Until Feb. 1, 2023, we were Group Health Foundation. This post was written under our former identity. To learn more about our new name, read our announcement here.
Carmen Berkley, vice president of programs
We are excited to share that Carmen Berkley will join Group Health Foundation next month as one of our vice presidents on the program team. Carmen brings to the Foundation more than 15 years of experience in advocacy, political strategy, grantmaking, movement building, organizational development, communications, and cultural expression.
As someone who has worked with organizations of many sizes, and has experienced and seen firsthand the barriers Black, Indigenous, and people of color leaders must overcome to raise funds, Carmen says she is looking forward to serving as an advocate for community-led work in Washington State.
“I believe that the people who are directly impacted have the answers to how we build power for the people,” says Carmen. “To have this opportunity to work with communities who are passionate about freedom and liberation for their own folks—and to partner with them in a genuine way so that they’re able to access resources from a foundation with people who reflect their experiences—I want to be part of what that looks like.”
Carmen comes to the Foundation from Dancing Hearts Consulting, a nationally renowned Black women-led social and political impact firm, where she was chief strategy officer serving foundations explicitly focused on ending inequality in all its forms. Previously, she oversaw a $50 million portfolio as well as a 50-person team, as managing director for Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Carmen also worked for the AFL-CIO and the United States Student Association, and is a founding member of BYP100 (Black Youth Project 100).
We look forward to sharing more about Carmen and her story once she officially joins our team in February.
