Sharon is a recognized leader in the field who strongly values the economic and social contributions of the nonprofit sector. Throughout her career she has worked to ensure that the sector is strong, equitable, sustainable, and highly capable of serving individuals and families throughout the Chicago region. She has launched, led, and participated in innovative collaborations that have resulted in thousands of people securing employment and millions of dollars to support the regional workforce system.
In 2021, Sharon joined the Board of Trustees of Roosevelt University, a community of educators, scholars, and learners committed to academic, creative, and service excellence. She was recently appointed to the Chicago Fed Advisory Council on Small Business, Community and Economic Development, Agriculture and Labor, comprised of diverse leaders who advise the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago leadership about issues impacting their industries and communities. Sharon is Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of ABFE, a national philanthropic organization that advocates for responsive and transformative investments in Black communities. She is on the steering committee of We Rise Together, a public-private coalition to support a just and equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in the Chicago Region and she chairs the Leadership Advisory Committee of Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Chicago. Sharon is an advisor to Greater Good Studio, a human-centered design firm that builds the capacity of communities to solve old problems in new ways. She was a member of the Illinois COVID-19 Steering Committee and co-chaired the Grantmaking Working Group.
Sharon was an Association of Black Foundation Executives Connecting Leaders Fellow. She also is a former co-chair of Chicago African Americans in Philanthropy and the 2017 recipient of its Champion of Diversity Award. She has been a featured Op-Ed columnist in the Chronicle of Philanthropy on race and equity and Crain’s Chicago Business on diversity and leadership. She is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and The Chicago Network.
Sharon was born and raised in Chicago. She has a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Public Administration from Roosevelt University.
Neeta leads the Foundation’s financial and business functions, providing oversight and strategic leadership. She previously spent five years working on Grand Victoria Foundation’s program team where she supported a diverse group of grantees working towards a more just, worker-centered economy. She also piloted several initiatives focused on elevating grassroots leadership in the community.
Neeta has a broad range of experiences supporting community leaders, coalitions, and organizations to achieve their goals for equity. At the Charter Growth Fund, she designed grant and loan investments that support charter school leaders around the country to build strong, financially sustainable school models that offer families expanded choices. Prior to that she worked with a coalition of special education leaders in New Orleans to design and finance student centered programming and to redesign the city’s special education funding formula. Her work led to the launch of a new therapeutic school model in New Orleans that plays a key role in the education fabric of the community. She started her career working on cause marketing campaigns at General Mills.
He was most recently the Director of Organizing at Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago, where he contributed to the organization’s shift towards racial equity and grassroots leadership. During his time with Advancing Justice | Chicago, the organization developed a powerful youth organizing program, played a leadership role in significant legislative victories, and achieved historic civic engagement outreach in the Asian American community.
Steve remains committed to youth development and cultural work as a board member for Kuumba Lynx, one of the premiere youth arts organizations in Chicago. Last year, he also taught a community engagement course for the Global Asian Studies program at UIC. Steve graduated from the School of Social Service Administration at University of Chicago, UCLA’s Asian American Studies program, and the University of Michigan.
Steve is excited to “return” to Elgin, where he has some professional and personal history. He has worked on civic engagement and advocacy initiatives with members of the Laotian American community in Elgin for the past four years. Steve’s first “job” was also in Elgin, where he mopped floors and cleaned detergent off washing machines at his parents’ laundromat as a youth.
Landon Williams is a seasoned marketing, communications, and business development professional with over 23 years of experience in transforming consumer and market data into actionable insights, innovative products, market-moving strategies, and award-winning advertising – using thorough consumer research, astute data analysis, and dynamic creative development.
Landon’s worked with the nation’s top, black-led marketing, and communications firms – including Burrell Communications and Carol H. Williams Advertising. He has proven experience in successfully helping major brands like Bank of America, Sprite, Adidas, McDonalds, Allstate, General Motors, Walt Disney World, and more establish deep connections with multicultural targets (including black households) and exceed their business objectives.
In 2014 Landon brought his for-profit business experiences to philanthropy and community service – working with nonprofit organizations that focus on racial equity and justice.
Tasasha Henderson is currently Special Assistant to the President at Grand Victoria Foundation. She provides high-level executive support and management to advance the Foundation’s mission in the areas of board management and governance, external relations, strategic initiatives, grantmaking, and learning and culture development.
She has experience in fundraising, program development, and communications. Prior to joining Grand Victoria Foundation, she spent 7 seven years as a grants manager, raising over $2.2 million for various social service organizations in Chicago. She has also worked as a freelance writer, with a focus on racial and gender justice issues.
