Jones, Loehr, and Worthington Join Board of Directors
Washington, DC – The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) announced today that Kenneth M. Jones II, Kathleen E. Loehr, and Sam Worthington were elected to the CDP Board of Directors, the organization’s governing body.
“It is an honor to welcome Ken, Kathleen, and Sam to our board,” said CDP Board Chair Lori J. Bertman. “In addition to sharing a strong dedication to disaster philanthropy, they each bring exceptional knowledge and experience to the table. I look forward to working with them as we strive to increase the effectiveness of giving throughout the life cycle of disasters.”
Kenneth M. Jones II is CFO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation where he oversees finance, accounting, grants management, facilities, operations, and information technology. At Casey, he has spearheaded policy changes that have moved grant funds to nonprofits faster; provided staff the technology tools they need; and adopted internal control, finance and human resources protocols. Jones also has helped lead efforts to promote and document workforce diversity.
Before joining the foundation in 2008, he traveled extensively in Africa, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe as CFO of Danya International, a public health and education organization, and Jhpiego, a nonprofit international health affiliate of the Johns Hopkins University. Before working in the nonprofit sector, Jones held corporate finance positions at Ford Motor, Pfizer, Mirant and Prudential.
While earning a bachelor’s degree at Boston University and a master’s degree at the State University of New York at Buffalo, Jones, a Bronx native, worked with Upward Bound and also ran summer programs for youth. After earning an MBA at the Sloan School of Management at MIT and launching his corporate career in finance, he continued to participate in Habitat for Humanity, Paint the Town and other community service activities.
Kathleen E. Loehr is CEO of Kathleen Loehr & Associates, a philanthropic and leadership practice based in Alexandria, VA. Her partnership with nonprofit leaders and philanthropists is grounded in thirty years in the nonprofit sector along with her expertise as a Strozzi Institute-certified Master Somatic Coach.
Loehr’s deep experience in fundraising and nonprofit leadership is the background for her specialized work with women’s philanthropy and nonprofit leadership coaching. She has worked with the President’s Council of Cornell Women, American Red Cross’ Tiffany Circle, Duke, Drexel, University of San Francisco, William & Mary, McGill University, and National Geographic, and several other nonprofits. She is a member of the Advisory Council for the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Her previous leadership roles include being the C-suite leader of fundraising for the American Red Cross, Save the Children, the International Crisis Group, and key departments at Cornell University. Loehr’s humanitarian focus came from living abroad in Bolivia and Italy, and traveling in Africa, Europe and Central/South America, where she has witnessed human dignity in the face of extreme poverty. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University.
Sam Worthington is CEO of InterAction, the largest U.S. alliance of nongovernmental international organizations, with more than 220 members and partners. Worthington leads the U.S. NGO sector’s engagement at the highest levels with the UN, governments, and civil society groups around the world.
He has testified before the U.S. Congress, routinely consults with the administration, speaks to boards and at universities, and is a regular contributor on numerous major national and international media outlets. Previously, Worthington served as chief executive officer of Plan International USA, and also sat on Plan’s global executive management team and chaired Plan’s national CEO team.
Worthington is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; serves on the Advisory Committee for Voluntary Foreign Assistance (ACVFA) at USAID and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) at the UN; and sits on the boards of the Van Leer Group Foundation, CIVICUS, and The Alliance to End Hunger. His numerous leadership roles include serving on the White House Task Force on Global Development and Poverty; working as a founding board member of the ONE Campaign; chairing the global NGO Impact Initiative on behalf of UN Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery Pres. Bill Clinton; and serving on the steering committee of the NGO Leadership Forum at Harvard University. Recently, he was a resident fellow at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center.
Worthington holds a master’s degree with distinction from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont. As a Fulbright scholar he completed postgraduate research at the Institut Universitaire des Hautes Etudes Internationales in Geneva, and as a midcareer professional, an executive leadership program at the Harvard Business School.
“We are truly fortunate to benefit from the wisdom, connections, and experience our new directors bring to our highly engaged board,” said CDP President and CEO Robert G. Ottenhoff. “This group of thoughtful leaders continues to guide CDP in maximizing the impact of informed disaster philanthropy to better support vulnerable populations around the world.”
The Center for Disaster Philanthropy
CDP’s mission is to transform disaster giving by providing timely and thoughtful strategies to increase donors’ impact during domestic and international disasters. With an emphasis on recovery and disaster risk reduction, CDP aims to:
- Increase the effectiveness of contributions given to disasters;
- Bring greater attention to the life cycle of disasters, from preparedness and planning, to relief, to rebuilding and recovery efforts;
- Provide timely and relevant advice from experts with deep knowledge of disaster philanthropy;
- Conduct due diligence so donors can give with confidence; and,
- Create plans for informed giving for individuals, corporations and foundations.
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.
