundations, supporting a wide range of causes from leadership development to educational equity, to faith-based education and content development. He also served as CEO of a youth development organization which trained 2,000 young people annually to lead community-wide efforts to change more than 100 laws across California. Jon developed organizing skills as part of the team that fought to legalize marriage equality in Massachusetts in the early 2000s, and worked on political campaigns from hyper local school board races up through serving as one of the original 50 staff members on then Senator Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. He also used knowledge of the political world to make history come alive as an 8th grade US History teacher.

Jon lives in Annapolis, Maryland with his partner of 15 years, two kids, and energetic pup. Jon loves to garden, camp, paddleboard/kayak, bike, and build sets for community-based children’s theatre performances. Jon’s family has visited half of the national parks across their five cross-country road trips and is always up for a good adventure. He earned degrees from Boston University and American University.

JC (he/him) works collaboratively with philanthropists and community organizations to develop impactful solutions to the broad and deep issues impacting our society, from basic needs to democracy. He leverages his background in philanthropy, public policy, and strategy development to connect generous philanthropic resources with effective organizations, leaders, and campaigns to address real needs and uplift communities.

Before joining Third Plateau, he served as Nurturing Equity Movements Fellow at the San Francisco Foundation, where he led the Rapid Response Fund for Movement Building and managed a grant portfolio investing in civic engagement, grassroots organizing, and leadership development. He began his career in the nonprofit sector managing communications for The Greenlining Institute – a racial and economic justice policy organization – before working to advance local government policies in Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. JC is an alum of the Justice Funders Harmony Initiative, New Leaders Council San Francisco, and Front Line Leaders Academy leadership programs.

JC is a proud Double Bruin, holding a Master of Public Policy and a dual B.A. magna cum laude in Sociology and Asian American Studies from UCLA. He earned his Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) designation from the American College of Financial Services. He is honored to serve on the boards of The Greenlining Institute and Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy. On the weekends, you’ll likely find him enjoying hikes through nature, at a live-music event, playing and watching sports, or traveling and eating his way through new and familiar cities.

Allison (she/her) works with philanthropists and community organizations to develop high-impact strategies and programs in a broad range of areas, including democracy, journalism, aging, and leadership development. She is particularly interested in philanthropy that centers racial and social justice and advances big-picture policy and structural change.

Prior to her career in philanthropy, she worked in nonprofit fundraising, programs, and policy for a variety of tech and international nonprofits including Akili Dada, a Kenya-based women’s leadership incubator, and Creative Commons, a global nonprofit working to build an open and accessible commons of knowledge and culture.

Allison holds a dual undergraduate degree in International Studies and French from University of San Francisco, and a Master of Public Policy from UC Berkeley’s Goldman School. She completed executive coach training through the Co-Active Training Institute in San Rafael, CA. Allison previously served as co-chair of the Bay Area Chapter of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) and on the board of the Community Living Campaign, a small but mighty organization in San Francisco that advocates for older adults and people with disabilities. She is committed to advocating for equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and is a graduate of the Justice Funder’s Harmony Initiative. Her real job is parenting two curious and strong-willed young children. In her precious spare time, she enjoys taking in the magic of live theater or savoring good food with her husband, Sam.

Ashley Drake (she/her) is a Senior Director on the Research & Evaluation team at Third Plateau. With deep expertise in qualitative and mixed-methods research, Ashley uses her interdisciplinary skillset to support projects like the Rippel Foundation ReThink Health Initiative and Covered California. Her strengths span the full range of functions that are essential for this work.

Ashley is a trained anthropologist with a specialization in the areas of human development and organizational culture. She holds a Ph.D. and master’s in Comparative Human Development from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in Psychology and Anthropology from Bucknell University. Over the past 10+ years, she has worked with diverse populations around the world, directing research and evaluation projects on science education, environmental policy, mental health and wellbeing, and military and veteran concerns.

