Lourdes Inga (she/her/hers)
Executive Director, International Funders for Indigenous People

Lourdes Inga (Quechua) is the Executive Director of International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (IFIP). Under her leadership, IFIP is expanding Indigenous Philanthropy globally, amplifying the role of Indigenous-Led Funds, and advocating for direct access to funding for Indigenous Peoples worldwide. Lourdes has over two decades of international philanthropy experience on Indigenous Peoples’ rights, gender equality, and social justice. Before IFIP, she was with The Christensen Fund, a private foundation focused on Indigenous Peoples’ rights, and at The Global Fund for Women, a public foundation focused on advancing women’s rights. Lourdes is on the Board of the Equality Fund, a groundbreaking initiative to shift power and resources to women’s movements globally. She is on the Indigenous Philanthropic Advisory Group at Decolonizing Wealth Project. Lourdes has served on multiple boards, committees, and advisory roles, including at EDGE Funders Alliance and Peak Grantmaking.

Kailee Scales (she/her/hers)
CEO, Pencils of Promise

Kailee Scales serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Pencils of Promise (PoP), a world renowned for-purpose education organization committed to providing access to high-quality education globally. Since PoP's inception in 2009, the organization has achieved significant milestones, having built over 600 schools and positively impacting over 875,000 children, families, and community members in Laos, Guatemala, and Ghana. PoP's mission extends beyond education, addressing community-wide resources, hygiene, clean water, and working to end menstrual poverty, making a substantial contribution to breaking down barriers to education for vulnerable children. Kailee remains steadfast in her advocacy for equity and social justice. Her leadership extends beyond PoP, with the founding of ThinkFree Global Strategies (TFGS), where she has provided strategic consultation for organizations and individuals. With a career spanning nearly two decades and impacting 17 countries, Kailee collaborates with global entities, including the WHO, UN, CEOs, heads of state, and influencers, addressing complex issues such as racial injustice, education, health inequities, environmental concerns, and women's empowerment. Kailee's vision and initiatives play a crucial role in shaping a more inclusive and sustainable future on a global scale.

Nicolette Naylor (she/her/hers)
Founder, Ubuntu Global Philanthropy & Gender Justice Consulting

Nicolette Naylor is a Pan African feminist lawyer and senior philanthropic executive who has spent more than two decades working at the intersection of justice, feminism, and philanthropy. She is the CEO and founder of Ubuntu Global Philanthropy & Gender Justice Consulting, an organization providing support to philanthropic organizations, feminist movements, civil society organizations and academic institutions. Ubuntu’s work is rooted in the belief that social justice work and the philanthropy underpinning it needs to be grounded in principles of love, mutuality, and connection. Prior to 2023 she spent 16 years at the Ford Foundation where she led the Ford Foundation's Southern Africa office and International Program on Gender, Racial & Ethnic Justice. Her work has focused on increasing resources and financial support for civil society in the global South and she is committed to strengthening the feminist funding ecosystem for Black and Indigenous feminist movements as well as LGBTIQ+ and gender expansive movements. Nicolette is an International Human Rights lawyer by training and spent the early part of her career working in the public interest law field litigating human rights cases in South Africa, at the African Commission of Human & Peoples’ Rights and at the European Court of Human Rights. She holds a LLM in International Human Rights Law from the University College London and a B.Proc. LLB from the University of the Western Cape in South Africa.

George Suttles (he/him/his)
Executive Director, Commonfund Institute

George Suttles leads Commonfund’s educational, thought partnership, and professional development activities as Executive Director of Commonfund Institute. He serves on multiple advisory boards and steering committees, including Intentional Endowments Network’s (IEN) steering committee which provides strategic guidance to the network and chairs the steering committee for the Impact Finance Center’s Diverse Manager Initiative. Prior to joining Commonfund, George was a Program Officer at the John A. Hartford Foundation, an independent, national private foundation focused on improving care for older adults. Before joining the foundation, he was a Vice President, Senior Philanthropic Relationship Manager at U.S. Trust/Bank of America. In this role he worked with private and institutional clients on issues related to best practices in governance and strategic grantmaking. He is a member of numerous nonprofit boards and investment committees including Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Auburn Seminary, and the New York Foundation, where he serves as Treasurer and chair of the investment committee. George is frequently asked to speak on topics concerning fiduciary duty and stewardship, philanthropy, investment governance, Diversity Equity and Inclusion and values aligned investing, among other topics. Currently, he is on the Adjunct Faculty at the New York University (NYU) School of Professional Studies, teaching classes on private and corporate philanthropy. George received a B.A. from Wesleyan University, an M.A. in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy (IUPUI) and an M.P.A. from Baruch CUNY Marxe School of Public and International Affairs. George is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Education (Ed.D) at New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.