LAVASTIAN GLENN

New York, NY

A nuance seeker, problem solver, and advocate for transformational change, Lavastian Glenn (she/her)
has dedicated over 20 years to supporting people and organizations in pursuit of a more just, inclusive,
and caring society. Much of Lavastian’s energy has focused on building aligned and impactful teams
internally in senior leadership roles and co-designing power building, capacity-building grantmaking
programs that advance racial, economic, and environmental justice across the United States. Previously
at the Nathan Cummings Foundation, Lavastian was the Vice President of Programs and Director of
Racial and Economic Justice and was Program Director and Network Officer at the Mary Reynolds
Babcock Foundation. There, she developed and supported relationships with non-profit leaders, helping
to move people and places out of poverty and working to achieve greater economic and social justice in
the Southeast United States. Alongside her grantmaking, Lavastian co-managed MRBF's impact investing
program that focused on making Program Related Investments (PRIs) and Market Related Investments
(MRIs) to achieve greater social impact by utilizing 100% of the foundation's assets.

In addition to her work in philanthropy, Lavastian is an experienced community organizer and
community development technical assistance provider. From 1999 to 2007, she served as executive
director of Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods (NBN), a local grassroots support organization in
Winston-Salem, NC. During her tenure, Lavastian expanded NBN’s program activities beyond
neighborhood grant-making to include grassroots organizing, leadership development through the
Neighborhood Institute for Community Leadership, technical assistance/ project development support,
and simultaneous English/Spanish language translation. Lavastian also served as lead organizer for
creating the United Health Center, Winston-Salem's first Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC).
Lavastian has served as Co-Chair of Grantmakers for Southern Progress (GSP), a working group of
foundations dedicated to increasing support for strategies that advance structural change in the
American South by centering racial and gender justice. Lavastian also served on the board of the
Neighborhood Funders Group.