Contact
Linkedin
About Ktisis

Mobilizing Resources for Justice

Our Story

Founded in 2015, Ktisis started with a belief: if philanthropy is to support and amplify movements for justice, it requires advice and support grounded in those very values.

We recognize that all resources — money, influence, experience, and relationships — must move in ways that uphold our responsibility to one another and strengthen the conditions for lasting change. We have spent years developing our approach alongside philanthropists, foundations, and collaboratives, helping them reflect on their vision and values, to see power clearly, and to design frameworks that accelerate progress. Through ongoing reflection, solid structures, and rigorous strategies, our clients ground and act in firm alignment with their values.

Our team has supported family foundations and philanthropists in clarifying their purpose across generations; funders and institutions in aligning programs and portfolios with their mission; and networks in coordinating capital and strategies to increase their impact. Different partners, different contexts but one through-line: mobilizing all forms of capital (money, influence, relationships, time, experience) toward justice.

A note on our name

Ktisis (said quickly, almost like "k'tee-sis") comes from the name of the Byzantine goddess who embodied generosity, the act of giving, and the concept of a stable foundation—for a building, city, or community.

Our founder first encountered her through a sixth-century mosaic at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and was drawn to her enduring symbolism of building and giving. Rooted in that legacy, Ktisis reflects our belief that lasting change begins with generosity, thoughtful design, and a strong foundation for justice.

Our Shared Values

Justice & Equity

Integrity & Trust

Wholeness & Complexity

Care & Kindness

Learning & Curiosity

Our Team

We are advisors, facilitators, and strategists who share a commitment to justice and working with philanthropy to make our communities more equitable. Our team brings experience in family and institutional philanthropy, social change, nonprofit leadership, organizational governance and management, and community organizing.

Jakki Behan

she/her
Executive Assistant

Read Bio +
Ricardo Benavidez, MPA

he/him
Associate Director

Read Bio +
Michele Bookie, MEd

she/her
Operations Manager

Read Bio +
Jason Franklin, PhD

he/him
Founder & Principal

Read Bio +
Raquel Gimeno, MPA

she/her
Associate

Read Bio +
Sonja Hansen

she/her
Associate

Read Bio +
Cindy Mathew

she/her
Senior Director

Read Bio +
Estevan Muñoz-Howard

he/him
Senior Director

Read Bio +
Michael Pratt

he/him
Associate Director

Read Bio +
Alison Upton López, MA

she/her
Senior Director

Read Bio +
ari vargas

ari/they/elle
Learning Fellow

Read Bio +

Affiliated Consultants

Alongside our core staff, we partner with a cohort of affiliated consultants. This model expands capacity, brings in both lived experience and technical expertise as needed, and helps remove barriers that many solo practitioners face, allowing the work to benefit from a wider circle of talent.

Letarik Amare

she/her

Read Bio +
Anna Baeten

she/her

Read Bio +
Vanessa Daniel

she/her

Read Bio +
Hali Lee

she/her

Read Bio +
Mijo Lee, JD

she/her

Read Bio +
Georgia Mathews

she/her

Read Bio +
Jason McGill, PhD

he/him

Read Bio +
Marjorie O’Hanley

she/her

Read Bio +
Ayushi Vig

she/her

Read Bio +

Memberships & Affiliations

We learn with, and are accountable to, the communities that shape our field. Our team participates in networks not only to challenge ourselves and sharpen our practice, but also to help lead, convene, and influence the direction of philanthropy. These affiliations help to spark new collaborations, surface hard questions, and connect our clients to broader efforts across philanthropy.

Council of Michigan Foundations
Democracy Alliance
Destination Impact
Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy
Forefront (Chicago)
Funders Committee for Civic Participation
Generation Pledge
Hispanics in Philanthropy
Impact Driven Philanthropy Collaborative
National Center for Family Philanthropy
P150
Philanthropy Northwest
Resource Generation
Solidaire Network
Threshold Foundation

About

Who We Serve

Knowledge Base

Contact

Ayushi Vig

she/her

Affiliated Consultant

Linkedin Envelope

Ayushi Vig is a philanthropic advisor, facilitator, and strategist who partners with individual donors, foundations, and funder networks to advance liberatory giving strategies. Across a range of environmental, economic, racial, and gender justice issues, her portfolio centers on building bridges between financial institutions and the grassroots. She delights in dreaming, designing, and implementing transformative projects rooted in an ethos of reflective learning and community accountability.

