Gemma Bull
Director
Modern Grantmaking
Gemma Bull was Funding Strategy Director for the UK's largest community funder, which awards £600 million annually. Her responsibilities included leading hundreds of people and driving a redesign of the whole organization’s grantmaking. Previously she was a Managing Director at Leonard Cheshire Disability and Head of Innovation at Save the Children. She now specializes in supporting organizations to innovate, improve and collaborate.
Shaady Salehi
Executive Director
Trust-Based Philanthropy Project
Shaady Salehi is a strategist, facilitator, and network builder who has dedicated nearly two decades working at the intersection of narrative and social change. From 2018-2020, she collaborated closely with the founders of the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project to conceptualize and launch the initiative, and now serves as its executive director. Prior to the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, Shaady held many roles across the nonprofit sector, which contributed to her deep understanding of the many challenges and opportunities facing social change organizations. In 2017, she launched a social impact consultancy, Skyview Strategies, dedicated to providing strategic communications consulting for visionary changemakers. She also worked as a senior brand strategist with Mission Minded, where she helped organizations clarify their values, branding, and messaging in support of their vision for change. From 2015-2017, she served as Managing Director of Distribution and Impact at ITVS, where she led a team to advance the reach and impact of documentaries on public television. Shaady holds an M.S. in Strategic Communications from Columbia University, an M.A. in Anthropology from UC Davis, and a B.A. in Anthropology from Oberlin College.
Steve Aponte
Vice President of Product & Strategy
Foundation Source
As Vice President of Product & Strategy, Steve Aponte works closely with the CEO, board of directors, and key stakeholders to drive the company’s product strategy, build product roadmaps, and prioritize impactful initiatives for customers, philanthropic enterprises, and the company. Prior to joining Foundation Source, Mr. Aponte’s career spanned 20+ years in product management for a number of technology companies, including Resideo Technologies, Inc. (formerly a Honeywell division) as Global Head of Software Product Management & Innovation; Valiant Solutions as Vice President and Head of Product; Altice USA (formerly Cablevision Systems Corp.) as Director of Product Management; Intelligent Product Solutions as General Manager and Head of Product; and others. Mr. Aponte graduated with a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School and holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems from SUNY Empire State College.