Denver, Colorado  

September 12, 2023 

Zephyr Impact is pleased to announce the appointments of two highly accomplished philanthropy leaders as members to its Board of Directors: Alison Powell and Joseph Scantlebury. We are also excited to announce the appointment of Edward Sun to our Advisory Council as a Youth Advisor. 

Joe Scantlebury resides in Washington, DC, and is the President and CEO of Living Cities, a member collaborative of leading philanthropic foundations and financial institutions who work together to close racial income and wealth gaps in U.S. cities. Prior to joining Living Cities, Joe served as vice president for program strategy at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation where he led, designed, and implemented strategic programming efforts to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families. Previously Joe served as senior program officer, U.S. Program Advocacy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he led its civil rights and equity work, as well as state policy advocacy within Northeast and mid-South states. He began his advocacy work as a staff attorney at the Youth Law Center in Washington, where he litigated nationally to reduce disproportionate minority confinement and addressed conditions within the juvenile justice system. Joe received a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University, and holds a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law. 

Alison Powell resides in California and is a partner in The Bridgespan Group's San Francisco office. She leads and advises on projects for philanthropic clients, and manages Bridgespan's philanthropy research, including a multi-year initiative focused on Big Bets for Social Change. Before joining BridgeSpan, Alison worked for Mattel to ideate, develop, and launch toy product lines. She started her career at The Parthenon Group, a management consultancy where she worked on a host of strategic engagements, from motorcycle manufacturing to publishing.  Alison graduated cum laude with an AB degree in Politics from Princeton University and received her MBA from Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. 

Edward Sun is on the threshold of an exciting new chapter in his academic journey, as he embarks on his freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton School. He has been accepted into the Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences & Management, a program that combines the power of bioscience and business education. Among a group of approximately 24 students selected each year, Edward will be concentrating on Biology and Finance. With a lifelong commitment to service, Edward has created several mental health initiatives. As the past President of the Fort Wayne Mayor's Youth Engagement Council, Edward represented over 17,500 high school students. Last year, he spearheaded a mental health symposium in his local city. In total, he fundraised over $15,000 and had over 200 students from 20 high schools attend the symposium. Through Zephyr Impact, Edward is immensely eager to fund and grow mental health non-profits around the country. 

“We’re so honored and excited to welcome Alison, Joe, and Edward to Zephyr Impact to share their extensive experience in advancing philanthropic outcomes and creating powerful impact for the family offices we serve,” said Andrew Smiles, President of the Zephyr Impact Board of Directors. “With the launch of our Youth Wellbeing Fund, we seek to address the mental health crisis affecting millions of young adults in the U.S. by reaching them through our Grant Partners,” he said. 

“The work of Zephyr Impact’s Youth Wellbeing Fund illustrates the potential of collaborative philanthropy furthering our collective commitment to reach young people in underserved communities to support their overall well-being,” said Joe Scantlebury.  Alison Powell added, “Funder collaborative vehicles like Zephyr can play an important role in unlocking capital for (or to address) important social issues like addressing the youth mental health crisis in America.” 

As a collaborative philanthropy, Zephyr Impact launched its new Youth Wellbeing Fund in February 2023, to provide a council of experts and invest $1 million over three years to the Mindful Life Project (MLP) of Richmond, California.  MLP brings in-person mindfulness programming to tens of thousands of students across California through productive school partnerships.   

“Joe, Alison, and Edward bring a wealth of experience to our expanding Zephyr Impact vision,” said Andrew Smiles.  “All three of them complement the mission we have to create lasting change, capacity building, and resources that social entrepreneurs need to build powerful results for their communities,” he added.