Ashley currently resides in Northern Michigan and enjoys supporting her local community through her work as a board member for the Grand Traverse Conservation District. In her spare time, she can be found hiking, kayaking, and exploring the natural beauty of the region with her family.

Jackie (she/her) partners with philanthropists and nonprofits to refine strategies, strengthen organizations, and help our communities thrive. With a background in the arts and nonprofit development, she loves supporting creative organizations as they build capacity to reach the next level. In her current role, she is proud to work with philanthropists across a variety of impact areas that span arts and culture, asset building, environment, social services, and more.

Jackie has nearly two decades of experience in the nonprofit and philanthropy ecosystem. Prior to joining Third Plateau, she worked as a nonprofit consultant, leader, and staff member building vision and capacity, developing organizational plans and budgets, and fundraising for a variety of Bay Area organizations.

She graduated with the highest honors in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and studied Spanish while living in Mexico City. She is an alum of the Rockwood Leadership Institute’s Art of Leadership program, and has served as a grants panelist with the San Francisco Arts Commission and the California Arts Council. In her free time, you can find Jackie biking around San Francisco with her family, conducting vegetarian cooking experiments, and checking out the latest gallery shows and playground upgrades around the Bay Area.

Jeannie (she/her) is a Senior Director on the Leadership Development Team and Executive Coach at Third Plateau. In these roles, she leads and manages leadership development projects; provides clients a supportive and transformative space to explore their leadership; and facilitates client retreats and training sessions for groups and teams.

Jeannie has over 18 years of experience in the social impact space, working with nonprofits in a variety of roles. She was a Director of Nonprofit Ventures and Strategic Impact at the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, providing leadership in grantmaking, community engagement, and nonprofit capacity building, and in 2018 started her own consulting firm.

Jeannie has a B.S. in Organizational Leadership specializing in nonprofit management and received her coaching credentials from the Co-Active Training Institute in San Rafael, CA. She is also a certified coach and practitioner of The Leadership Circle 360 and Leadership Mindset Indicator. Jeannie is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and currently lives with her husband in Northern California on Nisenan territory. She is a musician, an artist, a tarot enthusiast, and a budding wildlife photographer.

Maya (she/her) is a Senior Director on the Strategy Team at Third Plateau. She specializes in strategic planning, facilitation, coaching, and philanthropic advising. She facilitates thoughtful and collaborative processes to support leaders, teams, and organizations to align their values, purpose, and strategies, to deepen their impact and bring their visions to life.

Prior to Third Plateau, Maya served as the Training & Development Manager at a national health advocacy organization, where she provided capacity building assistance for community-based organizations, health departments, and national coalitions around the country to deliver HIV prevention services and culturally-tailored community health programs. Maya holds a B.A. from Hampshire College, a master’s in Public Health from the University of San Francisco, and coaching certifications from the Neuroleadership Institute and Leadership That Works.

Maya lives in Sacramento, where in her free time, she can be found curled up with a good book, practicing a new skill, or hiking with friends and family.

Ellen (she/her) is a Senior Director on the Strategy Team and an Executive Coach at Third Plateau. She leads project teams to deeply understand each client’s current needs, designs and executes a practical and thoughtful approach to strategic planning, and facilitates interactive client sessions that uncover strengths, pinpoints obstacles, and surface opportunities while driving toward solutions. Ellen has facilitated strategic and culture planning processes with organizations such as Vibrant Pittsburgh and Improve Your Tomorrow, coordinated key actors in the Sacramento region in a competitive and successful bid for the K-16 Regional Collaborative grant, and designed and facilitated convenings such as that of public health experts for the California Council on Science and Technology.

Ellen began her career teaching in Germany on a Fulbright fellowship. She then spent five years at Year Up, a national workforce development nonprofit, where she held a variety of roles in operations, admissions, and program management. Ellen also worked at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and NewSchools Venture Fund, where she focused on public school innovation.