Ayushi currently serves on the boards of New Economy Coalition, a network of 200+ organizations building an economy that prioritizes people and planet above profit, as well as of Clean Energy Works, accelerating inclusive investments to make the clean energy economy accessible to all. She was a 2023 Fellow at the Just Economy Institute, and was also honored as a 2023 Climate Leader by the People’s Climate Innovation Center. In 2019, she was named a Dalai Lama Fellow. 

Previously, Ayushi was a founding staff member of the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, advocating for balancing funder-grantee power dynamics in philanthropy. Prior to that, she was a Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, where she codesigned and launched The Philanthropy Toolkit, a training for wealth advisors to provide philanthropic guidance beyond tax optimization to their high-net-wealth clients.

Ayushi holds a BA from Stanford University, and is currently pursuing graduate studies in public policy at Princeton University. She grew up in New Delhi, and now splits her time between New Jersey and the Bay Area. She works towards a world where everyone is loved and loving. 

Marjorie O’Hanley

she/her

Affiliated Consultant

Linkedin Envelope

Marjorie is a Philanthropic Advisor based in Los Angeles, CA. She works with non-profit teams, CEOs, Executive Boards, and donors to both set strategy and amplify the impact of their work through effective story creation. Over a ten+ year career, Marjorie has developed a successful framework for operational strategy drawing on her work in nature and wildlife conservation and mental health advocacy and programming.

Marjorie has a BA in Anthropology from Pitzer College and an MS in Communications with a focus in nonprofit marketing from USC’s Annenberg School.

Marjorie started her career as a Producer at OceanX, where she honed the ability to make complex scientific work universally understandable and engaging. She traveled our earth’s seas to film the rarest marine life and narrate their stories in films including Oceans: Our Blue Planet and Before the Flood, and series like BBC’s Blue Planet. 

Marjorie has most recently been working alongside nonprofits and foundations as a Managing Director, Director of Development, and Board Member to create effective business plans, build teams, and raise money. Working with donors as a Philanthropic Advisor, she has worked to identify high impact organizations and build grant strategies. 

Marjorie’s background in managing complex teams and projects complements her expertise in nonprofit management and positions her to be a valuable asset to organizations working to achieve scale, expand reach, and broaden their impact.  

Jason McGill

he/him

Affiliated Consultant
Founder & Principal Justice Associates, LLC

Linkedin Envelope Globe

Jason McGill is the Founder and Principal of Justice Associates, LLC, a consultancy he established to work with private and family foundations and other philanthropic organizations in advancing their programmatic foci and legacies.  

His consulting practice centers particularly on supporting philanthropic executives and Boards in aligning their organization’s governance and grant program strategies with social justice principles and values, irrespective of their funding focus.  He works with organizational leaders to develop, facilitate, and guide Board and executive teams through intentional learning and practice journeys that result in organizational clarity, commitment, and direction on social justice.  

In addition to drawing on twenty-years of experience teaching and facilitating, coaching is also a primary component of how he works: helping CEOs and other executives strengthen their leadership vision and voice; supporting Board members learn and align with racial and social justice practices within philanthropy; and guiding family members through their own internal family dynamics and governance challenges to amplify their foundation’s impact.

Jason has worked at a national and international level in donor-centered and institutional philanthropy for more than twenty years.  Prior to starting Justice Associates, he worked at the Arcus Foundation (Vice President and Co-Executive Director), Philanthropy New York (Vice President), Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, and Prep for Prep.  He has extensive Board service experience both in New York and nationally; he is presently on the Boards of Philanthropy New York and Funders for LGBTQ Issues and is a Trustee of the New York Quarterly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, the denominational corporation for Quakers in New York City.

Jason completed his PhD and MA degrees in History at the University of Michigan, and his BA and BS degrees at Cornell University.

Georgia Mathews, MA-SI

she/her

Affiliated Consultant

Linkedin Envelope

Georgia Mathews is a philanthropic professional residing on the unceded lands of the Bunurong People in Melbourne, Australia. She has a decade of experience in the field and is recognized and respected as a leader in her field by both philanthropists and community partners. She has held management and executive positions at a range of philanthropic institutions, most recently as Director of Philanthropy at Australian Communities Foundation. She has made a significant contribution to the establishment of several successful progressive philanthropic initiatives including Mannifera and the Australian chapter of Resource Generation.

