The Philanthropy Fellows program is a partnership between Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers (WRAG) and the University of Maryland’s Do Good Institute. WRAG has partnered with UMD since 2011 to connect students with an interest in philanthropy and nonprofit leadership to internship opportunities at their member organizations – foundations and corporations that support nonprofits serving the Greater Washington region.
This innovative internship pipeline and professional development program provides WRAG members with knowledgeable and skilled fellows while providing the next generation of philanthropic and nonprofit leaders the opportunity to gain practical, hands-on experience in grantmaking, build a professional network, and learn about local community needs. Meet this year's cohort:
- Chelsea Brown, Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE). Chelsea is currently a graduate student at The University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy, where she focuses in nonprofit management and leadership. After earning her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from Winthrop University in 2014, Chelsea has the opportunity to utilize her learnings in real-life application, as a philanthropy professional for more than 5 years with organizations such as The SEED School of Maryland, Educational Testing Service, The Young, Black and Giving Back Institute, Barber & Associates, LLC and more. Chelsea created “The Chelsea Brown Scholarship” in 2016, and is currently the youngest person to serve on Winthrop University Foundation’s Board of Directors. In 2017, she received the Diverse Communities Scholarship through the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Conference, and in 2019, she received the Charles R. Stephens Scholarship for the AADO/CASE Conference on Diverse Philanthropy and Leadership. This year, she was highlighted as a "Black Woman to Watch in Philanthropy" in BlackHer's study on Black philanthropy titled "The Black Woman's Guide to Philanthropy." More recently, she selected to be apart of For(bes) The Culture, a community for underrepresented Forbes 30 Under 30 list members, conference attendees and people of color.
- Jianna Howard, Kaiser Permanente. Jianna is a second year graduate student working on a Masters of Public Health with a Concentration in Health Equity at the University of Maryland. Originally from Rochester, New York, before moving to Maryland to start graduate school, Jianna earned a BS in Health Science and Kinesiology from the College at Brockport, State University of New York in 2017. She subsequently served through AmeriCorps at Jefferson Family Medicine, a small private practice in Rochester where she built capacity by engaging with patients to better understand their needs and creating sustainable programs such as a preventive screening request process, a community garden, and free exercise classes to assist in meeting needs. Jianna is passionate about understanding health disparities and using history and policy to to inform about and overcome said disparities; much of her professional experience and research reflects this. In addition to her coursework, on campus Jianna is a graduate coordinator in both the Student Affairs department and The School of Public Health, a graduate research project lead in Community Engagement, Environmental Justice in Health, and a member of the Black Graduate Student Union.
- Amy Tran, Montgomery County Collaboration Council for Children, Youth, and Families. Amy is a Maryland native who is a first year Master of Public Policy candidate. She received her B.A in Sociology from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2018. After her undergraduate studies she did a year of service with AmeriCorps, working with a non-profit to provide children and family bereavement services to the Montgomery County area. She is passionate about equal access to education, trauma informed care, and health policy. As a Philanthropy Fellow, she is excited to conduct research with Montgomery County Collaboration Council to help youth development practitioners better serve their populations.
- Mikayla Walker, Grantmakers in Health. Mikayla is a 2nd year Master's in Public Health (MPH) candidate studying to receive her MPH in Health Equity and Certificate in Global Health. In 2018, Mikayla graduated from The George Washington University with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and a double minor in Biology and Criminal Justice. Over the past 5 years, Mikayla's interests grew and her passion for achieving health equity led her to many experiences that enhanced her skills and fostered a deeper connection in international health. Starting in Fall 2019, Mikayla will intern as a Philanthropy Fellow with Grantmakers in Health (GIH), an organization focused on advising and educating foundations to improve the health of all people. She looks forward to conducting research, planning large-scale events, spreading awareness on health-related issues, and all the other opportunities offered through this internship with GIH.
