Meyer Foundation Welcomes Jenny Freedman & Kelly Thomasson to Board of Directors

The Meyer Foundation is thrilled to announce the appointment of Jenny Freedman (she/her), chief operating officer at Center for Popular Democracy, and Kelly Thomasson (she/her), executive director at Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, to our board of directors.

These new board members bring significant experience in philanthropic leadership, government service, and nonprofit operations that will strengthen our work to advance racial justice and promote a multiracial democracy.

Jenny Freedman (she/her)

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With more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit management and organizing, Jenny Freedman brings her expertise in financial stewardship, infrastructure building, and operations for movement-based organizations to the board.

Jenny currently serves as chief operating officer at the Center for Popular Democracy, a national network of nearly 50 grassroots organizations across 34 states, DC, and Puerto Rico working toward a representative, multiracial government and society. In this role, she oversees the organization’s finance, development, administration, legal compliance, grantmaking, and operations functions, while strengthening the systems that support its national organizing work. Prior to CPD, Jenny spent 16 years leading finance and development operations at CASA, a membership-based organization building power in Latinx, immigrant, and working-class communities across the region. She is a frequent panelist and trainer on fundraising and nonprofit financial management.

Jenny holds a BA from Northwestern University and a Master of Public Management from the University of Maryland.

“Jenny brings a deep understanding of systems change, organizing, and power building to this work. That kind of knowledge is invaluable to Meyer as we continue prioritizing resourcing our grantee partners more effectively during these challenging times.” — Janice Thomas, President & CEO, Meyer Foundation

“Jenny brings a unique fluency in both the financial and organizing sides of this work. She understands that lasting change requires strong infrastructure, and she’ll bring that lens to the important conversations about how we support the organizations we fund.” — Ryan Young, Board Chair, Meyer Foundation

Kelly Thomasson (she/her)

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With extensive experience across corporate philanthropy and public service, Kelly Thomasson brings her deep understanding of strategic grantmaking, community engagement, and government relations to the board.

Kelly currently serves as executive director of the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, which she joined in 2022 after two terms as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia. She leads Dominion’s philanthropic initiatives which, in 2024 alone, provided over $10 million in grants to 736 organizations across 10 states. As Secretary of the Commonwealth, Kelly assisted the governor in the recruitment and appointment of more than 5,000 individuals to Virginia’s boards, commissions, and councils, appointing the most diverse group of board appointees in the state’s history. She also led efforts to restore civil rights to more than 300,000 individuals with felony convictions, served as the governor’s liaison to Virginia’s Tribal Nations, and supported the state’s Council on Women along with its Black, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Latino, and LGBTQ+ Advisory Boards.

A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and Lead Virginia, Kelly currently serves on the boards of ACT for Alexandria, the Northern Virginia Children’s Science Center, and the George Washington Middle School PTA.

“I appreciate Kelly’s deep knowledge of Virginia, including her work to restore voting rights to returning citizens. She also brings a valuable perspective from philanthropy, and we’re excited to have both inform our board’s work.” — Janice Thomas, President & CEO, Meyer Foundation

“Kelly knows what it takes to build systems that serve people more equitably, whether inside government or philanthropy. She brings both a strategic mind and a genuine belief in expanding who gets a seat at the table.” — Ryan Young, Board Chair, Meyer Foundation