Ellen holds a B.A. from Bowdoin College and an M.B.A. from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, where she focused on social impact strategy and co-chaired the Race Inclusion Initiative, a student consulting group. She completed executive coach training through the Co-Active Training Institute in San Rafael, CA. Ellen lives in western Sonoma County and enjoys traveling, hiking with her dog, kayaking the Russian River, and playing board games.

Madeline (she/her) is a Senior Director on the Research & Evaluation team at Third Plateau, where she leads learning efforts across planning and evaluation projects. She conducts mixed methods research, deepening an understanding of client needs, opportunities, and impact to inform expansive thinking and strategic decision-making.

Madeline is passionate about research driving social impact. Prior to Third Plateau, she analyzed and clearly communicated complex data in the public sector with more than seven years of experience in analytical and program management roles at the U.S. Department of Justice.

She earned her B.S. in Business Administration from Trinity University where she also studied Spanish and Economics. With roots in New York and Kansas City, Madeline arrived in Florida 30 years ahead of schedule. She is a somewhat serious shuffleboard player, aspiring gardener, and casual hiker.

Elena (she/her) is a Director on the Research & Evaluation team at Third Plateau. She leads mixed-methods research and evaluation projects, supporting organizational learning and data-informed decision making. She is passionate about utilizing creative, participatory processes to inform change and is committed to taking a community-centered approach to research and evaluation.

Elena joins the firm with over a decade of experience supporting organizations that center arts education, community building, civic engagement, and social justice. She has served as a teaching artist, program director, and evaluation consultant for educational nonprofits and government agencies across four different countries. Elena holds a B.A. in Visual and Media Arts from Emerson College and an M.F.A. in Arts Leadership from Seattle University.

Outside of work, Elena is a consumer of interdisciplinary information with a thirst for intellectual debate. She enjoys participating in Jewish communal life, frolicking the Pacific Northwest with her partner and pup, working on various art projects, and night-time snacking.

Carly (she/her) is a Director on the Strategy & Programs Team at Third Plateau. She supports leaders, teams, and organizations to advance their goals and elevate their impact. Driven by a lifelong commitment to equity and social change, Carly draws from her wealth of experience in facilitation and organizational leadership.

Carly comes to Third Plateau after spending more than a decade advancing criminal justice reform and public health care initiatives. Most recently, she served as a strategy specialist and facilitator with the Chicago-based nonprofit SUM, where she led experiential outdoor retreats focused on team dynamics and organizational effectiveness. Having worked with various nonprofits, schools, legal system entities, and city government, Carly’s cross-sector experience brings a unique perspective to mission-driven organizations.

Carly holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Michigan and a master’s in Nonprofit Leadership with a focus in group dynamics and organizational politics from the University of Pennsylvania. In her free time, Carly enjoys scoping out new hiking trails (third coast recommendations invited!), attempting the latest Smitten Kitchen recipe, and hosting family and friends in her Irving Park home.

Nora (she/her) is a Director on the Jewish Community Impact team at Third Plateau. Leading with a learner’s mindset and relationship-building approach, Nora is passionate about working with leaders and organizations to advance their goals and deepen their impact.

Nora comes to Third Plateau with a background in both the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, most recently serving as a Program Officer at Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Through this role, she supported a range of grantees working to build and sustain vibrant Jewish communities, with a focus on inclusion and belonging, mental health and wellness, and the talent pipeline within the sector. Prior to Schusterman, Nora worked at the William Davidson Foundation and the University of Southern California Hillel, using these roles to deepen her understanding of local community engagement and the interplay of the local, regional and national Jewish organizational ecosystem, while supporting the development of engagement and leadership initiatives.

Nora received both her Master of Social Work and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Michigan. Nora lives in Baltimore, Maryland with her husband Eli, and their Labrador Annie. You can find her exploring new neighborhoods, museums and restaurants across the city, perfecting her homemade ice cream recipes, playing Mahjong or discussing the television shows she is currently watching.

Samara (she/her) is a Director on the Jewish Community Impact Team and an Executive Coach at Third Plateau, where she utilizes a community and relationship-centered approach to support organizations and changemakers to elevate their impact.

