Dana D. Rice Email & Phone Number

Dana D. Rice is a purpose-driven leader, attorney, corporate board member, and strategic advisor who currently serves as Vice President, Philanthropy at Lever for Change, a nonprofit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.Rice leads Lever for Change’s advisory team that engages philanthropists and their advisors. The organization is focused on unlocking significant capital for social change through open, transparent, and rigorously evaluated challenges. It has facilitated more than $2.2billion in grants since 2019 by connecting donors like MacKenzie Scott, Pivotal Ventures, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and others with organizations in need of funding to activate solutions that address significant social challenges. Before joining Lever for Change, Rice was Managing Director for Opportunity International, where she defined strategy and led development and communications teams at the global nonprofit providing $1B a year in microfinance and training to women living in poverty in 15 developing countries.With a background in both business and law, Rice has long had a global focus. She’s worked in 21 countries on 5 continents, in public companies, start-ups, and nonprofits. She spent 20 years practicing law, leading mergers and acquisitions for the global telecommunications company PacTel (Pacific Telesis Group) and was Associate General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary for the public company and Corporate Secretary for dozens of PacTel subsidiaries. Skilled in strategic problem solving, creating vision, clarifying and communicating complex issues, and orchestrating relationships to achieve uncommon results, Rice is valued for her conceptual and analytical thinking, business acumen, global fluency, and keen ability to connect people and create partnerships, value and a competitive advantage.Rice serves on the board of software company Ministry Brands and has had leadership roles on many large, nonprofit boards including The Joffrey Ballet, The Art Institute of Chicago, Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and The HistoryMakers. She earned her JD from Harvard Law School and bachelor’s degree in sociology from Wellesley College. She remains an active supporter of both schools. Passionate about DEI and women’s leadership, she is a long-time mentor of girls of color who, like her, were the first in their family to go to college. Rice grew up on St. Thomas and still visits regularly. She now lives in Atlanta.