Beckner Advancement Fund

Steve brings 42 years of experience in international development, community philanthropy, human rights, environmental management, and higher education to his current roles as volunteer with public interest organizations in his community and as an active participant in selected political campaigns. Prior to his retirement in 2018, he served for seven years as Vice President for Programs and Managing Director for Networks and Strategic Initiatives at the Inter-American Foundation. Steve has also held senior executive positions with the Ford Foundation, the World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, the World Resources Institute, INCAE, and the Fundación Acceso, a non-profit organization that he founded in Costa Rica. He began his career working with Agua del Pueblo, a Guatemalan NGO building potable water systems for indigenous communities. He has been a consultant to the World Bank, the United Nations, the Global Environment Facility, CARE, the Oscar Arias Foundation, the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, and the Pew Charitable Trusts; has been a guest lecturer at the World Bank, Columbia University, Duke University, the University of California at San Diego, the University of Maryland, the University of Minnesota, Notre Dame University, the Universidad de Cuenca (Ecuador), and FLACSO/Ecuador; has been a Kettering Foundation Fellow and a member of the Advisory Council of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at Notre Dame. He has served on several non-profit boards and is currently on the board of AsylumWorks in Washington, DC, and the advisory board of the Kaleidos Center for Interdisciplinary Ethnography in Ecuador. Since retiring, he has been an active volunteer with immigrant rights organizations in Washington, DC, and in elections in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia. He has spent half of his career in residence in Latin America (Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Peru, and Guatemala), and is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. He has a BA in Latin American Economic Development from Berkeley and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard. He is the proud father of two adult daughters who are deeply involved in public service.

Dr. Sharon Groves joined the Auburn Seminary staff in August 2015 as Vice-President for Partner Engagement. In this role she regularly engages with hundreds of movement and faith leaders, organizers, policy makers, and philanthropists who work at the intersection of faith and justice. Sharon leads projects at Auburn that address community thriving; national and state level collaborations on inclusive democracy; reproductive health, rights and justice; reparations; and LGBTQ equity. She serves as a key liaison with major policy and movement partners, including the Women’s March, the Center for American Progress, and national faith denominations, as well as regional and local congregations.
Prior to joining Auburn’s staff, Sharon was a Senior Fellow for Auburn Seminary. She is the former Director of the Religion and Faith (RFP) Program at the Human Rights Campaign, where she worked from 2005-2014. Under her leadership, Sharon doubled the RFP staff, built a scholarship and mentorship program for LGBTQ religious scholars, and oversaw statewide faith organizing efforts in Oregon, Illinois, Rhode Island, Maine, Maryland, and Washington State. She also supported the creation of multiple theologically grounded resources, including the lectionary-based preaching guide, Out in Scripture, and the Latinx curriculum and film, A La Familia.
Sharon received her Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Maryland in 2000 and has furthered her theological education through extensive coursework at Chicago Theological Seminary, Wesley Theological Seminary, and the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation. She is an active lay member at All Souls, where she serves on the board for the Beckner Foundation, a city-based foundation that supports justice work in DC, in keeping with the values of All Souls church. She is also a board member for the Church of the Savior Festival Center in DC. An active and longtime resident of Washington, DC, Sharon connects and mobilizes with many different organizations, including Standing Up for Racial Justice and Ward 4 Mutual Aid. She lives in DC’s 4th Ward with her spouse Ann and can often be found cooking for friends, gardening in her community lot, jogging in Rock Creek park, and watching “bad” TV. Sharon is a long-time member of All Souls since 2001.

Pamela Amos is a real estate investment professional with over 25 years of related experience. She has been a member of All Souls since 2017, and her passion for social justice has found expression here as a member of the Investment Committee and director of All Souls Housing Corporation.

