University of Pittsburgh
GSPIA’s Philanthropy Forum Presents:
Tonya Allen
President and CEO of the Skillman Foundation
In places like Pittsburgh and Detroit, there is a new philanthropic practice afoot to match these changing urban circumstances. Foundations are no longer relegating themselves to the role of grantmakers; they are actively embracing the complexity of place and becoming changemakers. Yet, effective changemaking requires a unique set of skills and dispositions that must be interrogated and named if these new philanthropic practices are to grow, thrive and accelerate the transformation of cities.
Drawing from her experience in Detroit, Allen will share her thoughts on the importance of inclusive and embedded leadership, and its potential to maximize and expedite impact through connectional intelligence, the ability to combine diverse people, networks, disciplines and resources for break through results; restorative narratives, the weaving of stories and actions that bring cities together and inspire universal hope; and a generational opus, a choreographed investment in children and youth to accelerate the next wave of leaders and ideas"
About the Speaker:
Dr. Tonya Allen, serial “idea-preneur”, and President & CEO of the Skillman Foundation, has led the foundation’s grant making toward a whole neighborhood approach, aligning the complexities of education reform, urban revitalization and public policy to improve the well-being of Detroit’s children. The Skillman Foundation is embedded in the Detroit community, providing an exemplary model of more inclusive impact investing that brings people and ideas together. In her lecture, Allen will detail this leadership framework and discuss the foundation’s latest collaboration with public, private and non-profit entities to ensure equitable restoration of the city. She will share how the foundation seeks to dismantle inequity and fuel innovative partnerships that nurture a thriving ecosystem for children’s success.