Russell Philanthropies welcomes Robin Powell Mandjes as its newest partner, rounding out a recent hiring effort to expand its senior leadership team.

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“Robin understands that all nonprofits today must think more expansively about the larger ecosystem,” said Richard Russell, founder of Russell Philanthropies. “They have to build ways of working that establish collaboration, consensus, and impactful action with diverse sets of stakeholders, internally and externally. Robin brings real depth of experience to our clients in helping them successfully navigate this dynamic.”

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Robin served as Founding Executive Director with EMBRACE BOSTON, a privately funded public art project in partnership with the City of Boston. There she successfully led the development of a memorial to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King’s legacy or the City of Boston. Under Robin’s leadership, the effort raised more than $5M, selected the artist team from an exceptional pool, and authentically collaborated with philanthropists, corporations, foundations, higher education institutions, and the Office of the Mayor.

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In addition to her expertise marrying constituency development with fundraising, Robin is also a sought-after advisor for nonprofits and foundations eager to harness the power and support of their boards. With a deep background in board development, refinement, and governance, she offers trusted counsel to Russell Philanthropies clients – and has served on numerous boards herself, including as a director of the Netherlands-based ICCO Cooperation and as a trustee of Williams College. 

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“I have a unique perspective on what a successful and productive board-nonprofit partnership should look like,” said Powell Mandjes. “I’ve served on boards for more than two decades so I understand what board members want to see from organizations and their leadership. I’ve also worked with many nonprofits to create a high-impact approach to board development and institute best-practice governance models. 

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I’m so excited and energized to do this with Russell Philanthropies clients in my new role as partner.”

Robin is currently a director of The Community Builders, Inc., a nonprofit developer and manager of affordable housing and a trustee of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. In her previous professional life, she worked in external constituency development at AT&T Broadband and in financial services in New York and Boston.

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Robin has a BA degree in English from Williams College and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

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