Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia is pleased to announce Shira Hodges as our new Director of Leadership and Advancement. In this newly-created role, Shira will be responsible for facilitating the Network’s funder groups, supporting collective action initiatives, conducting outreach to recruit new members, and identifying resources to support leadership initiatives in greater Philadelphia. She begins in her new position on February 12.
Prior to joining Philanthropy Network, Shira was a Program Director for Geneva Global, an international philanthropic consulting firm based in Paoli, PA. At Geneva Global, Shira managed a range of projects including the design, launch and scaling of work in South India for the Freedom Fund, the world’s first private multi-million-dollar fund created to fight modern day slavery. She led a strategy to combat exploitation of vulnerable girls and worked with retail brands H&M, GAP, and C&A to improve standard practices.
Shira led Geneva Global’s disaster relief efforts with the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak and the 2015 Nepal earthquake. This included developing and leading the Ebola Crisis Fund, a pooled philanthropic fund created to support rapid response efforts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. She also led Capital for Good’s Global Health Advocacy Fund which was supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Before joining Geneva Global, Shira was the interim director for Rural AIDS and Development Action Research (RADAR) in Acornhoek, South Africa. RADAR is a program of the University of Witwatersrand for clinical and social intervention research on HIV/AIDS, with emphasis on developing approaches for the rural African context. Prior to RADAR, Shira was a policy research specialist for the National Association of Community Health Centers, which serves as a network of state and local organizations that promote the provision of high-quality care for medically underserved communities. Shira has co-authored articles in national research journals and The Guardian.
Shira received her Master’s degree in Public Health with a concentration in Community-Oriented Primary Care from the George Washington University. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Public Policy from the University of Denver and was also certified in Humanitarian Leadership by Deakin University.
The new position of Director of Leadership and Advancement was created as part of an organizational realignment designed to further the goals of our 2020 Vision. Other changes to staff roles include: Theresa Jackson, Director of Learning and Knowledge Management, who will focus on increasing the quality and alignment of learning and engagement opportunities for our members, devising methods to better capture and share insights from across the Network, and supporting the Network’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work; and Amy Seasholtz, Director of Communications and Public Policy, who adds to her communications portfolio responsibility for growing the Network’s engagement on policy issues relevant to philanthropy and strengthening partnerships that expand our knowledge and impact in statewide policy efforts.