Board of Directors

  • The Rev. Dr. Don Darius Butler

    Rev. Dr. Don Darius Butler, Chair

    Pastor, The Concord Fellowship

  • Clay Grubb

    W. Clay Grubb, Treasurer

    CEO and Chairman, Grubb Properties

  • Dr. Deborah Jewell-Sherman

    Dr. Deborah Jewell-Sherman Horner, Secretary

    Gregory R. Anrig Professor of Practice, Emerita Harvard Graduate School of Education

  • This photo shows a head and shoulders view of Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson.

    Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson

    President & CEO, Children’s Defense Fund (CDF)

  • Dakarai Aarons

    Founder, Aarons Family Giving Fund

  • Zack Boyers

    Chairman & CEO, U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance

  • Annie Donovan

    Annie Donovan

    President & CEO, Raza Development Fund

  • Ramesh Raghavan, MD, Ph.D.

    Professor of Social Work, New York University, Co-Author, Investing in Children’s Mental Health

  • Mariana Souto-Manning, Ph.D.

    President, Erikson Institute

  • Dr. Rhea Williams-Bishop

    Rhea Williams-Bishop, Ph.D., MPPA

    Director of Mississippi and New Orleans Programs, W.K. Kellogg Foundation

CDF Board Emeriti

Lan Bentsen,
Chair, 2015–2017
The Honorable Laphonza Butler,
Chair, 2022–2023
Geoffrey Canada,
Chair, 2008–2014
Lisle Carter, Jr.*
Laura Chasin*
The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, Esq.,
Chair, 1986–1992
Maureen Cogan
Deborah S. Cogut, Esq.
Leonard Coleman, Jr.
Malaak Compton-Rock
Leslie Cornfeld, Esq.
Leslee Dart
John Deardourff*
DD Eisenberg
Pat Fallon*
Rev. James Forbes, Jr.
James Forman, Jr., Esq.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Angela Glover Blackwell,
Chair, 2019–2022
Winifred Green*
George Gresham*
Lucy Hackney, Esq.
Henry Hampton*
Howard Haworth*
Dorothy Height*
David Hornbeck, Esq.,
Chair, 1994–2005
Rev. Dr. M. William Howard, Jr.
The Honorable James Joseph*,
Chair, 1993–1994
Ruth-Ann Huvane
Deborah Leff, Esq.
Marilyn Levitt
William Lynch, Jr.*
Katie McGrath
Charles Merrill, Jr.
Heidi Miller
Eileen Norton
Ivanna Omeechevarria

Carol Oughton Biondi
Wendy Puriefoy*
Leonard Riggio*
Dennis Rivera
Johnathan Rodgers
Martin Rodgers
The Honorable Donna E. Shalala,
Chair, 1992–1993
Barbara Shaw
J. Michael Solar, Esq.
Susan Thomases, Esq.
Thomas Troyer, Esq.*
Jason Tyler
Robert Vagt,
Chair, 2005–2008
Laura Wasserman
Suzanne Weil
Ali Wentworth
Abigail Wexner, Esq.
Reese Witherspoon
Deborah Wright, Esq.

*deceased