Center for Disaster Philanthropy Board Adds Rebecca Fishman Lipsey and Punit Kohli as New Members
Washington, D.C. (June 5, 2025) – The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) board of directors welcomed Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, president and CEO of The Miami Foundation, and Punit Kohli, chief financial officer of the MacArthur Foundation, as newly elected members during its quarterly meeting held today.
“We are honored to welcome Rebecca and Punit to the CDP board of directors,” said Tiffany Benjamin, CEO of Humana Foundation and CDP board chair. “Their range of expertise in leading community and private foundations paired with their commitment to supporting long-term recovery needs of disaster-affected communities will strengthen our board and CDP’s ability to better partner with the broader philanthropic community.”
About Rebecca Fishman Lipsey
Rebecca Fishman Lipsey is president and CEO of The Miami Foundation. Since her appointment in 2020, Fishman Lipsey has grown the Foundation by 50%, infusing equity into every grant program and initiative at the Foundation. Under her leadership, the Foundation has tackled serious issues like bringing internet to all disconnected families, building a proactive disaster resilience fund, mobilizing the philanthropic response to both COVID-19 and the Surfside building collapse, and incubating countless coalitions and funding collaboratives to address both local and national needs.
“Our generation of leaders will be judged ultimately, not just by the choices we make that impact this moment in time, but by how we fortify our communities to weather the challenges to come,” said Fishman Lipsey. “CDP is leading the way for smarter, more unified global responses to disaster, and I’m proud to join their extraordinary board.”
Fishman Lipsey was named “Best Non-Profit Executive” by The International Stevie Award for Women in Business, “Best Role Model” by Miami Today and “20 Under 40″ by The Miami Herald. Before leading The Miami Foundation, she was the youngest person in history appointed to the Florida Board of Education. She founded Radical Partners, an incubator for social impact ventures. She started her career as a public school teacher, inspired by her grandparents’ experience as refugees years ago.
About Punit Kohli
Punit Kohli is responsible for all financial matters at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and its affiliate organizations. As chief financial officer, he partners with senior leadership to establish organizational strategy and evaluate progress against strategic goals.
“I am thrilled to join the board of CDP and have the opportunity to contribute to this important organization,” said Kohli. “CDP’s vision of minimizing the impact of disasters through comprehensive and inclusive recovery measures is essential in today’s world.”
Prior to joining MacArthur in 2024, Kohli served in other roles, including vice president of finance at Candid and director of finance at The Helmsley Charitable Trust. Before a career pivot to the philanthropic and social sector, he gained progressive and diverse experience in financial management with multi-national corporations, such as Colgate-Palmolive, Weight Watchers and Ocean Spray.
Kohli has served as a board member and treasurer for various organizations, including the New York Council of Nonprofits, Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce and Massachusetts Asian Pacific Islanders for Health.
CDP mobilizes philanthropy to strengthen communities’ ability to withstand disasters and recover equitably when they occur. It provides expert advice and educational resources, supports diverse coalitions and manages domestic and international disaster funds on behalf of corporations, foundations and individuals through targeted, holistic and localized grantmaking. Find out more at disasterphilanthropy.org and on X and LinkedIn.