Samara Leader has spent over a decade in the Jewish non-profit sector, working and learning in a variety of organizations including camps, youth movements, synagogues, and federations. Her past responsibilities have included spearheading listening campaigns to greater understand the needs of constituents, evaluating systems to better align with organizational strategy, navigating staff through institutional change, and using metrics-based goal-setting to quantify impact.

Samara holds a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA and a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership and Innovation from the Zelikow School of Nonprofit Management. She completed executive coach training through the Co-Active Training Institute in San Rafael, CA. Samara currently resides in the Bay Area, where she hikes whenever she can, attends as many sporting events, shows, and concerts as possible, and dances her stress away.

Fernande (she/her) works with philanthropists and community organizations to translate their big picture objectives into well-designed programs and tangible actions, and she facilitates strategic partnerships with community organizations to amplify their leadership and expertise. As a native of Haiti, she strongly believes that those who are closest to the problems have the solutions.

Prior to joining Third Plateau, Fernande served as a Program Officer at Full Circle Fund where she designed engagement and learning opportunities for emerging philanthropists and community-based partners, co-led the strategic growth of the organization, and oversaw four giving circles of 150+ members. She began her career managing the Hart Leadership Program at Duke University to connect students with impactful organizations nationally and abroad. She was a New Sector Alliance Resident in Social Enterprise (2014) where she honed her skills in effective nonprofit management. She has a deep love for the arts and spent several years as Program Manager at Youth Speaks, a nonprofit that supports young people in taking control of their lives through language, and encourages them to express themselves using their own vernacular.

Fernande holds a B.A. in International Comparative Studies, a Certificate in Markets and Management from Duke University, and is an alum of the Justice Funders’ Harmony Initiative. She enjoys cooking, salsa dancing, attending concerts at SF Jazz and other local venues, hiking, yoga, and discovering new places.

Dorian (she/her) partners with philanthropists, nonprofits, and changemakers to build grantmaking strategies that advance education equity, community health, and organizational sustainability at Third Plateau. She develops partnerships and programs that support organizations and their leaders to become more resilient to change.

Prior to joining Third Plateau, Dorian led education programs and managed operations for numerous community based organizations, schools, and museums providing transformative youth development experiences in the Bay Area and New York. As Senior Program Officer at the Hawai’i Community Foundation, Dorian led grantmaking in nonprofit capacity building, education, and leadership development. She discovered her true love of organization development by leading complex infrastructure projects, change management, and Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives.

Dorian holds a M.S. in Organizational Development from the University of San Francisco and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego. Her commitment to equity began as a fellow at CompassPoint’s Next Generation Leaders of Color Program and has deepened through her work as an EDI and certified change management consultant. When not at work, she stars in her at-home family sitcom involving two teens, her partner, in-laws, and too many tech devices. She happily unwinds by practicing yoga, reading voraciously, and watching people cook.

Chanel Marin (she/her/ella) is a Director on the Strategy Team, where she facilitates strategic, business, culture, and fundraising plans to support clients in scaling impact, strengthening revenue streams, and engaging their communities.

With over ten years of experience, Chanel specializes in coupling human-centered design with research to develop, implement, and adapt evidence-based programs. She believes in putting people (the communities served) at the center of the program development process to create more effective and inclusive social impact. Following an early career in case management with migrants, she worked as a researcher measuring program impact before spending the last eight years leading development programs in Honduras, Colombia, South Sudan, Iraq, Somalia, and most recently Kenya with the United Nations International Organization for Migration. Chanel holds a B.A. in psychology from the University of Maryland and an M.P.H. from Yale University.

Recently relocated to Austin, TX, she is an avid traveler, bachata dancer, and aerial arts enthusiast. She is especially passionate about geopolitics, humanitarian aid, U.S. prison reform, and reproductive health access.

Serena (she/her) builds connection, trust, and collaboration between philanthropists and community partners to advance health equity and social justice in the Bay Area. She leverages her background in social work and the nonprofit sector to develop philanthropic strategies that are sustainable and rooted in community.

