CINCINNATI, OH — StriveTogether welcomes two new board members who bring extensive experience and expertise in championing social justice and advancing inclusive economic development. James Bell, founding president of the W. Haywood Burns Institute, and Tony Pipa, a senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development program at the Brookings Institution, join the board in January.

“StriveTogether is working to address some of the greatest challenges facing children and families right now. The Board has a responsibility to ensure that we support StriveTogether with strategic guidance and diverse perspectives. James and Tony will be vital contributors as the organization works toward our 2023 goals,” said Nancy L. Zimpher, president of the StriveTogether board of directors and former chancellor for the State University of New York.

“James and Tony have led initiatives that have resulted in significant impact for children and families across our country. They are amazing additions to our board of directors as we continue to advance equity for every child to have every chance to succeed,” said StriveTogether CEO Jennifer Blatz.

The Burns Institute has worked in over 200 counties in 23 states to engage justice stakeholders and communities to build equity in the administration of justice. Bell has extensive experience in the international justice arena. He assisted the African National Congress in the administration of the juvenile justice system in South Africa and consulted with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. Most recently, he spent time in Holland and England, where he advised on emerging issues of racial, ethnic and religious minorities being over-represented in the justice system.

He has trained and addressed thousands of human services professionals and community members on race, ancestry and inclusion as a necessary and vital component of the safety of all communities. He has authored sections of published anthologies on school discipline, youth justice history and health. Bell attended the California State Polytechnic University and Hastings College of Law.

Pipa has almost three decades of leadership in the philanthropic and public sectors addressing poverty and advancing inclusive economic development. During the Obama administration, he held several positions at USAID, including chief strategy officer and deputy assistant to the administrator of policy. He also served as a special envoy to the UN at the U.S. Department of State.

At the Brookings Institution, Pipa is working with communities that are adapting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for local use, applying goals and metrics to accelerate social progress. He has led the NGO Leaders Forum at Harvard University and was the founding CEO of the Warner Foundation, where he chaired several funder collaboratives to advance social and economic justice in North Carolina. He helped launch Foundation for Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and assisted funders and organizations working in rural Mississippi and Louisiana to ensure an equitable recovery. He attended Stanford University, Duke University and the Harvard Kennedy School.