Board & staff categories: Board

Ian Bird assumed the role of CEO of the Victoria Foundation in 2026, returning to his roots on Canada’s West coast. He is a seasoned executive in the community foundation movement and innovator in the field of collective action and network leadership, largely exercised during his tenure as CEO at Community Foundations Australia (2023 – 2026) and Community Foundations of Canada (2011 – 2020), as well as Chair of the GFCF (2021 – 2025). He is a former sport advocate as Senior Leader of the Sport Matters Group (2004 – 2010) and Chair of AthletesCAN, applying lessons learned as an Olympian in field hockey, having represented Canada at the Summer Olympics in Sydney (2000) and Seoul (1988). Beyond the GFCF, Ian’s civic engagements currently include contributions as a member of the Wasan Network.

Shubha Chacko is a joyful activist who draws strength, knowledge and warmth from strong alliances and friendships forged with people from different walks of life. Her work experience over the last three and a half decades has been varied – but within the realm of development, human rights and social justice. She was the Executive Director of the Solidarity Foundation, an NGO that supports grassroots level organizations of gender/sexual minorities (LGBTIAQ+) and sex workers by building collectives, capacities and connections. She was recognized as a global diversity leader (Times Ascent Award) at the World HRD Congress, Mumbai 2017. Shubha is also a researcher and has authored reports and articles and has been an invited speaker at many national and international conferences. She has a Master’s degree in Social Work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.

Kamala Chandrakirana is an Indonesian feminist and advocate for human rights, justice, and democracy. She has extensive engagements within civil society at local, national, regional and global levels on gender equality, human rights, transitional justice, social justice, progressive Islam, and sustainable resourcing for social movements.

Nationally, Kamala is in the governance bodies of organizations working on human rights (ELSAM), grassroots women’s empowerment (Pekka), progressive Islam (Rahima & Fahmina), resourcing social movements (Indonesia for Humanity – IKa), and research on social transformation (Rukun Bestari). She was coordinator of a national network of human rights and survivor organizations advocating for truth and justice on gross human rights violations (KKPK) for 13 years (2010 – 2023). In 2017, she took part initiating KUPI (Kongres Ulama Perempuan Indonesia), a movement for gender equality and justice within Islam led by women ulama. Internationally, she is a co-founder of Musawah, a global movement for equality and justice in the Muslim family, and the Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights Asia & Pacific. She also represented IKa in the Foundations for Peace network. In 2024, she took up the position of Co-coordinator at DAWN (Development Alternatives for Women for A New Era), a collective of feminist researchers, academics and activists from the Global South addressing systemic inequality.

Over the years, Kamala has also held official mandates. During the first decade of the Indonesia’s post-authoritarian reform period (1998 – 2009), she was Secretary General and then Chair of the National Commission on Violence Against Women, a national mechanism for women’s human rights set up by Presidential Decree. She was appointed to two presidential ad hoc teams, namely for investigating the death of an Indonesian human rights defender Munir (2005) and for addressing cases of Indonesian migrant workers on death row abroad (2012). Between 2011 – 2017, she was a mandate holder in the UN Human Rights Council’s Special Procedures mechanism on the issue of discrimination against women.

Barbara Klugman (PhD), works freelance, supporting social justice funders, NGOs and social movements in strategy development and evaluation-for-learning. In her freelance role, she is currently the Learning and Evaluation Partner for Tekano – Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity. Clients have included the African Centre for Biodiversity, the American Jewish World Service, the Arcus Foundation, the Asia Safe Abortion Partnership, the Ford Foundation, SWOP (Wits), the Open Society Foundations and WIEGO. She has both published and developed training interventions on advocacy, gender mainstreaming, sexual and reproductive rights, and social justice monitoring, evaluation and learning.

In the 1980s Barbara was an anti-apartheid and women’s rights activist lecturing in Social Anthropology at Wits University. In the 1990s she ran the Women’s Health Project at the School of Public Health, Wits University, which facilitated national consultation and mobilization contributing towards women’s health policy changes in the new democracy. From 2003 – 2009 she ran the Ford Foundation’s international sexual health and rights portfolio from New York after which she moved into freelance work as Barbara Klugman Concepts (PTY) Ltd. In December 2017, she completed a six year tenure on the board of the Urgent Action Fund-Africa.

Felecia Lucky’s favourite African proverb has served her well in her work:

“To do something for us, instead of with us, does nothing for us at all.”

After a career in finance, Felecia returned to Livingston, Alabama and fell in love with the idea of building a foundation with the people, for the people when she joined the the Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF). BBCF was established to strengthen Alabama’s 12 poorest counties known collectively as the Black Belt. Fuelled by the passion to provide opportunities to the region, BBCF partnered with philanthropic organizations who want to invest in local community-led driven transformation. Some noteworthy partnerships include W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation, US – DHR – Office of Head Start for early childhood education, Alabama State Council of the Arts, the University of Alabama, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Auburn University. The NOVO Foundation recognized BBCF for its work with a grant to the Consortium of Southern Black Girls and Women.

In 2025, Felecia joined the Heron Foundation as its President and CEO. Heron champions the people who believe profoundly in the promise of their community and who dare to chase the shared dreams for the place they call home. Heron works directly with local organizations that are embedded in, deeply trusted by, and inherently driven by the voice and vision of their neighbours. It invests in their know-how, skills, and determination to build a community that reflects and honours the dignity of all and where prosperity is shared.

