Ruth served as the Program Officer for 18 years, leading the youth, urban land and democracy strategies before becoming the ED in 2023. She guided the foundation through the 10-year strategic plan, works closely with the trustees and family, and manages the development and refinement of grant programs.  Ruth is a founder of the Funders’ Collaborative for Youth Organizing (1999), and Community Food Funders (2011).  She served on the Newton School Committee for 8 years (2014 - 2021).

James oversees finance, accounting, IT, state and federal compliance, and grants processes at MFF. He staffed the Mission Related Investment Committee as MFF deployed $1 million in impact investments aligned with the organization’s mission and grant programs. He is excited to continue this work as MFF develops a new place-based strategy in Massachusetts. In addition, James serves on the Board and Finance Committee for Philanthropy Massachusetts, contributing his expertise in financial management to the broader philanthropic community.

Cara is the Consulting Program Officer for the Massachusetts Program and also serves as the Senior Advisor for Climate at the William Penn Foundation and was their Program Officer for Public Space from 2016 - 2022.  Before joining WPF, Cara worked for the City of Philadelphia’s transportation office, where she helped launch the city’s bike share program and advanced the City’s Complete Streets and sustainability efforts. Before this, she worked at the Harvard Office for Sustainability.  Cara holds graduate degrees in city planning and environmental policy from MIT and the University of Cambridge, and an undergraduate degree in environmental science from Harvard.