Sharon Alpert

Sharon Alpert is the president and CEO of the Nathan Cummings Foundation, a multigenerational family foundation, rooted in the Jewish tradition of social justice, working to create a more just, vibrant, sustainable and democratic society. She joined in 2015, and during her time as the first female CEO, the foundation is redefining its model from grantmaker to changemaker, using all of its resources for impact. She worked with the board to commit 100% of its endowment to mission-aligned investing, increased the payout to frontline groups to address threats to democratic ideals, and has used her and the foundation’s voice to sound the alarm about the rise of white nationalism and the need to practice radical solidarity. A seasoned philanthropic leader, Sharon has more than 20 years of experience at the intersection of inequality and environmental issues. Prior to NCF, Sharon served as the Vice President of Programs and Strategic Initiatives at the Surdna Foundation. Having spent more than a decade with the Surdna Foundation, Sharon brings with her deep experience working with a multigenerational family dedicated to social justice. Sharon began her career in philanthropy at the Ford Foundation, where she implemented a cross-portfolio initiative to address inequality in housing, employment and environmental opportunities in Camden, New Jersey. She also reshaped Ford’s environmental justice portfolio to focus on next generation leadership from communities of color and the intersection of health and the environment. Previously, Sharon spent eight years in the nonprofit and private sectors. This work included securing millions of dollars of public and private investments for the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation to support affordable housing, energy efficiency and environmental health programs; working with leaders in the environmental justice movement at the Washington Office on Environmental Justice and Natural Resources Defense Council; and serving as a liaison to the Sustainable Communities Taskforce of the President’s Council on Sustainable Development. Sharon holds both a master’s in public administration and a bachelor’s in agricultural, resource and managerial economics from Cornell University. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her Canadian husband, Kevin, and their two children, Millie and Jesse.