Sharon Alpert is Executive in Residence at the Council on Foundations. Sharon Alpert is the former president of Nathan Cummings Foundation, where she served as the foundation’s fourth president and first female leader. A seasoned philanthropic leader, Ms. Alpert has more than 20 years of experience at the intersection of inequality and environmental issues.
Previously, she rose from program officer to director of Surdna Foundation’s Sustainable Environments Program, then as vice president of programs and strategic initiatives.
Ms. Alpert began her career in philanthropy at the Ford Foundation, where she implemented a cross‐portfolio initiative to address inequality in housing, employment, and environmental opportunities in Camden, New Jersey. She also reshaped Ford’s environmental justice portfolio to focus on next-generation leadership from communities of color and the intersection of health and the environment.