Caroline Easley joined Wagner Foundation in 2015 and currently serves as its Deputy Director.
In her role, she orchestrates across departments to oversee the operations and strategic positioning of the foundation, ensuring its grantmaking is coordinated, strategic, and grantee centered. She works in close partnership with the president and broader team to craft the vision and guide the execution of the foundation’s funding priorities to advance its short- and long-term goals across the foundation’s three focus areas of Health Equity, Economic Wellbeing, and Art & Culture.
In 2021, Caroline completed the “Facilitative Leadership™ for Social Change” workshop through the Interaction Institute for Social Change where she interrogated what it means to be an effective and inclusive leader. During that training, she had the opportunity to develop skills and tools centered on collaborative power building. She describes her leadership style as being deeply aligned with the foundation’s commitment to accompaniment, which includes the core tenants of humility, deep listening, and mutual respect and accountability. She cites her most rewarding accomplishment over the past decade of working for Wagner Foundation as building a mission-driven team of true experts in their given fields. She is continuously energized to learn from their knowledge and expertise, which she believes makes her a more effective leader. Caroline served on the steering committee for Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP)’s Boston Chapter from 2018-2021.
Prior to entering the nonprofit sector, she was a strategic communications professional, working for one of the country’s largest advertising agencies, Hill Holliday. She is a true believer in the power of storytelling to unite people around a shared goal and to shift mindsets. Caroline believes that philanthropy has a responsibility to amplify the critical work of partners and advocate for long-term change. In her role, Caroline collaborates with the communications team to ensure communications and advocacy strategies are aligned with the organization’s values and vision of a just, vibrant, and healthy world centered around shared humanity and the equal value of all people.
