Meyer welcomes Leni Dworkis and Sapna Pandya, MPH to its Community Partnerships & Strategy team!

In a message to our community and grantee partners earlier this year, Meyer President and CEO Dr. George L. Askew (he/him) shared the Foundation’s aim to grow and strengthen the team to better support our grantee partners and their critical work. Today, we’re thrilled to announce the hiring of our two newest staff members joining our Community Partnerships & Strategy team, dedicated to stewarding relationships with our partners and the development of our grantmaking and programs. Leni Dworkis (they/them) will join the Foundation as Director for Maryland Partnerships & Strategy, effective December 16, and Sapna Pandya, MPH (she/her) will join the Foundation as Director for DC Partnerships & Strategy, effective January 1.

Read on to learn more about the newest members of our team!

Leni Dworkis (they/them), Director for Maryland Partnerships & Strategy

Leni Dworkis has nearly a decade of programmatic experience across the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. In their most recent role as the Director of Programs and Operations at Philanthropy DMV (formerly Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers), they were responsible for developing both forward-facing programs and events, as well as internal strategy and practice.

Prior to Philanthropy DMV, Leni was the program manager at the Weissberg Foundation, where they supported grantmaking strategies and grantee partners aligned with advancing social and racial justice. They hold both their master’s and bachelor’s degrees in sociology from the George Washington University.

Outside of work, Leni spends their time reminiscing about rugby, putting on make-up just to take it off, powerlifting, ordering too much take-out, and snuggling their cat, Arya.

Sapna Pandya, MPH (she/her), Director for DC Partnerships & Strategy

Sapna Pandya is a queer South Asian organizer, advocate, and strategist. Over the past 20 years, Sapna has held leadership roles at organizations in the US and abroad, primarily focused on immigrant justice and public health. She holds her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the George Washington University.

In 2010, Sapna incorporated the multi-racial immigrant justice nonprofit organization Many Languages One Voice (MLOV) in her natal Washington, DC. MLOV was established to build power with and for DC-based immigrants who don’t speak English as their dominant language towards greater health, education, and workplace equity.

Sapna has been recognized multiple times as a leader in the areas of language justice and LGBTQ rights and has supported organizations towards anti-bias systems change work through her company, Chingaree Consulting, LLC. She is also actively using her experience as a pluralist pandita (religious scholar) to advocate for an end to caste apartheid and Islamophobia.

She speaks Hindi/Urdu, Gujarati, Spanish, and English. Sapna enjoys trying her hand at new recipes, spending time outdoors exploring DC’s gorgeous parks and incredible food offerings with her wife and daughter, taking in live music and dance, and snuggling at home with their puppy, Rosy.

---

Please join the Meyer Foundation’s board and staff in welcoming Leni and Sapna to our team. Following the appointment of Jaqueline N. Tucker, Esq. (she/her) as Vice President for Community Partnerships & Strategy in August, Leni and Sapna round out our Community Partnerships & Strategy Team.

“I’m excited to be leading this diverse team in deepening transformational relationships with our partners as Meyer evolves in the pursuit of our vision,” says Jaqueline.

Our growing team looks forward to connecting with you soon!