Marcia Coné

For nearly three decades, Marcia has worked in partnership with NGOs, Philanthropy, PSOs, and Grassroots and Grasstops leaders to shift the paradigm and create cultures where intersectional equity is at the center. She brings a depth and breadth of experience that fuels her passion for moving the philanthropic sector away from a traditional framework towards bold philanthropy that is a catalyst for change.

Marcia served as the Chief Strategist for the Women’s Funding Network and the Change Strategist for Advancing Workplace Excellence. The founding CEO of the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island, her leadership galvanized action to advance women and girls representation, rights, and economic equity through cross sector partnerships, community and constituent engagement, and strategic investments.

Marcia holds a PhD and MSW from Boston College’s School of Social Work. Her past academic leadership includes serving as full-time, interim, and adjunct faculty at several colleges and universities across the country. A published writer, Marcia’s most recent publication is entitled, “Permission Granted: Changing the Paradigm for Women in Leadership”. She is a frequent keynote speaker at major philanthropy conferences engaging audiences to think differently and commit to taking action, previously speaking at Philanthropy Ohio, Long Island AFP, AFP International, Women Funded, and more.

Leading dynamic peer learning communities has been a critical piece of Marcia’s work. She knows first-hand the synergy and transformation that occurs in communities of practice when equity is placed at the center of the work and inquiry, reflection, and innovation are cultivated. In her role with EEI, she is developing a robust ecosystem of organizations and individuals containing multiple spaces and modalities to help partners interrogate and evolve their evaluation practices, promote shared inquiry and learning, catalyze cross-sector thought leadership, and contribute to field-building.