With her deep roots in the community, dedication to her family and church, Felecia serves on a variety of committees and boards, including the City of Livingston City Council, Council on Foundations Community Foundation Leadership Team, HOPE Enterprise Corporation’s Board, HIVE Fund Advisory Board, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Interdisciplinary Leader Cohort 6, Black Belt Commission, and CF Leads Foundation Board and Governance Chair. Further, Felecia is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; a graduate of Leadership Alabama and Leadership Sumter County. Felecia is also 2006 Southeastern Council on Foundations Hull Fellow, a 2013 Aspen Ideas Scholar and a 2016 graduate of the Delta Regional Authority’s Delta Leadership Institute.

Felecia earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Tuskegee University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Alabama. Felecia serves as the Minister of Music at First Baptist Church in Livingston, Alabama. She has one daughter, Amber Nicole.

Janet joined the GFCF board in 2026, coming from a rich background in the development sector, having worked with both local and international organizations. She brings over 30 years experience of being a leader in the global majority. Before her current role as Team Leader at Galvanizing Africa Consult, Janet was the Executive Director of the Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF). She was in the position for 17 years, leading and growing the first community foundation in East and Central Africa. This involved spearheading the process of structuring alternative vehicles for the growth of assets, laying the foundations for alternative income streams for KCDF’s mission.

During her time at KCDF, Janet played a leading role in exploring what community philanthropy means in the African setting, and building the discourse around African philanthropy. This emphasizes that philanthropy is deeply rooted in many African traditions, and challenges traditional top-down development discourses. Janet’s work in this regard was recognized when she was nominated as an Invisible Giant by Africans Rising in 2021, and later in 2022 received the African Philanthropy Lifetime Award from the African Philanthropy Network.

Janet is passionate about authentic leadership. As a Certified Executive Leadership Coach and Certified Organizational Development consultant, she currently spends time supporting civil society leaders, especially in efforts aimed at growing strong African organizations. She recognizes that leadership is a critical game-changer that holds many organizations back. She is recognized as a thought leader in philanthropy circles and regularly contributes to international and African philanthropic forums and conferences. She also enjoys working with reflective funders interested in becoming more effective in the global majority, especially those committed to funding in ways which enable communities to take ownership of their own development processes.

Janet previously served on several boards. This included TrustAfrica, a Pan African foundation working to strengthen African agency in addressing the continent’s most pressing challenges, and Accountable Now, a global non-profit platform that works to make civil society organizations more accountable, transparent and effective. She currently serves on the board of the I & M Bank Foundation, and on the board of Adapo, which is the investment arm of KCDF. She is also a member of the Advisory Council of the Geneva-based Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

Catherine Rodgers is an African Feminist, based in Nairobi, Kenya working for Greenpeace International as Head of Engagement Support and Co-lead for the Alternative Futures project, focusing on hope and solutions by building people power to bring transformational change in the world: through defending environmental boundaries, shifting mindsets and changing power dynamics.

She is also on the board of Africans Rising – a Pan-African movement of people and organizations, working for peace, justice and dignity, and on the Engagement Committee of Restless Development – supporting youth leaders to create a better world.

She also loves any type of dance class and attempting to cook for friends!

Tamás Scsaurszki has worked in the civic sector for 30 years. His career started in Hungary, where he developed an interest in building up the sector’s infrastructure and the financing of NGOs. He then worked internationally on philanthropy development with large organizations such as the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation (US), Sasakawa Peace Foundation (Japan), European Venture Philanthropy Association (Belgium) and Stefan Batory Foundation (Poland).

In 2008 Tamás returned to Hungary and focused on community philanthropy and supporting local leaders and civil society organizations. In 2011, with colleagues, he founded the Ferencváros Community Foundation – the first community foundation in the country. As the foundation became more established, in 2014 they set up the Roots and Wings Foundation with the ambition to bring about profound social change by supporting bottom-up community initiatives. Tamás stepped down as the Chair of the board of the Roots and Wings Foundation in January 2024 and is looking for new adventures.

Throughout his work, Tamás has been driven by the search for novelty and untrodden paths, the love of creative collaboration and the desire to create social value.

Peter Walton is the CEO of the Greater Melbourne Foundation, a role he has held since April 2024. He is a passionate advocate for the power of local – believing that strong, resilient and inclusive communities are the foundation for social justice, equity and a fairer society. In his career he has been a champion of effective philanthropy, systems change and the innovative partnerships needed to address complex social challenges and create lasting impact for people and places.

Peter brings more than 25 years of leadership experience across the international humanitarian, development and social impact sectors. Prior to joining the Greater Melbourne Foundation, he served as CEO of CARE Australia, one of Australia’s leading global humanitarian organizations. He has held a range of senior executive roles including International Director at Australian Red Cross and CEO of Infoxchange, a social enterprise that uses technology for social justice.

After leading a power-shifting restructure of the Australian Red Cross international operating model, he was invited onto the founding board of the global Pledge for Change 2030 – a movement that seeks to shift more power and decision making to locally-led organizations. Over his career he has worked in numerous countries, including seven years based in Vietnam as Regional Representative for ChildFund, where he was awarded the Vietnam Government’s Medal for Peace and Friendship for his contribution to social development and poverty alleviation. Peter has deep governance experience having served on multiple boards. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Politics and Economics), a Master of Science (Development Economics), an MBA and has also completed the Oxford Strategic Leadership Programme.