As an affiliated consultant with Ktisis, she brings together her skills and experience to support clients in the effective redistribution of wealth, with a focus on donor organizing and social justice philanthropy using her own unique relational approach.

She has a Master of Social Investment and Philanthropy from the Swinburne Centre for Social Impact and a Bachelor of Arts (History, Gender Studies) from the University of Melbourne. She is also Founder and Chair of GiveOUT Australia, an LGBTIQ+ led organization funding queer communities nationally.

Mijo Lee

she/her

Affiliated Consultant
Principal, Mijo Consulting

Linkedin Envelope Globe

Mijo Lee brings a deep commitment to movement building, and a long background both in community organizing and funding community organizing. Mijo’s work is driven by the beliefs that lasting social change is impossible without grassroots movements; that philanthropy must center and follow the leadership of those most directly impacted by injustice; that redistribution of wealth is imperative and urgent; and that this is joyful but challenge work – and no one should do it alone.

Mijo (pronounced “Mee Joe”) spent 9 years in leadership of Social Justice Fund NW, the largest public foundation funding community organizing in the northwestern US. She led the development of the innovative Giving Project model, which combines political education, leadership development, grassroots fundraising, and democratic grantmaking in order to fund social justice movements in ways that are more accountable, connected, and sustainable than traditional models. As program director and executive director of SJF, Mijo played a leadership role in improving grantmaking programs to be more responsive and accessible to grassroots organizations, particularly those led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and those based in rural communities and small towns. She helped steward the organization through two bold strategic plans and exponential growth in its fundraising and grantmaking.

As a consultant, Mijo has worked with individual donors, groups of donors, and family foundations to develop strategies and giving plans; research, advise, and manage giving; and create and facilitate educational curricula to help move more resources to movements that build lasting power for social change. 

Mijo lives on Duwamish/Coast Salish territory in Seattle with her teenager and goofy pitbull. She loves baking, complicated board games, and enthusiastic karaoke.

Hali Lee

she/her

Affiliated Consultant
Founding Partner, Radiant Strategies

Linkedin Envelope Globe

In 2025, Hali Lee was named to the inaugural Time100 Philanthropy in recognition of her work building collective giving. In 2021, she was named to Forbes’ 50 Over 50: Impact in recognition of her work as a founder of the Donors of Color Network, the first-ever national network of wealthy folks of color, Philanthropy Together, a national collective giving support organization, and the Asian Women Giving Circle. Today, she leads a boutique consulting practice, Radiant Strategies, whose clients include Fidelity Charitable, the Gates Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Hali is a frequent public speaker, who in the last year has made appearances at more than fifty conferences and events. Her work has been covered by the Washington Post, New York Times, and Good Housekeeping, who called her “The Mindful Giver” and one of “10 Women Over 50 Who Prove It’s Never Too Late to Change the World.” Her first book, The Big We, was published in 2025 by Sweet July / Zando. She lives in Brooklyn with her family, a big love of a dog, and rooftop honey bees.

Vanessa Daniel

she/her

Affiliated Consultant

Envelope

Vanessa Priya Daniel is an author, organizer, and award-winning leader for racial and gender justice. A queer, biracial (Sri Lankan and white) feminist, and mother of two daughters, the heart of her work is supporting social justice leaders and philanthropy to build the grassroots power it takes to win a multiracial, feminist democracy. A seasoned public speaker, she is known for inspiring audiences to action through a style that delivers both fire and humor.

Her book, Unrig the Game: What Women of Color Can Teach Everyone About Winning, was published by Random House in March 2025.

Vanessa has been featured by Inside Philanthropy as one of the “Top 100 Most Powerful Players in Philanthropy,” by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as one of fifteen “Influencers” who are changing the nonprofit world, and a recipient of the Smith College Medal, Vanessa has written for The New York Times and other publications.

Rooted in her experience as a labor and community organizer, she founded and served for 17 years as executive director of Groundswell Fund, a leading funder of women of color-led grassroots and electoral organizing. Under her leadership Groundswell moved over $100 million to the field through a decision-making structure that featured supermajorities of women of color movement leaders and organizers on its staff and board. More than 40 foundations and 2,000 individual donors relied on Groundswell to reach 200+ organizations at the grassroots.

