June 25, 2020 – Phoenix, AZ

After an extensive executive search process led by Morris & Berger, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust selected Stacey Easterling as its Vice President of Programs.

Easterling is an accomplished and skilled expert in place-based grantmaking. Colleagues and former employers consistently comment about her extraordinary ability to understand and build on a community’s strengths—she places great value on how local wisdom can inform grantmaking and the design of new solutions and initiatives. Her philanthropic and community-based leadership experience spans national, state, and local levels and she has a deep expertise in the areas of health and aging. She received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University and her master’s in public health from the University of Michigan.

“Stacey brings a depth of experience in community building and cross-sector philanthropic partnerships,” said Mary Jane Rynd, president and CEO of Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust. “Her expertise and innate ability to turn complex problems and community need into promising, effective outcomes will be transformational for Piper Trust as we enter this next decade,” said Rynd.

Most recently, Easterling served as the Vice President of Programs for the Missouri Foundation for Health where she directed strategic and operational leadership for grantmaking. Prior positions include serving as the Director of Community Responsive Grantmaking for the Cleveland Foundation where she led work in the areas of health, social services, education, arts and culture, economic development, and the environment. She also served as Program Executive for The Atlantic Philanthropies in New York City. Easterling’s portfolio of accomplishments is extensive; some examples include:

1. • Management of a $35 million grants portfolio for The Atlantic Philanthropies as a member of the U.S. Aging Program; this encompassed connecting economic security, older adult engagement (focused on volunteerism and lifelong learning), and needs of older adults in communities of color. Further, as a Fellow for Encore.org, she helped design an intergenerational campaign that connects the talents of older adults to the lives of vulnerable children and youth.
2. • Creation of the Diverse Elders Coalition, a coalition of national organizations supporting elders of color. The National Hispanic Council on Aging, the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging, and the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging were partners in this coalition that established an unprecedented collective advocacy voice on federal policy.
3. • Design and implementation of Missouri Foundation for Health’s three-year $30 million responsive grants program to support progressive approaches to improve regional health.

As Vice President of Programs, Easterling will provide intellectual leadership on Piper Trust’s program architecture and grants portfolio. Easterling began her tenure with Piper Trust on May 28, 2020.