Staff Stories

NEW YORK – The Nathan Cummings Foundation (NCF) is pleased to announce that Leticia Peguero will join the Foundation as Vice President of Programs. Leticia brings more than 20 years of experience leading and managing programs and grantmaking at the intersections of social and racial justice and the arts. In her new role, she joins the Foundation’s leadership team as it revisits traditional structures and practices in philanthropy in support of greater impact and positive changemaking in communities.

As Vice President of Programs, she will develop strategies grounded in principles of social justice philanthropy that are nimble, responsive, and reflective of the integrated and complex nature of social change. She will be a critical partner to the CEO and the board in achieving NCF’s vision of a best-in-class social justice philanthropy that is integrated and intersectional in its approaches and fully aligned in its culture, operations, and systems.

In her current role as Executive Director of the Andrus Family Fund (AFF), she is at the forefront of the national conversation around youth justice reform and narrative change surrounding young people of color. Under her leadership, the AFF and the Surdna Foundation developed innovative tools and curricula to effectively engage next generation family philanthropists in meaningful conversations and experiences related to race, class, and privilege.

“In this moment, philanthropy needs bold, creative leaders like Leticia who are willing to push beyond the status quo and galvanize support around a vision of justice. Her leadership in building a field of next generation social justice philanthropy is a perfect complement to a multigenerational family foundation like ours, which is deeply rooted in social justice values,” said Sharon Alpert, President and CEO of the Foundation. “I can think of no better partner for us in further developing innovative program strategies, ensuring a strong culture of equity, learning and accountability that will increase our impact. We are absolutely thrilled to have her join our leadership team.”

Before joining AFF, Leticia was the Regional Vice President at the Posse Foundation, where she managed Posse sites in Los Angeles, Boston and New Orleans, in addition to establishing its newest location at the time in Houston, Texas. Prior to her role at Posse, Leticia spent five years as Deputy Director of the Local Funding Partnerships program, one of the hallmark programs of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, where she developed strategy and worked to identify and support innovative program models that serve vulnerable populations.

Outside of her professional role, Leticia works closely with a Latinx run arts organization, Areytos Performance Works, which fuses Afro-Caribbean dance forms with contemporary dance and exemplifies the power of the arts as a tool for advancing social justice, particularly for those whose voices have been dampened by oppression and structural racism.

“Now more than ever, leaders in philanthropy must embrace participatory practices that both speak to communities’ needs and build on the strengths of historically underrepresented communities,” said Peguero. “I am very excited to join the Nathan Cummings Foundation, their risk-taking and innovative team to ensure our social and racial justice programming is well-rooted in a deep understanding of the history and the untold stories of the communities we serve.”

Leticia is a 2008 National Urban Fellow, one of the country’s top leadership development programs. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fordham University and graduated with honors from the Marxe School of Public Affairs with a Master of Public Administration.

Rooted in the Jewish tradition of social justice, the Nathan Cummings Foundation is committed to creating a more just, vibrant, sustainable and democratic society. The Foundation focuses on finding solutions to the two most challenging problems of our time – the climate crisis and growing inequality – and aims to transform the systems and mindsets that hinder progress toward a more sustainable and equitable future for all people, particularly women and people of color. Leveraging a nearly half-billion-dollar endowment, which it has committed 100 percent of to investing that aligns with its mission, the Foundation has awarded nearly $500 million in grants over the last 27 years to support social movements, organizations and individuals pursuing justice for people and the planet.