Through Vanessa Daniel Consulting, LLC, she offers keynotes and workshops, as well as strategic advising and coaching support to donors, foundations, grassroots organizations and organizational leaders. She serves on the Board of Directors for Public Research Associates and Hedgebrook, on the Advisory Board/Brain Trust of the Kataly Foundation’s Environmental Justice Resource Collective, and the Democracy Frontline Fund. She is also a fellow with the Decolonizing Wealth Project.

Anna Baeten

she/her

Affiliated Consultant

Linkedin Envelope Globe

Anna came to Ktisis Capital with an extensive background in entrepreneurship, small-business scaling, management training & development, systems architecture, and branding & marketing. As Managing Director at Ktisis she oversaw new business development, impact enterprise, and the creation and implementation of new client services and products. In 2023, she transitioned to a new role as an Affiliated Consultant with Ktisis Capital as she builds out her own practice, Failure Lab, an organization dedicated to reframing individual, organizational, and systemic paradigms around failure. In this role, she oversees corporate & organizational strategy & training and C-suite & leadership coaching.

Locally, Anna serves as the board vice chair of Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, an organization that works to connect citizens to natural spaces and empower them to cultivate vibrant parks, trees, and green spaces in the Grand Rapids community.

Anna holds a bachelor of science degree in Biomedical Sciences and a bachelor of arts degree in Professional & Applied Ethics, both from Western Michigan University, and sees her educational journey as evidence of the value of a liberal arts education. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her two children and enjoys audiobooks, sneaking nutritional relevance into her children’s food, and learning about what motivates people to do better and be better.

Letarik Amare

she/her

Affiliated Consultant
Founding Partner, Radiant Strategies

Linkedin Envelope Globe

Letarik Amare is a philanthropic professional who believes the key to meaningful power-building is rooted in the deeply transformative power of love and its hand in building a radically generous and joyful community. Growing up in Denver, CO, immersed in a vibrant community established by Ethiopian immigrants in the late 80s, she witnessed first-hand how through collaborative intention and sacrifice, a “small” group can make a significant local and global impact. Whether it’s global initiatives around education and clean water, contributing to the collective money-pot being sent to vulnerable families back home, or choosing to celebrate every milestone side-by-side (yes, all 500 of us), surely, we are better together.

These experiences have profoundly impacted the way in which Letarik sees and moves in the world. In 2018, she decided to leave the world of luxury fashion and fragrances to pursue the work of racial equity and social justice.

She began her philanthropic career at the Donors of Color Network, the first-ever cross-racial, values-based high net worth donor community. While at the Network, she balanced her time between donor cultivation and impact-driven initiatives, with work ranging from research on high net worth donors of color to the co-creation and launch of the equitable 501c4 funding vehicle, the Power Fund. She also helped build the organization’s first slate of recommended political candidates.

Letarik is now building Radiant Strategies with her dear friend and colleague, Hali Lee. Radiant is a consulting practice that works hand-in-hand with individuals, groups, and organizations to build philanthropic practice, research, and skills centering equity, human flourishing, and joy.

ari vargas

ari/they/elle

Learning Fellow

Envelope

Bio coming soon.

Alison Upton López, MA

she/her

Senior Director

Linkedin Envelope

Alison comes to Ktisis Capital with a background in family foundations and nonprofit management. At Ktisis, she serves as donor advisor working with individuals and families on a wide range of issues including environmental & racial justice. Alison also works on the internal Ktisis business development team engaging new clients and developing existing client relationships focusing on furthering progressive practices in the philanthropic space. 

Prior to Ktisis she was the founding Executive Director for the Julian Grace Foundation, an entrepreneurial family foundation in Chicagoland, which funds a variety of organizations working on issues related to justice. She is passionate about developing brave, kind leaders in the philanthropic space who dream of a liberated future for all.

Prior to working in philanthropy, Alison spent the majority of her career in various leadership roles in nonprofits in Illinois and California. She started her career at the Chicago Community Trust, and has since been a Peace Corps Volunteer in El Salvador, Executive Director of Building Futures Now & I Have a Dream – East Palo Alto, and Development & Communications Director at NewRoot, among other roles. She also serves on the board of Forefront (Illinois’ association of nonprofits and grantmakers) and the National Advisory Board of the Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford University.

