Dear LIFT Community,
We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Gina Coburn as LIFT’s national board chairwoman. Gina has been a longtime LIFTer, serving in critical board leadership roles over the past several years; Gina led LIFT’s strategic planning process and more recently, chaired the CEO search committee. She succeeds Steve Rotella as board chair, ushering in LIFT’s next phase of transformative service to families living in poverty.
“I am honored to become LIFT’s board chair at a time when its leadership, vision, and programming is in such a position of strength. We will continue to push for scale and measurable impact as we refine and expand direct services that improve the financial security of families. Building on 20 years of experience and learning, LIFT will continue to lend a meaningful voice and work with partner organizations in the fight to end poverty.
My husband and I both come from families of clergy that instilled in us a heightened sense of the importance of community and service and we strive to pass that on to our children. As a mother of three, LIFT’s intergenerational strategy is at the heart of my commitment to and passion for the work.
My experiences both in the business world and as the daughter of an immigrant reinforce my belief in a model that empowers individuals and provides a network of support and resources to those striving for what might otherwise be unattainable goals.
My father and his nine siblings grew up in a rural farming village in the Philippines with very limited means but, with strong faith and work ethic, all became college-educated professionals, my father as a successful surgeon in the U.S. My grandparents had missionaries who guided them to set priorities around education and instill in their children hope for a brighter future. LIFT fosters that same spirit of growth and possibility in its parents every day.”
Gina’s extensive leadership experience includes co-founding True North Acres, serving as senior advisor to Global Philanthropy Group, and serving on the boards of Capital Partners for Education and St. Albans School. She was formerly vice president of Equity Capital Markets for Deutsche Bank and prior to that, director of corporate development at a startup focused on the self-improvement market.
She received a Bachelor’s degree in Politics and Economics from Princeton University and a MBA from Harvard Business School and currently lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and three children. You can learn more about Gina’s outstanding qualifications by reading her full bio on our website.
Please join me not only in celebrating Gina’s appointment, but also in thanking Steve Rotella for his years of exceptional leadership as chairman of LIFT’s national board. Gina is already a proven champion for families, and we look forward to sharing more of the incredible work taking place at LIFT under her guidance in the weeks and months to come.
Michelle Rhone-Collins
Chief Executive Officer
LIFT