Serena has over 15 years of experience leading program development and evaluation for nonprofits. Prior to joining Third Plateau, she oversaw the implementation of complex multi-agency and multi-year contracts and grants for the California Food is Medicine Coalition, which provides medically tailored meals to people living with chronic illnesses. This included the first two statewide contracts with the Department of Healthcare Services that totaled over $15 million. She has expertise in nutrition and food insecurity, and has also led capacity building, community development, and social service programs in affordable housing communities.

Serena holds an M.S. in Social Welfare and a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA. She stays busy most days with an active toddler and an equally active dog but you can also find her running, spending time in nature, thrifting, and enjoying an occasional Netflix binge.

Ariel Platt (he/him/his) is a Director on the Strategy Team, where he supports clients to realize their visions for greater impact and more just realities. He leverages his passion for facilitation, relationship-building, and meaning-making to help organizations like the Lymphangiomatosis and Gorham’s Disease Alliance, the National Association for Media Literacy Education, and Camp Ramah in California, concretize their strategic direction. As part of his work supporting philanthropic clients, Ariel authored a guidebook on participatory grantmaking.

Ariel has nearly ten years of experience in government, nonprofit, and private sectors. Prior to joining Third Plateau, Ariel worked at Rosov Consulting where he conducted formative and summative evaluations to measure impact for a broad array of Jewish organizations. At the U.S. Department of Justice, he supported trials focused on public corruption, terrorism, and fraud. Outside of work, he serves as a strategic advisor for a start-up synagogue in Philadelphia.

Ariel holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Columbia University and a B.A. in Rabbinic Literature from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He speaks Hebrew, Spanish, and a little bit of French. Born and raised in Berkeley, California, Ariel now lives with his partner in Philadelphia, where they love to play tennis and explore the city’s vibrant culinary scene. As a food-lover and former professional baker, he remains thoroughly enamored by the feeling of pulling fresh loaves out of the oven to share with friends, family, and colleagues.

Kelsie (she/her) finds joy in orchestrating teams as they transform budding ideas into tangible impact. As a Director on Third Plateau’s Strategy Team, she partners with nonprofit and philanthropic leaders as a project manager, facilitator, and persistent problem solver to bring audacious visions to life.

Kelsie brings a macro-level social work lens to her role, developed and honed through experiences as an independent nonprofit consultant, a Program Officer at a place-based grantmaking foundation, and as part of the REDF employment social enterprise network. Each role allowed her to focus on recurring passions of racial equity, gender justice, and youth development in unique ways.

Kelsie holds a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Louisville and an MBA from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. A native Kentuckian, she currently lives in Philadelphia, PA. Her hobbies include finding lovely places to land with a book in hand and curating a list of karaoke crowd pleasers so she can sing with the mic turned off.

Julie Wrenn (she/her) is a Director on the Research & Evaluation team at Third Plateau. She specializes in qualitative research, and seeks to understand the important contexts of projects for research and evaluation work. Together with her team, she collects and analyzes data to drive informed decision-making and improve implementation to increase impact.

She earned her Master of Science in Public Health from Johns Hopkins in 2021, with a concentration in International Health, Social & Behavioral Interventions. Since then, Julie has spent the past two years evaluating public health programs with the Behavioral Science Research Institute in Miami, FL. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia with a BA in Latin American Studies in 2016, and she studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Afterward, she spent two years with Arabella Advisors in Washington, D.C., where she specialized in advocacy/lobbying compliance and financial management of fiscally sponsored projects.

Julie enjoys the perks of endless summer at home in Miami. She loves traveling and trying new restaurants with her husband. Together, they have adopted two fur babies, a cat and a dog. Originally from Baltimore, Julie has always lived near the water and loves spending as much time as possible at the beach or pool. She also enjoys cooking and baking, especially when she can share the food with friends and family.

