Please join us for our Annual Business Meeting and Town Hall on October 11 and hear from Dr. Akilah Watkins – our incoming President and CEO who will start in January 2023. At this special meeting for IS members, she’ll join Board Chair Fred Blackwell, President and CEO of the San Francisco Foundation, and current President and CEO Dan Cardinali to discuss our organization’s accomplishments over the last year and the opportunities ahead for the charitable community working together to build a healthy and equitable future for all.
Independent Sector members may submit questions in advance for the panel to ensure we discuss what matters the most to you.
During the Business Meeting portion of our virtual gathering, Independent Sector members will vote on the term-renewal of current board member, Stacey Stewart, President and CEO of March of Dimes; and the election of two new board members: Dr. John Brothers, President of T. Rowe Price Charitable Foundation, and Dr. Carmen Rojas, President and CEO of Marguerite Casey Foundation.
Dr. Brothers and Dr. Rojas bring rich personal history and valuable expertise in inclusive social services and philanthropy. We are proud to share more about them below.
- If you plan to attend, please register using the RSVP button, as soon as possible, and no later than Monday, October 10, 2022. We need a quorum for membership votes so please register today!
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- If you are unable to attend, we need your proxy votes! Please complete this short proxy vote form by Friday, October 7, 2022 so Independent Sector can vote on your behalf.
Thank you for being a committed partner in our efforts to create a healthy and equitable sector and nation where everyone can thrive. We look forward to seeing you on October 11!
Questions? Please contact Kelly Masley at KellyM@independentsector.org. Our Annual Business Meeting and Town Hall is only for IS members.
New Nominees to the IS Board of Directors

Dr. John Brothers
Dr. John Brothers serves as President of T. Rowe Price Foundation and President of T. Rowe Price Charitable. Dr. Brothers comes to T. Rowe Price from Quidoo, an international consulting firm he started and led for over a decade, merging the firm in 2015.
Dr. Brothers served as a management and social policy professor for over a decade at New York University and Rutgers University and as a Visiting Scholar at the Hauser Center at Harvard. He alternates teaching engagements between the Maryland Correctional Institution at Jessup with the Goucher Prison Education Project and Coppin State University, a historically Black university in Baltimore.
He also serves as an Honorary Professor of Practice at Queen’s University in Northern Ireland and has worked with the China Global Philanthropy Institute in Beijing. Dr. Brothers received a MPA from New York University, MBA from American University, and doctorate from Northeastern University.
Dr. Brothers has been a writer with Forbes, the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Brookings Institution, Nonprofit Quarterly and the Huffington Post. He also has authored several books. He has been interviewed, referenced, or quoted in many local, national, and international media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Newsweek, ABC News, and The Wall Street Journal. Dr. Brothers has spoken to thousands on third sector and social-safety net effectiveness and public-private partnerships, in all 50 states and more than 40 countries.
Dr. Brothers began his work serving in the local community, inspired by growing up in deep poverty, serving as a community organizer and family case manager in urban neighborhoods in the Midwest to leadership positions, including CEO, with local and national organizations on the East Coast. Dr. Brothers is proud that this work leaves a legacy of innovative efforts that still serves a wide network of children and families, including homeless women and children receiving emergency services in Northern Virginia, to after-school programs for children in public housing in South Brooklyn, to transitional housing options for immigrant families in Boston who are suffering from domestic violence.

Dr. Carmen Rojas
Dr. Carmen Rojas is President and CEO of Marguerite Casey Foundation. Prior to joining Marguerite Casey Foundation, Dr. Rojas was the co-founder and former CEO of The Workers Lab, an innovation lab that gives new ideas for and with workers a chance to succeed and flourish.
For more than 20 years, Dr. Rojas has worked with foundations, financial institutions, and nonprofits to improve the lives of working people across the United States. She currently sits on the boards of Beyond12, Blue Ridge Labs, and Children’s Defense Fund, as well as the San Francisco Federal Reserve’s Community Advisory Council, Confluence’s Racial Equity Initiative Advisory Committee, and the AstraZeneca US Health Equity Advisory Council. Dr. Rojas holds a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley and was a Fulbright Scholar in 2007.
Nominee for Term-Renewal to the IS Board of Directors

Stacey Stewart
Stacey D. Stewart joined March of Dimes as its fifth President on January 1, 2017. In this role, Stewart heads the organization that is leading the fight for the health of all moms and babies. Stewart, who is now President and CEO, is responsible for all aspects of the organization’s strategy, vision, and operations.
Stewart came to March of Dimes from United Way Worldwide, where she held several positions, most recently serving as U.S. President of United Way, the nation’s largest nonprofit organization. There, she provided strategic direction for more than 1,000 local United Ways. Stewart was also responsible for United Way’s national efforts in education, financial stability, and health, as well as guiding efforts to enhance the brand and grow revenue.
Stewart spearheaded the transformation of United Way from a pass-through fundraiser to a leading organization for local community impact. Prior to becoming U.S. President, Stewart served as Executive Vice President, Community Impact Leadership and Learning. In this role, Stewart developed global partnerships to advance community impact in more than 40 countries.
A business veteran, Stewart has also held a number of senior roles, including Chief Diversity Officer and Senior Vice President for the Office of Community and Charitable Giving at Fannie Mae, as well as President and Chief Executive Officer for Fannie Mae Foundation. Additionally, Stewart has an extensive background in finance and investment banking, having served as Vice President for Pryor, McClendon, Counts & Co., and as a senior associate for Merrill Lynch, specializing in financings for state and local governments.
Stewart has a master’s of business administration degree in finance from the University of Michigan and a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Georgetown University. She also holds honorary degrees from Trinity University, Morgan State University, Texas Southern University, Lincoln University and Alabama A&M University. She serves on several boards nationally and in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
This blog has been updated since it was first published to give more information about our Annual Business Meeting and Town Hall.