PACE is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors: Jen Algire and Lauren Woods. They commenced 3-year terms and will serve through December 2025.
Jen Algire is the President and CEO of The Greater Clark Foundation, a place-based foundation in central Kentucky. GCF invests its resources where it can have a fundamental impact on civic and economic vitality; education; and health, well-being and quality of life. Prior to joining the Foundation, she was Chief of Staff for Premier healthcare alliance (NASDAQ: PINC), the nation’s leading alliance of hospitals, health systems and providers dedicated to improving healthcare performance. Jen received her undergraduate degree in politics and women’s studies from Wake Forest University and completed graduate studies in social work, public health and business at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Queens University. She is an alumna of the German Marshall Fund’s Marshall Memorial Fellowship. In other prior roles, Jen served as the chief executive of private not-for-profit organizations, including North Carolina’s oldest privately funded community health center, as well as in senior leadership within local government. Her professional interests include community governance and civic participation, as well as the role of transparency in social capital markets.
Lauren M. Woods is a program manager for the Building Collective Power strategy at The Chicago Community Trust. In this role, she is responsible for leading grant making initiatives that support local journalism, media, and civic storytelling in the Chicago region. Lauren is an experienced civic practitioner whose work has focused on creating the conditions to deepen engagement and build capacity for citizens to be active participants of our democracy. Prior to joining the Trust, Lauren managed the district-wide Service-Learning Initiative at Chicago Public Schools and directed the Midwest educational partnership strategy for an international nonprofit, WE. As an artist and fourth generation Chicagoan, Lauren believes in the transformational power of narrative and storytelling to activate community and spark systems change.
In addition to these new members, Kara Carlisle of the McKnight Foundation was elected to a second term of service for 2023-2025. Kara Carlisle joined the McKnight Foundation in 2017 as vice president of programs. Since joining the Foundation, Carlisle has been supporting cross-program strategy and development, in particular exploring intersections across diversity, equity, and inclusion and community engagement as leverage points to drive greater impact across geographic and issue-specific areas.
The Board members holding in officer positions in 2023 are:
- Jonathan Gruber, Einhorn Collaborative as Chair
- Rodney McKenzie, Fetzer Institute as Vice Chair
- Kara Carlisle, McKnight Foundation as Secretary
- Janet Tran, Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute as Treasurer
Finally, the Board acknowledges and appreciates the following leaders that completed terms on the PACE Board at the end of 2022 after exemplary years of leadership. The Board adopted resolutions recognizing and honoring their service:
- Elizabeth Christopherson of the Rita Allen Foundation, who served for 6 years on the Board, including 4 years as Chair
- Sarah Koch of Groundworks Partners and formerly of the Case Foundation, who served for 6 years on the Board, including 3 years as Vice Chair and Secretary
- Pamela D. Lewis of Hillman Family Foundations and formerly of the New Economy Initiative at the Community Foundation for SE Michigan, who served for 5 years
- Eric Avner of the Waterloo Region Community Foundation and formerly of the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation, who served for 2 years
Chair: Jonathan Gruber, Einhorn Collaborative
Vice Chair: Rodney McKenzie, Jr., Mdiv, Fetzer Institute
Secretary: Kara Carlisle, McKnight Foundation
Treasurer: Janet Tran, Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute
Board Member: Jen Algire, Greater Clark Foundation
Board Member: Stuart Comstock-Gay, Delaware Community Foundation
Board Member: Jason Garrett, Ford Foundation
Board Member: Brad Rourke, Charles F. Kettering Foundation
Board Member: Vanessa Tucker, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Board Member: Lauren Woods, Chicago Community Trust