Berit Ashla serves as Vice President at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. Based in San Francisco, Berit leads RPA’s West Coast advisory work, manages client engagements and works with a range of individual, family and corporate donors. She brings a wealth of experience in grant-making, foundation governance, education, social justice, arts and sustainability. She is a frequent contributor to national and regional philanthropic conferences and events and participates in many donor networks.  Berit’s nonprofit career spans over two decades working with public, private and community foundations.

 

As a Program Officer and Senior Director at Tides, she led donor engagement and program development activities. She also managed the Threshold Foundation, a membership philanthropy. She served as Executive Director of the David Brower Center, an innovative arts and sustainability center and she was a Philanthropic Director of Foundation Source leading advisory services in the West. Earlier in her career, she worked at the Marin Community Foundation, KQED Public Television and the United Nations Environment Program in Paris, France.

 

Berit has a B.A. from Amherst College and serves on the boards of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the Abundance Foundation, Nia Community Fund, and Mal Warwick/Donor Digital, a for benefit corporation (B corp).  She was proud to serve on the Schott Foundation for Public Education when it transitioned from being a family foundation to being a public charity with innovative funding partners. 

 

Berit won her first half marathon at 11 years of age and served as the team captain of her cross country and track teams in high school and college. She continues to believe in the value of sport and service to create opportunities for diverse communities to work together towards innovative solutions or team wins.