Currently, Pam is with NuvoLogic Consulting and works on a contract supporting HUD’s multifamily lending program for both affordable and market rate properties. Previously, she served as Director of Asset Management for a premier affordable housing developer and operator, where she was responsible for the financial performance and operations of its portfolio of 30+ properties containing over 5,000 apartment homes throughout the mid-Atlantic region.

Pam’s experience also includes consulting work with other clients in the real estate investment and energy sectors. She spent 12 years in the investment management division of Allstate Insurance Co. ending her tenure as a Portfolio Manager responsible for daily management of its publicly traded REIT portfolio, as well as a large portfolio of economically targeted debt and equity investments in areas including community development and affordable housing. Her experience also included analytical support for a large office and industrial portfolio, and private equity investing in real estate and traditional institutional private equity funds.

Pamela’s story also includes positions in finance and real estate with Amoco Chemical Company and PepsiCo. A veteran, she served as a civil engineering officer in the U.S. Air Force. She is also a mother, aunt, mentor and long-time tutor to children in the Chicago and Washington DC public school systems.

Ms. Amos has an MBA in Finance and Real Estate from the University of Michigan, a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, and has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and LEED Green Associate designations. She is a Leadership Greater Chicago fellow, and her civic involvement also includes extensive board and other service to various mission-driven organizations, with particular emphasis on child welfare and early childhood education.

Educated at Villanova University, The New School for Social Research, and Columbia University’s Graduate School of International Affairs. Student of Zbigniev Brzezinski and Henry Kissinger. Trained as a Development Economist. Certificates from the Institute of African Studies, and International Fellows Program. United Nations Association Ralph Bunche Fellow (supported thesis research and writing in the East African Federation). Currently, a civil society delegate to the UN Non-proliferation Treaty Talks and the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs.
Dedication to the Arts, Culture and the Humanities which undergirds his world view. Activist and advocate for artists to understand their power and prowess as participants in the American Political Economy, and to take their rightful place in governance. Adjunct teacher in the DC Public School System, assigned to the History Department, Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
Practitioner in Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access, with leadership accountabilities in the real estate, philanthropic, and education industries.

Before retiring in 2017, Barbara had a long career in international development, including 13 years living in Latin America where she gained extensive experience in the development, review, and management of grants from public and private sources. She worked for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) for 28 years, including serving as CRS’ Director of Major Gifts Stewardship, where she led a team responsible for donor communications, proposal development, stewardship, and special events to engage major donors. During that period, she was also responsible for coordinating activities of the agency’s Foundation Board, composed of donors at the highest giving levels.

In 2014, Barbara joined the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) as Chief Development Officer where she was responsible for the design and implementation of comprehensive fundraising and communications strategies in accordance with local community needs and LAYC’s strategic priorities. Her role included oversight of LAYC’s grants, communications, and special events staff.
After 10 years as a member of the UU congregation in Columbia, MD, Barbara moved to the Washington DC area in 2011 and joined All Souls. She has three children and six grandchildren and currently lives in Garrett Park, MD, where she and her partner share a home with two exuberant Labrador retriever rescues.

Eva Newbold grew up in Richmond Hill, Georgia, a small town outside Savannah. She received her B.A. in English Literature and Women’s Studies from Agnes Scott College in 2016 and she received her M.A. in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from the University of Florida in 2018.
After graduate school, Eva returned to the Savannah area where she joined Lisa Ring’s 2018 congressional campaign as the Scheduling Coordinator and Lisa Ring’s 2020 campaign as the Communications Director. In 2020, Eva joined Marcus Thompson’s Georgia State House campaign as the Volunteer Coordinator and worked with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee as a Team Lead for the 2021 Senate Runoff. In addition to her work with local politics, she worked as the Interim Director of Religious Education at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Savannah from 2018-2020.
Eva’s community work in the area also included acting as the 2nd Vice Chair and Social Media Coordinator for the Bryan County Democratic Committee, the Religious Affairs Chair for the Bryan County NAACP, and acting as a member of the Richmond Hill Cultural and Diversity Taskforce. In early 2021, Eva moved to Washington, D.C. to serve a year as an AmeriCorps VISTA with Raising A Village Foundation. Once in D.C., she became involved with the work of All Souls Unitarian and joined the Young Souls board as the Social Justice Chair. In January 2022, she ended her year of AmeriCorps service and decided to remain at Raising A Village Foundation, accepting a position as a Regional Site Coordinator.

