Karen D. Ancillai (Chairman)

Karen Ancillai is Chief of Staff and Chief Development Officer for Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance, Inc. (ORRAA) where she is responsible for fundraising and managing ORRAA’s Board of Directors. She formerly led Ancillai Solutions LLC, a consulting practice based in Washington, DC, providing strategic advice, and board and fundraising support to nonprofit organizations doing groundbreaking work to make the ocean more resilient, advance democracy around the world, educate the next generation of world leaders, protect biological diversity, and promote equity and justice in public safety.

From 2011-2017, Ms. Ancillai was a Senior Director in Philanthropic Partnerships at The Pew Charitable Trusts in Washington, DC. She led comprehensive planning projects and secured Board of Directors’ approval for two consecutive multi-year strategic plans for fundraising; designed the organizational structure and recruited, hired, and trained staff to increase capacity for fundraising by 260% over six years; and stewarded the growth of Pew’s donor-advised fund portfolio by 200%.

Previously, Ms. Ancillai spent eight years in the Office of Development and Alumni Relations at the School of Business at The George Washington University in progressively more senior roles, culminating with Executive Director. She reimagined the Board of Advisors following the completion of a capital campaign and created the first-ever advisory board to the real estate research center, resulting in a 36% increase in revenue.

Ms. Ancillai holds a BA in political communication with a journalism minor from The George Washington University, and a MEd from Northeastern University in Boston. She lives with her family in Washington, DC.