Victoria Foundation Appoints Monica Munn to Board of Trustees

Victoria Foundation is proud to announce the appointment of Monica Munn to its Board of Trustees. Ms. Munn's appointment comes at a pivotal time as we deepen our commitment to building a future shaped by the people who call Newark home, through our Thriving Neighborhoods Initiative. Ms. Munn brings a powerful combination of strategic insight and experience working across philanthropy, social enterprise, and the private sectors. Her leadership will help us to step further into our values as we work toward well-being across our city that is sustained for generations to come.

Ms. Munn has dedicated her career to building more equitable economies and resilient communities. She brings nearly 20 years of experience in the philanthropic, social enterprise, and private sectors to her appointment, including a focus on program-related and mission-aligned investments.

"Monica's appointment comes at an important time for the foundation, as we are exploring how to use even more of our resources to support values and mission aligned work. She will bring an important and powerful perspective, backed by years of experience putting philanthropic capital to work," shared Rob Clark, president of the Victoria Foundation Board of Trustees.

"Monica brings a deep commitment to economic inclusion brought to life using the strategies and tools of impact investing," said Craig Drinkard, executive officer of the Victoria Foundation. "Her experience will strengthen our ability to align our intention with tangible impact in aligning all our resources toward generational well-being for Newark residents."

Reflecting on her appointment, Ms. Munn shared, "I am grateful for the opportunity to build power in Newark alongside the Victoria Foundation and its incredible partners. The Foundation believes in the strength of the communities it is partnering with. This two-way trust is a model for effective philanthropy, and I'm excited to be a part of guiding what's next."

Ms. Munn is the Chief Social Impact Officer for World Education Services (WES), a global nonprofit social enterprise dedicated to helping people learn, work, and thrive in new places. In this role, she leads WES' programmatic, policy, and philanthropic teams, which work to advance economic inclusion with and for immigrants and refugees in the U.S. and Canada. Monica joined WES in 2019 to launch and build WES' grantmaking and impact investing efforts.

Previously, Monica held several positions at the Rockefeller Foundation, supporting strategy and strategic planning for global employment, food security, and rural energy initiatives. Monica also worked as a strategy consultant at Next Street, a social enterprise that fosters inclusive economic growth by backing entrepreneurs and small businesses who have been historically underinvested in. She began her career as an analyst at Citigroup.

Monica holds a B.Sc. in International Politics from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and a M.Sc. in Sustainability Management from Columbia University's Earth Institute. She currently serves on the boards of Flex for Good and Safe Passage Project, as well as co-chairs Philanthropy New York's Mid-Size Foundation CEO Network.