Board of Directors

Dr. Ann Marie Kinnell is the Co-director of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Professional Development (2018-) and the director of the Nonprofit Studies program (2007-) at The University of Southern Mississippi. She has a Ph.D. in Sociology from Indiana University-Bloomington (1997). Her first foray into the nonprofit world was her dissertation which focused on counseling practices at a non-profit organization which did HIV testing where she was also the volunteer coordinator. Her current research focuses on the impact of service learning and other civic engagement programs on students and nonprofit community partners, and competition between nonprofit and for-profit organizations.  She has co-authored several case study books on nonprofit leadership including Nongovernmental Organizations: Case Studies in Leadership from Around the World, 2^nd Edition (Kendall Hunt) and Leadership Cases in Community Nonprofit Organizations, 2^nd Edition (Kendall Hunt).

Lloyd Gray is executive director of The Phil Hardin Foundation, a statewide education philanthropy based in Meridian. Before joining the Hardin Foundation in 2015,  he spent four decades as a reporter, editor and columnist for newspapers in Greenville, Biloxi and Meridian and was executive editor of the Northeast Mississippi Daily in Tupelo for 23 years. He is a native Mississippian and Millsaps College graduate.

Arthur Young, better known as “Sandy”, has served as chairperson of the Charles L. Young, Sr. Foundation since 2010.  This family foundation is based in Meridian, Mississippi and has focused its philanthropic activities in the Lauderdale County area since 2002.  Sandy worked for E.F. Young, Jr. Manufacturing Company for over two decades before retiring in 2002 from the position of International Sales Manager.  He is currently the owner and/or senior partner of multiple businesses.

Ivye L. Allen’s prior work experience includes serving as Chief Operating Officer for MDC Inc. and Director of Fellowship Programs for the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Before working in the nonprofit arena, Ivye’s early experience was in finance and marketing positions in fortune 100 corporations. Her education includes a Ph.D. in social policy from Columbia University; a M.S. in Urban Affairs from Hunter College; a M.B.A. in marketing and international business from New York University; and a bachelor’s in economics from Howard University. She serves on numerous board and advisory groups and is a member of several professional and social organizations.

Jane Clover Alexander has an immense love for her community, a strong belief in the power of giving and an enduring interest in what makes people tick.

She was tapped as president and CEO of the Community Foundation in August 2012. Since she began her tenure, the foundation has grown to $60 million in assets, with more than 250 funds –more than double its size in 2012. It also embarked on and completed an expanded vision, mission and footprint, which led to its new naming, Community Foundation for Mississippi, in November of 2017. To learn more about the work of the foundation and her story you can click here.

New public-private partnerships shepherded by the Community Foundation have seen the launch and ongoing success of the Mississippi Book Festival, remodeling and improving the Farish Street soup kitchen for Central United Methodist Church, blight remediation through Revitalize Mississippi and Action for Jackson, the renovation of Thalia Mara Hall auditorium and the new community café addressing workforce development. Most recently, the Foundation has housed the initiative between the Mississippi Governor’s Office, Mayor of the City of Jackson and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to study and identify challenges facing the Jackson Public School system, and suggest community-based solutions to address those challenges.

She currently serves on the boards of the Southeastern Council of Foundations and the Mississippi Alliance of Nonprofits and Philanthropy and is a past board member of the Rotary Club of Jackson and the Mississippi chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She is a member of the CEO Forum of SECF, was a state captain for Foundations on the Hill, and serves on SECF’s Strategic Planning, Government Relations and Program Committees. She was elected to membership in International Women’s Forum in 2017.

A former magazine editor, Jane was editor of Mississippi Magazine and founded South Magazine, about the people, places and popular culture of the region. She taught journalism at Mississippi College and worked for Communication Arts Company creative agency. Her nonprofit professional experience includes work with Easter Seals, Millsaps College and the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. She has served on the boards of the Oaks House Museum, Mississippi Symphony Orchestra and New Stage Theatre, among others.

A native of Jackson, Jane attended St. Andrews Episcopal School, Jackson Prep and Millsaps College. She earned a master’s degree in journalism with an emphasis in nonprofit public relations from the University of Mississippi. She also studied at the Else School of Management, St. John’s College, Oxford and the University of London.

Jane’s husband, Brent, is senior public policy advisor at Baker Donelson law firm, and they are the parents of twin 11-year-old girls: Elizabeth Chandler and Emily Clare. They are communicants of St. James Episcopal Church in Jackson.

The daughter of longtime community leaders and activists, Jane believes her work at the Community Foundation pays tribute to the legacy of service her parents instilled in her from the tender age of 3.

Michael Dixon received his undergraduate degree from Palm Beach Atlantic University and his Masters of Divinity at Mercer University. In 2007, Michael founded Ekklesia Hattiesburg, a non-denominational church committed to serving those in need in Hattiesburg. Michael is the former director of Extra Table and currently serves as the executive director for the Pinebelt Foundation, which has distributed over $25 million in grants. He is married to Sarah Dixon and is father to Lillian and Chapman.

Dr. Portia Ballard Espy is President and CEO of the Mississippi Urban League, Incorporated, an organization with a mission to help African Americans and others in Mississippi’s historically underserved communities to gain their highest true social parity, economic self-reliance, power, and civil rights. The MS Urban League achieves its mission via programs that focus on health, justice, jobs, education, and housing.

Dr. Espy has vast executive-level experience in manufacturing, energy, aerospace, and nonprofit sectors. She has worked as an executive in human resources management, grants management, and external affairs for several companies, including Pellerin Milnor Corporation, subsidiaries of Royal Dutch Shell plc (Shell Offshore, Inc.; Shell Chemical Company; and Shell Corporation), Entergy (Entergy Corporation and Entergy Mississippi, Inc.), and Raytheon Aerospace.

