As a member of the Foundation’s 5-person virtual office, Marlene oversees grantmaking programs that help NextGen (those under 25) work with one another across family branches and across geographies. Activities have evolved to include birthday card programs, family directed giving programs, in-person and virtual convenings, multi-gen conversations, and several grant cycles.
As a Senior Program Officer, she also supports two family-led grantmaking programs (Environmental Justice and Partners to Break Down Barriers) and manages much of the team’s internal project workflows like a Chief of Staff. For Marlene, no two workdays are ever the same.
Prior to joining the Foundation in 2017, Marlene was the Manager of Development & Marketing and Executive Assistant to the President at the National Center for Family Philanthropy. She spent many years translating grant reports (from Spanish to English) for The Resource Foundation, a nonprofit organization that facilitates charitable giving from corporate, foundation, and individual donors to the Americas and the Caribbean. She has served on the Steering Committee of Emerging Practioners in Philanthropy’s DC Chapter and held various internships with organizations including the Hovde Foundation, American Red Cross for Greater Grand Rapids, and the YMCA of the USA.
Marlene is a graduate of Grand Valley State University where she received her master’s and bachelor’s degree in nonprofit administration. While there she was a graduate research assistant to the Johnson Center for Philanthropy’s Frey Chair for Family Philanthropy.
In her free time, you’ll likely find her spending time with her family, at the gym, at a farmers market, or traveling about.
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