The board and staff of the Babcock Foundation are thrilled to introduce you to five new staff members who joined our team this year. With a broad range of expertise and skills, these folks will help MRBF deepen our mission across the South. Their strong alignment with the Foundation’s vision, values and commitments will help our team build a culture that is warm, convivial and focused, even as MRBF has transitioned to a fully remote workplace.
Program Staff
Network officer Kiara Boone manages Foundation relationships and grant portfolios in Alabama and Georgia. Before joining MRBF, Kiara served as deputy director of community education at the Equal Justice Initiative, where she contributed research and design for EJI’s educational materials, including exhibits for the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. Additionally, she led a team to support community members across the country in memorializing documented victims of racial violence and fostering meaningful dialogue about race and justice as part of EJI’s Community Remembrance Project. Prior to EJI, Kiara served as a fellow for the Jessie Ball du Pont Fund and the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network. Kiara holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Davidson College and a nonprofit executive management certificate from Georgetown University. She enjoys reading, traveling and spending time with family and friends.
Senior network officer Tania Durán manages relationships and grant portfolios in North and South Carolina. She comes to MRBF from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, where she served as a senior program officer, co-leading the State-Level Systemic Change Strategy, the Promoting Social and Economic Justice portfolio, and racial and gender equity work. Before joining ZSR, Tania was the North Carolina program manager for Hispanics in Philanthropy and coordinated the North Carolina Funders’ Collaborative for Strong Latino Communities. Previously, Tania worked as the director of youth programs at El Pueblo, where she helped develop youth leadership, engage youth in effective community organizing, and build leaders’ capacity to engage in intergenerational work. Tania also served as a community organizer with NC WARN, focusing on climate, environmental and energy justice issues. She has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Centroamericana “Jose Simeon Cañas” in El Salvador, and a master's in Politics of Alternative Development, with a focus on decolonial approaches and movement building, from the International Institute of Social Studies at the Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands. She also has an international certificate in popular education methodologies. In her spare time, Tania enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and dancing.
Administrative Staff
Executive assistant Kiona Carrington coordinates meetings and events, and supports her program team colleagues with logistics. Kiona comes to MRBF from Young Mothers, Inc. in Washington, DC, as an administrative assistant. She also has provided administrative support in several healthcare environments, from dermatology to dentistry. A native of Prince George’s County, Maryland, Kiona enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling, volunteering at local organizations and trying new restaurants.
With more than a decade of experience in operations and project management, executive assistant Amy Easter supports the Foundation’s operations and human resources functions. She lives in North Carolina where she has co-founded several nonprofits focused on leveraging bicycling to promote healthy lifestyles and foster communities that are connected, sustainable and thriving. She’s passionate about sustainability, placemaking, civic engagement and social justice. A lifelong learner, Amy loves reading, watching documentaries and visiting museums. When she’s not biking around town, she enjoys going on multi-day “bikepacking” trips with friends. She also enjoys hiking and cooking foods from around the world.
Executive assistant Alyssa Fuentes helps manage a dynamic virtual working environment, scheduling meetings and events and supporting the board of directors and management team with logistics and more. Before joining the Foundation, Alyssa served as executive assistant for strategic communications at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She also worked as the marketing manager at the Graylyn Estate International Conference Center and Hotel. Alyssa received her Bachelor of Arts in Not-for-Profit Management, Arts Management and International Relations from Salem College. In her spare time, Alyssa enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, baking and volunteering in her community. She also serves on the board of the Dream Center of Forsyth County.
Please join us in welcoming Alyssa, Amy, Kiara, Kiona and Tania! And stay tuned for an announcement later this year about our next CEO who will guide the Foundation into its next chapter.
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