She later entered the nonprofit sector to serve as Associate Director at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Mid-South Delta Initiative, Chief Administrative Officer at the Children’s Defense Fund – Southern Regional Office, and both Director of Community Building and Executive director of the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation (now known as the Alluvial Collective). Dr. Espy was instrumental in the Winter Institute’s transition from its original home at the University of Mississippi and led the effort to establish the organization as an independent 501c3 located in Jackson, Mississippi.

Dr. Espy is a native of Franklinton, Louisiana, and a graduate of Franklinton High School. She obtained a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Jackson State University and a certificate in nonprofit management from Harvard Kennedy School in May of 2021. Dr. Espy also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and an M.B.A. from Loyola University of New Orleans.

For 20 years, Meggan Gray was an award-winning fixture in the television news industry in south Mississippi, spending the majority of that time waking up morning viewers on the anchor desk at WLOX in Biloxi and more recently at WXXV in Gulfport. Currently, Meggan is serving as the Director of Advancement for St. Patrick Catholic High School where she advocates for quality Catholic education. Meggan is a 2009 graduate of Leadership Gulf Coast and is currently serving on the executive board for St. Vincent de Paul Pharmacy in Biloxi. She has served her community by serving on various boards through the years, including Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Gulf Coast, and Junior Auxiliary of Gulfport. Meggan enjoys volunteering her time to emcee events for area nonprofits, and she occasionally takes the stage to sing for fundraisers. Meggan’s husband, John Stolarski, is a part owner and Principal Architect at Allred Stolarski Architects in Ocean Springs. Meggan and John agree their greatest accomplishment is their three children – Austin (15), Avery (13), and Aiden (8). Meggan and her family live in Gulfport and they attend St. James Catholic Church.

Sanford Johnson is an education consultant in the Mississippi Delta. He is a native Mississippian who’s spent the past 16 years working in education. His career began as a 2003 Teach for America Delta corps member, where he taught high school Social Studies in Mississippi and Arkansas. He later co-founded Mississippi First, where he served as Deputy Director for ten years.

Along with Sanford’s work in education, he’s also a member of the Mississippi Sex Education Training Cadre and is a board member for Teen Health Mississippi and Mississippi Kids Count. Sanford also chairs the Clarksdale Municipal Elections Commission. He lives in Clarksdale with his wife, Amanda, and their two daughters.

Mary Ann Plasencia is the executive director of Northeast MS Habitat for Humanity in Tupelo. She’s been with Habitat since March of 2021. She previously worked for United Way of Northeast Mississippi as Director of Community Impact and for Tupelo Public Schools as Director of Communications. She and her husband, Bruce, moved from New Orleans to Tupelo 26 years ago to raise their 3 children.

Vickie Powell is Senior Vice President of Foundations at the Mississippi Economic Council (MEC). With more than 25 years of experience in proposal development, grant writing, program management, and implementation, Vickie has built a successful career that also includes expertise in human resources, business development, and corporate affairs.

In her current role, Vickie oversees several key programs, including the Propel Education Forum of Mississippi (formerly the Public Education Forum of Mississippi) and the M.B. Swayze Foundation – Student Achievement Recognition (STAR) program. The STAR program has honored the academic achievements of outstanding high school students and teachers from over 300 public, private, and parochial schools for more than 50 years. Additionally, she manages the Mississippi Scholars and Mississippi Scholars Tech Master programs, which have recognized over 65,000 graduates across the state.

Vickie was instrumental in securing a $1 million grant for the Public Education Forum of Mississippi for the ASCENT to 55% initiative in 2021. This grant is aimed at increasing Mississippi’s attainment goal to 55% by 2030 and 60% by 2035, marking the largest grant awarded to the Forum since its founding in 1989.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications from Jackson State University and is certified by the Institute for Organization Management (IOM) through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She is also a graduate of the Aspen Institute Jackson Workforce Leadership Academy and has completed a fellowship in business leadership in education and workforce policy from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Marcus Ward is Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Alcorn State University and Executive Director of the ASU Foundation, Inc. where he successfully leads university advancement efforts including fundraising, alumni relations and government affairs on behalf of America’s oldest historically black land-grant university.

Since 2010, he and his small team have collaborated to raise over $15 Million (including the largest gift in history) in scholarships, program and operational funding for the university. Additionally, as its Legislative Liaison, Mr. Ward has helped the University realize over $50 Million in directed and bonds funding (above general funding) from the Mississippi Legislature for new facilities and capital infrastructure. He also oversaw the funding, construction and marketing of the largest football video scoreboard in the SWAC and on the campus of an HBCU.

Marcus has served as Chief of Staff for the late Mayor Frank E. Melton of the City of Jackson, Mississippi, Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks at the U.S. Department of the Interior, Special Assistant to U.S. Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott and as a Staff Assistant for U.S. Senator Thad Cochran. While in the Mayor’s Office, Ward procured over $40 Million in Federal and State earmarked appropriations and grant funding for the city.

Marcus holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science/Pre-Law from Alcorn State University and earned his Masters of Public Administration degree at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. He has also studied public policy at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.

Marcus is a Ford Foundation PPIA Fellow, an American Israel Education Foundation Fellow (AIPAC), a Kentucky Colonel and a graduate of Leadership Greater Jackson Class of 2007-2008. He is a member of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, has served on the board of the Mississippi Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals since 2014 where he is the 2018 President-Elect. Ward is a certified reserve police officer for the City of Jackson, Mississippi Police Department and is married to Erin Duffy Ward. They are members of New
Dimensions International Fellowship of Ministries