President and CEO, International Community Foundation
Saludos EGA Community,
As EGA’s Board Chair, I am thrilled to celebrate the one year anniversary of Tamara Toles O’Laughlin as EGA’s President and CEO. Over the past twelve months, Tamara has solidified EGA’s relevance, direction and vision as the big tent for environmental funders, to fulfill our mission of just, effective philanthropy that supports healthy communities and sustainable environments. Under Tamara’s leadership EGA is:
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Catalyzing our Strategic Framework to guide environmental philanthropy toward a systemic response to the degradation of people and planet. In 2022, three new staff members, Cristina Edwards, Strategic Partnerships Director; Michelle Velez, Program Director; and Kelly Lam, Communications Program Coordinator, joined the EGA team to better equip our membership to meet these goals;
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Elevating the external presence of EGA through media features in Inside Philanthropy, Grist, EcoWURD, among other platforms, and speaking roles at the New Horizons in Conservation Conference, Hispanics in Philanthropy Conference, and the upcoming United Philanthropy Forum conference in Seattle;
- Embedding EGA’s Racial Equity POV into every aspect of EGA’s work as part of our commitment to dismantling white supremacy culture in our sector by:
- Cosponsoring and hosting racial equity programming for members to promote accountability for racial justice in environmental philanthropy no matter where you are in your learning journey (check out the Beyond Land Acknowledgements webinar and Climate Justice Dialogue Series);
- Partnerships that break silos and build intersectionality into EGA’s work for greater impact (learn about EGA’s partnership with She Will Rise and the Migration & Forced Displacement webinar series with Hispanics in Philanthropy);
- Member-led events uplifting the leadership of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in the environmental movement such as ushering in a new era of leadership with Emira Woods as Executive Director of Green Leadership Trust;
- Sharing the platform with movement leaders and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color at EGA’s signature events: the 2022 Winter Briefing & upcoming 2022 Fall Retreat;
- Launching our seventh annual Environmental Fellows Program cohort in collaboration with the Yale School of the Environment to provide professional development opportunities for emerging philanthropy leaders from underrepresented groups;
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Integrating mindfulness into our community practice to deepen our connectivity as a network, build presence and avoid burnout;
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Solidifying data storytelling in environmental philanthropy with EGA’s Tracking the Field database to sharpen our strategies for impactful giving including partnering with other PSOs to create a funder toolkit for climate, health, and equity;
- Expanding the breadth of tools and knowledge available to the community on narrative change, grant craft, climate justice, racial equity, and democracy, among other topics to guide us in action;
With these exciting shifts at EGA, I’m sure you have a lot of questions. That’s why I’m delighted to invite you to the EGA Connects Tour: Meet the President & CEO! this summer to get to know Tamara and EGA’s Board in person in a town near you. The tour is your chance to learn more about how you can plug into EGA’s Racial Equity POV and programming, ask questions, and share innovative ideas so we can build a supportive movement together.
I recently had the pleasure of co-hosting the first stop of the EGA Connects Tour in San Diego (see pictures below), and just two weeks ago, the tour made its second stop in Miami. We hope you can join us for the tour’s next stop in Chicago, Illinois on Tuesday, June 28th!
EGA values the health and safety of our members and event participants. The EGA Connects Tour is taking the following precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19: all attendees must provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19, and we strongly recommend taking a self-administered test before arriving at the event. Receptions will be hosted outdoors.
The EGA Connects Tour: Meet the President & CEO! in San Diego
It was a joy to connect with EGA members and partners in the San Diego region last month!
Please join me in celebrating Tamara’s visionary leadership as EGA’s President and CEO this past year. Tamara is reimagining what is possible for environmental philanthropy, as we build the road to a better future together. Plug into EGA’s work and congratulate Tamara in person by joining us on the EGA Connects Tour in a town near you!
To RSVP for EGA Connects in Chicago, or for more details about the tour and EGA’s Racial Equity POV, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Cristina Edwards, Strategic Partnerships Director.
Adelante EGA!
Marisa