Alison holds an M.A in Policy, Organization and Leadership Studies from the Stanford Graduate School of Education, as well as a B.A. in Psychology from Stanford University. She is also a trained leadership coach and a self-proclaimed organizational development nerd. She spends her free time reading, playing tennis, taking walks with her dog and raising two children (with a feminist, anti-racist philosophy) in the Chicago area.

Michael Pratt

he/him

Associate Director

Linkedin Envelope

At Ktisis Capital, Michael serves as a strategic philanthropic advisor, research lead, and project manager. This includes creating and supporting donor learning communities such as the Democracy Action Lab at The Philanthropy Workshop; facilitating Destination Impact, a learning community for donor education and organizing networks across the country; advising the Mannifera Collective, an Australian donor network; and co-authoring “Discovering your philanthropic identity: Giving approaches, strategies, and philosophies” in partnership with Fidelity Charitable’s Private Donor Group.

Before joining Ktisis Capital, Michael spent 5 years at the Johnson Center for Philanthropy, first as project coordinator for the Institute for Foundation & Donor Learning and, later, as project manager on their Learning Services team, where he was primarily responsible for managing The Grantmaking School, a professional development and education program for foundation staff and donors. In his time at the Johnson Center, Michael also led the foundational research and development of a program officer competency model and served as Assistant Editor of The Foundation Review. Throughout his career, Michael has supported or managed the delivery of 100+ educational and field building programs for donors and grantmaking professionals.  

Michael completed a B.A. in philosophy and a B.S. in psychology at Grand Valley State University. Michael serves as President of the board of Renew Mobility, a West Michigan nonprofit which provides free, permanent mobility solutions for individuals either denied or burdened by systemic inequities in our healthcare system. He also serves on the Advisory Board for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Grand Valley State University. He also served on the board of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Grand Rapids (YNPN.GR) for three years; during his time on the board, he advocated for and helped start their Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-racism committee, for which he served as Co-chair.

Michael lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In his free time, you can find Michael drinking red wine, playing euchre with friends, and being disappointed by the Detroit Red Wings.

Estevan Muñoz-Howard

he/him

Senior Director

Linkedin Envelope

Estevan Muñoz-Howard is a philanthropic and organizational consultant with over 15 years experience leading programs and coalitions in the nonprofit sector. He joined Ktisis Capital as senior director in 2022 working primarily with our political and democracy focused clients. Estevan supports these clients as a donor advisor and strategist, working to protect our democracy on a national scale. He also works on our internal business development team, concentrating on developing client relationships to move the needle on progressive philanthropic practices.

In addition to his work with Ktisis, Estevan works as Interim Co-Director of the Piper Fund, a donor collaborative that supports community-led efforts to build a healthy democracy. He previously served as Director of Program Strategy at the Marguerite Casey Foundation (MCF), which supports leaders and initiatives focused on building power for communities of color throughout the country. Prior to joining MCF, he was a senior program officer at the Piper Fund, leading the fund’s Money in Politics Reform grantmaking program. During his tenure, Estevan organized donors, convened field partners, and helped raise and steward funding for community-based organizations working to build the inclusive democracy our nation has never had.

Estevan also serves as Treasurer for the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation, as Co-Chair of the Democracy NW Funders Table, and as Chair of the Washington Progress Alliance. He was also a founding Co-Chair of First Mile, a donor circle that organizes funding for candidates of color throughout Washington State.

Before joining the Piper Fund, Estevan worked as development director for Arts Corps and Social Justice Fund NW, and as executive director of the Youth Media Institute. He also helped lead the successful Honest Elections Seattle campaign of 2015 – the historic initiative to implement the world’s first Democracy Voucher program. He is passionate about democracy, community organizing, and the diffusion of power. Estevan is a graduate of the University of Puget Sound.

Cindy Mathew

she/her

Senior Director

Linkedin Envelope

Cindy Mathew is a philanthropy leader with two decades of experience working at the intersection of grassroots movements, donor organizing, and global justice. A second-generation daughter of Indian immigrants, Cindy brings a deep commitment to equity and solidarity, shaped by her early work in Mumbai’s informal settlements and by roles at Amnesty International and the International Accountability Project.

