We are pleased to announce the new composition of the EDGE Board of Directors:

New Co-chair

Amanda Mercedes Gigler, Director of Philanthropic Partnerships and Communications of Mama Cash, is the new co-chair of the board, taking the responsibilities from Nicolas Krausz, who leaves the position after his two years term. Nicolas played an important role in the consolidation of EDGE in Europe and will keep working with the Alliance as a Board member. Thanks, Nicolas!

Amanda  has been mobilizing resources with women’s funds since 2002 in Latin America, the US and Europe. She holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the Barcelona Institute for International Studies, as well as a BA in Comparative Literature and Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. As coordinator of the resource development programme at the Mexican women’s fund, Semillas, Amanda collaborated on the creation of a fundraising training program for small women’s organizations in Mexico. She also worked with the Central American Women’s Fund in the US and Nicaragua to raise awareness and funds to strengthen the region’s feminist and women’s movements. In 2009 Amanda co-founded Calala Women’s Fund in Barcelona and served as the fund’s first Executive Director, building a feminist donors network and developing a grantmaking programme to support migrant women’s organisations in Spain.

New Board Members

Conniel Malek, Director, True Costs Initiative

When corporations operate in ways that would be unspeakable within the borders of their origin countries, True Costs Initiative seeks to increase corporate accountability and to strengthen legal systems by driving collaboration among communities, funders, and creative leaders so that corporations internalize the true environmental and human costs of their actions. As a daughter of the Global South and the Executive Director of True Costs Initiative, Conniel brings her expertise as an attorney, a keen sense of the practical implications of business projects in the Global South as well as passion to protect people and the environment. Conniel grew up in Jamaica where she observed firsthand the juxtaposition of corporate investment and the affected environmental and social landscape. In addition to her professional legal work, she served on a variety of non-profit and professional boards and committees including the Association for Corporate Counsel, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, The Neighborhood Academy and Be A Sixth Grade Mentor. Conniel received her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in Government, with a concentration in International Relations, from Cornell University. Conniel is admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania.

Ryan Canney, Program Officer, Wellspring Advisors

Ryan joined Wellspring Advisors as a Program Officer with its Children’s Anti-Poverty Program after 15 years of organizing and campaigning on a range of issues. He recently served as a Program Director at UltraViolet where he ran cultural and digital campaigns to increase support for abortion access. Ryan also ran an experimental organizational model utilizing online and traditional grassroots organizing to tackle issues like childhood hunger and corporate tax reform. Previously, Ryan served as the deputy and interim field director for USAction (now People’s Action), as well as deputy field director at MoveOn.org where he directed nationally scaled community events on election reform, health care, and more. Ryan was trained in organizing by Midwest Academy and got his start with Citizen Action/Illinois.

Ryan recently moved from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC and received his Masters and Bachelors of Science in Political Science from Illinois State University.

Thank you Nikhil and Shalini

Two founding members of EDGE are leaving the board after years of important contributions to shaping the organization.
Nikhil Aziz, American Jewish World Service, and Shalini Nataraj, Ing Foundation, we really appreciate your dedication and we know we will keep working together for systemic change.