C’Ardiss “CC” Gardner Gleser

Board Member, Andrus Family Fund and Charlotte Martin Foundation | NCFP Fellow (2022-2024)

C’Ardiss “CC” Gardner Gleser is an advocate for social impact and social justice work.

CC began her career as a project manager in the tech and engineering sector with GE Healthcare. However, most of her career she has served in several renowned nonprofit organizations focused on equity and changing educational outcomes for underserved children, such as the Technology Access Foundation (TAF). TAF is a national model of integrating STEM education in underrepresented communities and elevating the impact of teachers of color.

CC transitioned from the nonprofit sector and is now entrenched in the philanthropic sector. CC is the first Director of Programs and Strategic Initiatives at Satterberg Foundation, whose mission focuses on promoting a just society and sustainable environment. She currently serves as a leader on the boards of Andrus Family Fund, Charlotte Martin Foundation, and Philanthropy Northwest.

CC is extremely involved in her community, both locally and nationally. She is very involved in her community, both locally and nationally. She previously served as the National President of the Yale Black Alumni Association and on Yale’s Board of Governors. She was also a Brainerd Fellow and a partner with Social Venture Partners Seattle where she co-chaired the Social Venture Teen Philanthropy Program. CC is a graduate of the 2017 Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE) Connecting Leaders Fellowship.

Most exciting, CC founded Black Ivy Manor, which provides funding and other opportunities for Black scholars, artists, and social justice advocates the space to develop their crafts and voices, while supporting movement in community and cultivating relationships with one another.

CC earned her Bachelor’s degree in African American Studies from Yale University, and an M.Ed. in Education Administration from Seattle University. She currently resides in the Detroit area with her husband and three children.

Contributions

Preparing for and Managing a Productive Board Chair Transition

Posted on December 7, 2022 by Sean Boyd, Pete Helsell, Sarah Walczyk, C’Ardiss “CC” Gardner Gleser

Board Chair Transition Family Philanthropy
A board chair transition is an important moment for a family philanthropy, often prompting larger decisions or a revisiting of the organization’s purpose and practices. All members of the board have a role to play in preparing for and managing these inevitable leadership shifts, and need clarity about the strategies that will prepare the organization—family, staff, and other stakeholders—for the… Read More

Racial Justice in Family Philanthropy Symposium

Posted on September 19, 2021 by Vincent Robinson, Doua Thor, Dwayne S. Marsh, Irene Wong, Sandy Herz, John Matthew Sobrato, Nora Leccese, Annie Mahon, Hanna Mahon, Sam Vinal

Registration is now closed. If you have questions, please email ncfp@ncfp.org. NCFP’s Family Philanthropy Racial Justice Symposium is a two-day virtual learning opportunity for family foundation board members, CEOs, senior staff, and next generation family members seeking to deepen their knowledge around racial equity frameworks and practices. Leverage Philanthropic Partners, ABFE, Resource Generation, other experts in this space will lead… Read More
Effective Family Philanthropy in Action

Family Philanthropy Speaks: A Conversation with CC Gardner Gleser

Posted on August 30, 2021 by Nicholas A. Tedesco, C’Ardiss “CC” Gardner Gleser

CC Gardner Gleser is the first non-family chair of the Andrus Family Fund and is the Director of Programs and Strategic Initiatives at the Satterberg Foundation. In this Family Philanthropy Speaks conversation with Nick Tedesco, CC shares her path to philanthropy, how her own history intersects with the Satterberg family’s wealth creation, and the value of independent directors in the… Read More

Philanthropy’s Connection to the Interwoven Histories of Wealth and Poverty

Posted on May 14, 2021 by C’Ardiss “CC” Gardner Gleser

What are the pervasive narratives around wealth and how wealth is made? And how do we situate our own stories into, or outside of, those narratives? Attendees will grapple with these questions and examine the way that systems, structures, and labor contribute to building wealth. Philanthropy is beginning to interrogate these wealth origin stories and to consider the fact that… Read More

All Peer Network Event on Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Posted on January 17, 2019 by C’Ardiss “CC” Gardner Gleser, Jennifer Langton, F. Javier Torres

Tree-lined road
Many family foundations have made racial equity, diversity, and inclusion a focus in their grant making and organizational culture. Join colleagues from all NCFP Peer Networks to discuss racial equity and inclusion in family foundations from both a staff and family member perspective, and hear insights, best practices, and resources for bringing an equity lens to your family foundation… Read More