Most recently, Cindy served as Chief of Staff at Movement Voter Project (MVP), where she led cross-team strategy, operations, and organizational alignment. In 2024, she also served as Interim Director of Development, helping guide MVP through its strongest fundraising year to date. Prior to MVP, Cindy was the founding staff member and Director of Program and Partnerships at One for Democracy, where she oversaw all grantmaking and helped build a network of over 100 philanthropists who committed $70 million to frontline democracy work during the 2020 election cycle.

Throughout her career, Cindy has worked to bridge the gap between philanthropy and grassroots power—ensuring that resources flow to the organizations best positioned to create transformative change. Her work spans major NGOs, grassroots organizations, and philanthropic intermediaries, always with a focus on shifting power to communities most impacted by injustice.

Cindy lives in Illinois with her husband and young son. Outside of work, she enjoys dancing, playing pickleball, and puzzling.

Sonja Hansen

she/her

Associate

Envelope Linkedin

Sonja supports the ongoing development and execution of Ktisis Capital’s communications strategy, digital presence, and brand storytelling. She plays a key part in amplifying our work across the philanthropic field, helping to strengthen our messaging, maintain consistency across platforms, and ensure our materials reflect the voice, values, and priorities of Ktisis. In addition, Sonja contributes to general firm operations, supporting client projects, research, and internal systems.

Prior to joining Ktisis, Sonja served in communications roles for environmental-minded non-profits including Future River, Global Alliance for Incinterator Alternatives (GAIA), The Climate Reality Project, Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice, Sunrise Movement, BlueGreen Alliance, Grameen Foundation, and Close the Gap, CA. Sonja also worked in early childhood education roles for Wonderforest Nature Preschool, Brooklyn Nature Days, and It Takes a Village.

A Stanford University graduate with a B.S. in Earth Systems and Notations in Science Communication and Cardinal Service, Sonja brings both environmental expertise and storytelling capabilities to the team. Sonja earned The Dean’s Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Academic Achievement, the Julie Kennedy Public Service Scholar Award and the Excellence in Capstone award for her senior stand-up comedy special on the climate crisis. She also had the opportunity to study abroad in Chile, Jordan, and Turkey.

Originally from Sacramento, Sonja now resides in Los Angeles, writing and performing comedy and exploring beaches and mountains.

Raquel Gimeno

she/her

Associate

Linkedin Envelope

Raquel brings experience in nonprofit program management and grants administration to her role at Ktisis Capital. At Ktisis, she provides client and project management support while actively contributing to internal organizational development and administration.

Prior to joining Ktisis, Raquel played instrumental roles in various nonprofit and governmental organizations in Miami-Dade County, Florida. She served as Program Manager at The Children’s Trust of Miami-Dade, providing program development and operational support for 19 grantee organizations. These organizations were funded for diverse projects encompassing capacity building, early education research, community-based early literacy supports, and parenting programs.

Her tenure at United Way Miami, where she initially served as a Senior Administrator, focused on supporting federally funded Early Head Start Childcare Partnership grants and local grants. Raquel later assumed the role of Program Manager, working with early learning centers in under-resourced zip codes across Miami-Dade County.

Raquel is a proud alumna of Florida International University, where she earned her degree in Political Science, and Florida State University’s Askew School of Public Administration, where she earned her Master’s in Public Administration.

Residing in Miami, Florida, Raquel enjoys spending her free time with her dog, Bear, hosting tapas nights, and caring for her many plants.

Jason Franklin, PhD

he/him

Founder & Principal

Linkedin Envelope

Dr. Jason Franklin is Founder & Principal of Ktisis Capital through which he serves as a strategic advisor to a mix of progressive individual donors, families, foundations, networks, and philanthropic collaboratives. Building on 20+ years of philanthropic and organizing experience, his work is focused on moving resources to racial, social, economic & environmental justice. Additionally, he is the General Partner of both the Michigan Independent Media Group and Lares Holdings, a small family real estate investment company. He serves as board chair of the Michigan Alliance; co-facilitator of both Threshold Foundation’s Reproductive Justice grant collaborative and Democracy grant collaborative; and is a member of Foundation Conservation Carpathia USA’s board and the Philanthropy Initiative Working Group at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. He is a co-founder and member of the Solidaire donor network and member of the Threshold Foundation, Democracy Alliance, Generation Pledge, and the Franklin Weinberg Fund.