Josephine, now retired, was Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers, a 155,000 member association. Prior to that she was a presidential appointee with the U.S. Department of Labor. As such, she administered and oversaw the Office of Job Partnership Act programs including Job Corps and Summer Youth Employment programs. She has more than 30 years of professional and volunteer experience in social action, public and private sector program development, policy formulation and institution building. Dr. Nieves was commissioner and spokesperson to the New York City Department of Employment and in the early 1980s was Deputy Commissioner of the New York City Department of Juvenile Justice. She was also a professor and chairperson of the department of Puerto Rican Studies at Brooklyn College, In New York City.
Josephine has been a member of All Souls since 2001.

Erika was born in Brooklyn, NY where she and her sister were raised by her mom, a social worker and proud West Indian who immigrated from Barbados. Erika grew up attending the Fenimore St. United Methodist Church. She gained confidence and discipline as a student of the Canarsie Karate Club and baseball player in the North Highway LIttle League. As an A Better Chance (ABC) scholar she attended Milton Academy for high school and then earned a bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College. Her career has spanned the interconnections of youth development, outdoor education, construction, job training and environmental justice. Working most of her career non-profits, Erika has had a lot of exposure to the process of seeking out funding and managing grants. Erika brings that perspective to her work with the Beckner Advancement Fund committee. Erika moved to Washington, DC In October of 2014 with her wife, daughter, and grandmother. She and her wife became members of All Souls in 2015. In her work-life, Erika is the VP of Equity and Workforce Development with a national solar trade association.

Georgia is Mom to two wonderful 30 somethings, an attorney, an executive coach, geologist, pianist, harpsichordist, flautist, quilter, sewist, knitter, and curious about life in general. Georgia has been a member of All Souls since 2010 when she joined with her husband Larry Meinert.

After serving as general counsel to two institutions of higher education, Georgia moved to DC in 2010 as a political appointee serving as Deputy General Counsel and Deputy Undersecretary at the US Department of Education. She is currently serving on the Board of Trustees of Oberlin College and Conservatory.

Georgia earned her bachelor’s degree in geology from Oberlin College and a master’s in applied earth science from Stanford University. Her law degree is from the University of Idaho. She also holds a leadership coaching certificate from the Georgetown University Institute for Transformational Leadership.

Ruth Goins joined the Beckner Advancement Fund as program officer at the end of 2020. She is a native Washingtonian with several decades of experience in the field of philanthropy. She has served as a program officer at private foundations and as a professional consultant to a range of organizations and initiatives in the field. In addition, she has served as interim executive director for three small national associations.

Ruth has also contributed to efforts to grow diversity and inclusiveness in philanthropy. She was a member of the Diversity in Philanthropy Project consulting team (which led to D5, a five-year initiative by the philanthropic community to address diversity, equity and inclusion in a coordinated way). And she led a small team that conducted research for the Council on Foundations, helping to set the stage for the Council’s Career Pathways leadership program for individuals of diverse backgrounds.

Ruth has a history of leadership within the national philanthropic field. She is a past chair of the Neighborhood Funders Group, the network of funders who invest in organizations that wield people-power to transform communities. She also served on the board of Women & Philanthropy, during which time she held several leadership positions. When she returned to DC she joined the board of the Washington Area Women’s Foundation. Her six-year tenure included service as board chair.

A graduate of Wellesley College, Ruth earned a master’s degree in public management and policy analysis from Carnegie-Mellon University.

https://all-souls.org/bio/rob-keithan/