New York Women’s Foundation names Tamara Toles O’Laughlin as next CEO

The New York Women’s Foundation has chosen Tamara Toles O’Laughlin to lead the organization starting at the beginning of the new year, as it approaches its 40th anniversary. She will succeed Ana L. Oliveira after more than 20 years and take over during a pivotal moment for women and gender-expansive communities in New York and beyond.

Why it matters: - Tamara Toles O’Laughlin will lead The New York Women’s Foundation as the organization marks its 40th anniversary. - The leadership change comes as the foundation continues funding work on economic justice, health and bodily autonomy, civic engagement and other issues affecting women and gender-expansive people. - The transition follows more than two decades of leadership by Ana L. Oliveira, whose tenure expanded the foundation’s scale and reach.

What happened: - The New York Women’s Foundation named Tamara Toles O’Laughlin as its next president and chief executive officer. - Toles O’Laughlin will start at the beginning of the new year. - Ana L. Oliveira will step down after more than 20 years as president and CEO. - Board Co-Chairs Mary Baglivo and Tanya Odom announced the selection.

The details: - Toles O’Laughlin is currently president and CEO of the Environmental Grantmakers Association, a network of more than 200 foundations globally. - The Environmental Grantmakers Association represents foundations holding about $200 billion in assets and granting more than $2.95 billion annually to environmental causes. - Toles O’Laughlin has led the association for more than five years. - She founded Climate Critical, a global support network focused on burnout in the environmental workforce. - Her previous roles include North America director at 350.org and 350 Action and executive director of the Maryland Environmental Health Network. - She also helped found the Maryland Campaign for Environmental Human Rights. - Toles O’Laughlin serves as a senior advisor to initiatives including Green Leadership Trust, Climate Refugees and Friends of the Earth Action. - She is also a foundation and institutional trustee. - Toles O’Laughlin is a Brooklyn native with multiple advanced degrees in law, energy and environment. - Her background includes leading fundraising organizations, advising foundation presidents and trustees, and chairing the Good Trouble Fund at Ben & Jerry’s Foundation. - During Oliveira’s tenure, annual grantmaking grew from $1.7 million to more than $10 million. - The foundation increased support for underfunded movements, including disability justice and LGBTQIA communities.

Between the lines: - The board’s message centers on community-led philanthropy, with leaders saying Toles O’Laughlin understands that communities know what they need. - Toles O’Laughlin has argued that siloed problem-solving limits change and that effective work requires attention to class, gender and race together. - Oliveira’s comments suggest continuity rather than a reset, with an emphasis on keeping women and gender-expansive leaders at the center of grantmaking. - The appointment signals that The New York Women’s Foundation wants a leader with both movement experience and philanthropy expertise.

What’s next: - Toles O’Laughlin will assume the role as the new year begins. - The foundation is expected to carry its current grantmaking model into its 40th anniversary year. - The leadership transition will likely shape how the foundation approaches its next phase of funding and advocacy.

The bottom line: - The New York Women’s Foundation is handing the reins to a leader steeped in environmental justice, philanthropy and community-based organizing at a moment when its influence is growing.