Cate Fox (she/her/hers) is Director, AmbitioUS. AmbitioUS is CCI’s national pooled fund program that invests in alternative economic paradigms of and federated infrastructure by those most dispossessed—primarily African American and Native American communities—who are seeking financial self-determination in order to preserve and support their cultural identity and artistic expressions on their own terms. Prior to joining CCI, she spent nine years at the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation leading and co-leading arts and institutional grantmaking; participating in and advising interdisciplinary initiatives that center artists and creatives as change-makers (such as Envisioning Justice); and supporting the Foundation’s racial equity and racial justice work. Additionally she brings more than a decade of experience in nonprofit consulting, strategic planning, and fundraising. She has served as an advisory board member of the Center for Cultural Policy (University of Chicago), Arts for Illinois Relief Fund, and the Urban Manufacturing Alliance. Cate is a creative writer, trained mediator, mother of three, and nonprofit nerd.
Cate has an M.A. in peace and development studies from the University of Limerick (Limerick, Ireland) and a B.A. in interdisciplinary studies from Hollins University (Roanoke, VA).
Torie White
Torie is a somatic practitioner, mental health coach, and community organizer with experience moving people with wealth and class privilege to redistribute their excess resources to movements led by folks on the frontlines of systemic oppression. Building off of years of study and practice around anti-racism and uprooting white supremacy, Torie is an aspiring anti-racism facilitator, working to assist white people to transform their embodiment of white supremacy and step into collective action in solidarity with BIPOC-led movements.
Liza Mueller
Liza Mueller is the Vice President of Thought Leadership & Knowledge at Echoing Green, a global nonprofit that finds, invests in, and connects visionary social innovators advancing racial equity globally. Over her tenure, she has transformed the organization’s systems, guided strategic planning, and launched the knowledge function to leverage data and insights to deepen Echoing Green’s impact. Her team's best known work is the 2020 report Racial Equity and Philanthropy: Disparities in Funding for Leaders of Color Leave Impact on the Table. Liza believes that social change can happen only when deep trust, respect, and community voice are centered across the board — from sharing resources, to program design and implementation, to research and thought leadership. Previously, Liza’s career focused on furthering the mission of remarkable organizations, entrepreneurs, and artists. Liza holds a degree in biology from Hendrix College and was awarded a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship.
Jennelle Ramdeen
Jennelle Ramdeen (she/they) is a Black queer healing justice practitioner, social justice educator, and founder of Lavender Veil, a consulting organization stewarding healing spaces as the foundation to liberation and systemic change.
In the youth work world, they currently lead the Youth Action Institute, a youth policy research and advocacy program in NYC. Over the years, they have studied and created spaces for politicized healing using their reiki practice to transform relationships to accountability and harm. They are currently the Trauma Stewardship Facilitator at the Northwest Network. Jennelle previously served as the healing and safety committee co-chair of the New York City chapter of Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100).
Albert Kong
I build artful, poetic, provocative experiences in real life space to suggest that the way things are is not the way things need to be. My work manifests in live games, participatory theatre, installation environments, intentional community, and residential dwellings.
Maria Ta
Maria Ta currently serves as the Program Director for Ujima Company, Inc, a non-profit professional theater located in Buffalo, NY. She is a graduate of Canisius College where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Political Science. She has just started her own event and wedding planning business, Meep Time Events, in 2021 and is looking forward to growing it into a workers cooperative in the future. Maria is dedicated to sustainable practices, intentional living, and making her world as just as she can. In her free time, Maria dabbles in voice and stage acting, enjoying her role as a pup and plant mom, and puzzling into the wee hours of the morning.