A New Chapter: Black Funders Network of the Bay Area Welcomes Chantel Walker as Managing Director

The Black Funders Network of the Bay Area (BFN) is pleased to announce Chantel Walker as its new Managing Director, effective March 2025. This strategic leadership transition marks a milestone for BFN as it continues to advance its mission of fostering community in the philanthropic sector for Black professionals while aligning funders to support Black communities in the Bay Area.

Chantel Walker brings a wealth of experience and a distinguished career spanning philanthropy, government, and the non-profit sector. As Managing Director, she will provide strategic leadership, drive organizational growth, and enhance BFN's impact through collaborative partnerships and innovative initiatives.

Biographical Sketch - Chantel Walker

Chantel Walker is the managing director of a philanthropic organization and CEO of the consulting firm CWISER Ventures. She is a Town Council Member in San Anselmo, California, an experienced executive leader, and a dedicated community volunteer. She has learned to listen to lead, solve problems, and build relationships that cultivate excellence while supporting durable organizational change and strong governance. Her experience in government, philanthropy, and nonprofits includes serving as a national and local grantmaker, library executive leader, human resources division head, community development division director, housing development technical assistance provider, and board advisor, director, and founder. She is fluent in Spanish and an experienced convener and facilitator. She has published and presented on topics including library services and racial equity, early childhood education and community development, community organizing, and the role of philanthropy, as well as community-led finance and development. Chantel has a deep ability to listen and facilitate conversations that help solve problems, plan, and implement action. She is a skilled communicator with a track record of effectively reaching stakeholders from diverse regions, backgrounds, and political perspectives.

She is the immediate past Assistant Director of County Library Services at the Marin County Free Library (MCFL), where she focused on technology, finance, human resources, capital projects, strategic planning, fund development, and partnerships with community organizations. Chantel is the co-creator of California’s Libraries Cultivating Racial Equity and Inclusion (CREI) initiative and its lead implementer, an effort designed to build a statewide network of libraries and library staff committed to racial equity and inclusion. Before her role at MCFL, Chantel led the County of Marin’s Organizational Development and Learning Division within the Department of Human Resources. She and her team delivered organizational development and change services, employee training programs, and engagement initiatives. She was a primary architect of the County of Marin 2015-2020 Five-Year Plan, fostering a culture of learning, performance excellence, inclusion, and staff engagement. Her leadership extended to designing the countywide cultural competence and equity training program, shaping an evidence-driven approach to workplace inclusion. Before her work at the County of Marin, Chantel worked in philanthropy at both the local and national levels as a program officer, program director, and vice president at the Miriam and Peter Haas Fund, Marin Community Foundation, and Casey Foundation.

She has received community and professional honors, highlighting the impact of her work. She is an American Library Association Spectrum Scholar and was recently inducted into the Marin Women’s Hall of Fame. These accolades are profound honors for Chantel and her family. Chantel remains an active and dedicated volunteer. She is the President of Wednesday Morning Dialogue and President of the Marin County Library Foundation. She also helped establish the Marin Environmental Housing Coalition and the Marin Promise Partnership as a founding board member of both organizations. More broadly, she is the past Chair of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, Children’s Creativity Museum, Women’s Foundation of California, and the Marin Forum. She is also a past member of the State Bar of California Board of Governors and the Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE).

Gratitude to Kathleen Harris for Interim Support

The Black Funders Network of the Bay Area expresses gratitude to Kathleen Harris for her service as Interim Managing Director from May 2024 to March 2025. Kathleen's dedication and leadership helped the network's continuity and strategic sustainability during the transitional period.

About the Black Funders Network of the Bay Area

The Black Funders Network of the Bay Area is the only space in the Bay Area for Black philanthropic professionals to connect. Priorities:

1. Create safe, supportive, Black positive, (Re) energizing spaces for Black philanthropic professionals

2. Serve as strong advocates in philanthropy for Black communities

3. Support Black professional talent to enter and advance in the field of philanthropy

4. Align Black funders and accomplices to maximize resource support of Black Led Organizations (BLOs) and strengthen the capacity of BLOS.