Evan Bartlett (she/her) is an Associate Director on the Strategy Team at Third Plateau. She supports social sector organizations to develop strategies to deepen their impact. She provides thoughtful partnership, facilitation expertise, and targeted project management for strategic planning and business planning processes and more.

She began her career in the developing world, specializing in agriculture and food security and serving local populations in Tanzania, Rwanda, Malawi, and India. These experiences working with nonprofit organizations, social enterprises, and government agencies fueled her interest in designing strategy for social impact.

Evan holds B.A.s in History and Political Science from Bryant University and earned her master’s in Global Human Development from Georgetown University. She is currently based in her native Chicago and loves lakefront runs, Nicolas Cage movies, and expanding her collection of houseplants.

Lance Bitner-Laird is an award-winning data strategist and civic technologist building evidence and infrastructure for modern philanthropy. He currently serves as the inaugural Associate Director of Research & Evaluation at Third Plateau.

His work has brought him to the White House and earned two Anthem Awards for Best Use of Data. He has partnered with over four dozen philanthropies, nonprofits, corporations, and governments — including the Gates Foundation, Democracy Fund, New Pluralists, Fast Forward, Liquid IV, and U.S. Departments of Labor, Education, and Health & Human Services.

His research has spanned democracy, civic technology, AI, social cohesion, international development, arts, public health, education, and evidence practice — with more than a dozen publications and presentations at national conferences including the National Conference on Citizenship.

He holds a B.S. in Sociology with High Distinction from the University of Michigan and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Ben (he/him/his) is an Associate Director on the Jewish Community Impact team at Third Plateau. He provides targeted client management, research, and coordination to support organizations serving the Jewish community.

Ben began his career working with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee to serve at-risk youth in Israel. He then supported development operations at J Street and the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC). Most recently, he has worked with the RAC to analyze potential democracy reforms and with the Center for American Progress to research faith-based responses to gun violence. Ben remains committed to pursuing social impact within and outside the Jewish community.

Ben earned his master’s in Theological Studies, specializing in Religion, Politics, and Policy, from Harvard Divinity School. He is currently based in Washington, DC, where he loves to hike, bake, and read science fiction/fantasy.

Katy (she/they) works alongside social sector leaders and organizations to develop ambitious, inspiring strategic plans and realistic roadmaps for implementation. They have supported numerous clients during their tenure at Third Plateau including the NEC Society, Latino Family Fund, Amity Foundation, and Partner4Work.

Prior to Third Plateau, she served on the leadership team at YCore, a Bay Area organization mobilizing young professionals to dedicate their time, money, skills, and influence as partners to and advocates for local nonprofits. She scoped strategic projects with nonprofit leaders for YCore’s social impact fellowship and facilitated workshops about human-centered design, systems thinking, and power and privilege. Before YCore, they worked at Hamilton Families, a nonprofit organization aiming to end family homelessness, as a case manager supporting families after their experiences with homelessness.

In their free time, you can find them at the dog park or on a hiking trail with their dog (Roo), learning how to roller skate, or making New York style bagels from scratch.

Toby Cavalier (he/him) is a Senior Associate on the Strategy and Programs team at Third Plateau, where he helps philanthropists and nonprofits identify and make high-leverage investments in science and innovation, democracy, and climate — connecting funders with the practitioners and researchers doing the work.

At Third Plateau, Toby leads the firm’s AI working group, developing internal AI policy and piloting new applications for the firm and its clients. He led the development of the US Democracy Hub, an Anthem Award–winning data platform for civil society, and has built and managed a new climate funders group focused on durable, pragmatic climate solutions. Earlier in his tenure, he served as Chief of Staff to Mike Berkowitz, Co-Founder and Principal of Third Plateau. Before joining the firm, Toby conducted field research on environmental issues impacting public health in India, South Africa, and Brazil, and studied peace-building initiatives in Israel and the West Bank. He holds a B.A. in Biology from Swarthmore College.

Toby lives in San Francisco and spends his free time reading sci-fi, making and playing music, swimming in cold water, and watching movies.