Carra Cote-Ackah

Carra Cote-Ackah is head of Philanthropy Engagement and Legacy Planning for the Goldman Sachs Family Office. In this role, she partners across the business to implement and execute a holistic philanthropy strategy for clients and a customized education advisory program to support multigenerational legacy and stewardship. Carra joined Goldman Sachs as a managing director in 2022.

Prior to joining the firm, Carra concentrated on family enterprises and systems, including bespoke consulting and multi-year partnerships with ultra-high-net-worth families; global philanthropy, volunteerism, and sustainability/responsibility programs for Vanguard; and strategic partnerships spanning nonprofit agencies, family-owned businesses, and the public sector.

Carra currently serves as a senior fellow at the Center for High Impact Philanthropy, where she teaches and provides ongoing guidance to donors and impact investors. She is also a member of and recently served as chapter chair for the Philadelphia Chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), as well as a member of the Chief Executives Organization, which is reserved for distinguished YPO leaders. She is an active third-generation member within her family business and recently completed her 20-year tenure with the Surdna Foundation, as a fifth-generation member of one of the oldest and largest family foundations in the US.

Carra earned dual BS degrees, summa cum laude, in Psychology and Child Development from Vanderbilt University, an MA specializing in Public Policy and Racial Inequality from Duke University, and an MBA in Management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.