Before launching Ktisis, he served as the inaugural W.K. Kellogg Community Philanthropy Chair at the Johnson Center for Philanthropy (the nation’s first endowed chair focused on community philanthropy), where he engaged in research, teaching, and thought leadership to advance the field, nationally and internationally. He received his PhD from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service where he also held an appointment for ten years as an award-winning adjunct professor teaching about philanthropy and social change. He previously served as Executive Director of Bolder Giving, an organization that inspired people to give big & take more philanthropic risks which was credited by Melinda Gates as an inspiration for the billionaire Giving Pledge, and has also worked at the 21st Century School Fund, the Rockefeller Foundation’s Next Generation Leadership Network, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and White House Office of National AIDS Policy.

Michele Bookie, MEd

she/her

Operations Manager

Linkedin Envelope

Michele’s knack for operations and systems management blossomed early on as the eldest of four siblings. She naturally took on the role of family manager (whether her siblings appreciated it or not). These organizational talents seamlessly transitioned into her professional life, spanning service industries, higher education administration, and small business operations and management.

As the Operations Manager at Ktisis Capital, Michele keeps the gears turning smoothly. She collaborates closely with the Ktisis team to oversee internal and external operations, handling everything from accounting and contracting to human resources and cultivating a positive internal culture.

Michele is a proud graduate of Grand Valley State University with a degree in Public Administration, she went on to earn an M.Ed in Higher Education Administration with a focus on Student Affairs from North Carolina State University. Her appreciation for education extends to her family and community as she is often spotted chaperoning her community activities, from choir camps in Northern Michigan to capstone projects in Puerto Rico.

Ricardo Benavidez, MPA

he/him

Associate Director

Linkedin Envelope

At Ktisis Capital, Ricardo serves as a strategy and organization advisor, researcher, and project manager for a diverse mix of individuals and foundations. He works primarily with individuals, families, and private foundations on formulating their giving strategies. Ricardo manages the Ktisis Capital communications portfolio and is responsible for developing a strategy that advances the work of the firm and our partners.

Ricardo is also on the faculty at Grand Valley State University, teaching courses on inclusive and visionary leadership and belonging in the Integrated, Religious, and Intercultural Studies Department. Prior joining the Ktisis team, Ricardo served as project specialist for community enrichment in the Office of the President at GVSU. In that role, he led projects and program teams focused on connecting communities to each other and to the university, donor relations and stewardship, and the University’s community sponsorship program which supported historically marginalized and underrepresented communities, arts and culture organizations, environmental initiatives, and education focused programming.

Ricardo holds a Master of Public Administration degree with foci in public management and urban and regional policy and planning, and a B.S. in history and public & nonprofit administration – both from Grand Valley. He is certified for the responsible conduct of research, earned the Graduate Dean’s Citation for Academic Excellence, and was a NASPA Undergraduate Fellow. Ricardo serves as president of the board of directors for Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities, as the vice chair of the City of Grand Rapids Community Relations Commission by mayoral appointment, as an Alumni Champion for GVSU, and as co-chair of the Grand Rapids Community Foundation’s LGBTQ Fund.

Ricardo has received recognition as a 40 Under 40 Business Leader from the Grand Rapids Business Journal, received the Young Alumni Award from GVSU, and was a member of 21/64’s inaugural cohort of certified advisors of color.

Ricardo lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan and uses his free time to become the unofficial connoisseur of craft cocktails, supporting all things local, and taking his pup, Casper, for long walks.

Jakki Behan

she/her

Executive Assistant

Linkedin Envelope

Jakki works with the Ktisis team to help bring all of the moving parts together. She brings to her work a background in executive administration with over 10 years of experience serving C-suite level execs. Her professional background is focused on operational optimization & project management with social justice organizations and technology startups.

Jakki holds a bachelor of arts degree in Communication and Technology from the University of Minnesota. An avid animal-lover and amazing lasagna-maker, she is living off the grid in Colorado with her husband & two cats.

Jakki Behan

she/her

Executive Assistant

Linkedin Envelope

Jakki works with the Ktisis team to help bring all of the moving parts together. She brings to her work a background in executive administration with over 8 years of experience serving C-suite level execs. Her professional background is focused on operational optimization & project management with social justice organizations and technology startups.

Jakki holds a bachelor of arts degree in Communication and Technology from the University of Minnesota. An avid animal-lover and amazing lasagna-maker, she is living off the grid in Colorado with her husband & two cats.