Tasasha is passionate about creating a different world that is rooted in the values of justice, liberation, humanity, and love. She has worked to contribute to creating this new world as a long-time member of Love & Protect, a grassroots collective that supports women and gender nonconforming survivors of interpersonal violence who are facing criminalization. She is also a co-chair of the Racial Equity & Social Justice committee of Chicago Women in Philanthropy and co-chair of the Women of Color United Giving Council at Chicago Foundation for Women.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Jeanna worked as the Manager of Operations and Development at 3Arts, a nonprofit arts service and grantmaking organization that advocates for Chicago’s women artists, artists of color, and artists with disabilities.
She previously served as a volunteer steering committee member for the Chicago Cultural Accessibility Consortium, a nonprofit organization working to advance accessibility and inclusion across the Chicago region’s vast cultural space.
As Program Associate, Dianna provides direct support to the Elgin Program in the areas of community engagement, communications, grant administration, and office management. Dianna also provides high-level administrative support for the Program Team and supports our Rapid Response grantmaking program.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Dianna worked as the Community Outreach Liaison for Greater Elgin Family Care Center. During her five years there, she developed and strengthened partnerships with Elgin’s nonprofit organizations. Dianna graduated from UIC with a Masters in Public Health in 2010, and has over 10 years of experience working with nonprofit organizations in the areas of HIV prevention and education, women’s empowerment, and health care. Her background in public health informs her world view and the way she approaches her role in the community.
Tuyet Ngo brings over a decade of impactful experience in the nonprofit sector, specializing in business development, change management, and process improvement. Her strategic thinking and meticulous attention to detail have driven transformation within organizations, fostering meaningful change. Fluent in Vietnamese and Spanish, Tuyet's diverse language skills enhance her community engagement.
Highlights of Tuyet's career include overseeing the distribution of over $20 million in emergency assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, expanding organizational budgets, growing boards of directors, and spearheading innovative projects for community betterment.
Tuyet's roots in Chicago are deep, having grown up in Uptown and attended Northside College Prep HS. Currently residing in Belmont Cragin, she enjoys volleyball, quality time with her beloved dog Spartacus, and connecting with her vibrant neighborhood.
Tracey Whitmer is the Manager of Accounting and Administration for the Grand Victoria Foundation. Her role includes employee onboarding, payroll, bookkeeping, project management and design of the annual budget, as well as designing thoughtful recommendations about improvements to connections between vendors and systems.
Tracey is a bleeding heart that avidly works towards equality and justice in its myriad necessary platforms. She graduated from DePaul University, and worked closely with the Governor of Illinois on a multitude of projects. Her previous management and accounting roles make her a strong fit for this role, but her years in comedy club management and hospitality are what really set her apart. Her vibrant personality, high-level intellect, and charismatic demeanor will transform the energy of any room. She is a natural storyteller, always eager to help, and has an extraordinary ability to connect with others on a very deep level.
In her free time, Tracey is a mother of identical twin girls and loves entertaining and being around people. She regularly attends concerts, comedy shows, and events that inspire communal energy.
Sheibani, a recent graduate of the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy and Practice, has been an invaluable intern with us over the past year. Now, as our Program Associate, she brings her strong skills in data analytics and data visualization to support our program team and grants administration.
Sheibani’s collaborative approach and ability to foster relationships across teams ensure that we can work seamlessly together toward our goals. In her new role, she’ll also be coordinating logistics for our supports beyond grantmaking and our rapid response fund as we implement our strategic plan.
Lauren M. Woods is a civic practitioner, philanthropic strategist, and artist committed to ecosystem development, narrative power, and transformative investment in arts and culture, local news and information and collective power. Her work strengthens the infrastructure that sustains movements and shifts power toward community-driven solutions.
Prior to joining Grand Victoria Foundation, Lauren led the media and storytelling portfolio at The Chicago Community Trust, stewarding nearly $15 million in grants to support local news, narrative change, and civic storytelling. She played a pivotal role in launching Press Forward Chicago, a collaborative funding initiative for journalism. Her leadership has advanced narrative justice, fostered strategic partnerships, and resourced collaborative efforts that balance the needs of communities with institutional priorities.
Lauren’s experience spans philanthropy, education, and policy. She managed the K-12 service-learning program in Chicago Public Schools, shaping district-wide policy and expanding access to civic engagement opportunities. As a civic leader, Lauren co-chairs Chicago 200, a leadership development program of Common Purpose, and serves on the boards of Young Chicago Authors and Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE). She is also an advisory member of Press Forward Chicago and a former fellow of The Civic Actor Studio, a leadership program of the University of Chicago and Court Theatre.
A fourth-generation Chicagoan and proud South Sider, Lauren approaches her work as civic artistry—bridging culture, narrative justice, and philanthropy to create more equitable and participatory ecosystems. She leads with deep connectedness, imagination, and intention, ensuring that communities are not only resourced but recognized as the architects of their own futures.
