Program Officers Kathy Partridge and Leah Pryor-Lease to support Voqal Fund efforts.
Longmont, Colo. — August 27, 2014 — Voqal Fund, an initiative of Voqal that is dedicated to progressive social change has recently added two new staff members. Kathy Partridge joins Voqal Fund from Interfaith Funders and will serve as senior program officer, while Leah Pryor-Lease, most recently at the Gill Foundation, will serve as program officer.
“I’m excited to welcome Kathy and Leah to Voqal. They are both much-needed, committed, enthusiastic additions to our team,” said John Schwartz, Voqal president.
Serving for nearly a decade as executive director of Interfaith Funders, a network of faith-based and secular grant-makers working to strengthen democracy and justice, Partridge led an active funder collaborative to advance movements for social change and build the field of philanthropy. Previously, she worked for 11 years as a program officer at The Needmor Fund, making grants to empower grassroots groups to create a more equitable and just society, with a focus on the U.S. South. Partridge brings to Voqal Fund extensive background in grant-making to support media, online and on-the-ground organizing and civic engagement.
Pryor-Lease most recently served for three years as Strategic Partnerships Officer at the Gill Foundation. In that capacity, she identified and strengthened partnerships with individual donors, nonprofit organizations, foundations and others to increase funding for local, national and international equality work. Previously, Pryor-Lease served as Director of School Partnerships in New York for Peace First, an organization that empowers young people with skills and tools to transform their communities into more peaceful and just places. Pryor-Lease also served in various roles for the New York City Department of Education, where she fostered a variety of community collaborations to bring much-needed resources to a network of 167 often-strapped local schools.
About Voqal
Voqal is a collaboration of five nonprofit organizations that work to advance social equity by supporting nonprofit organizations and individuals that use technology and media to build an educated, empowered and engaged public. Voqal provides grants, fellowships, affordable mobile Internet, educational content and wireless spectrum advocacy.