Carra Cote-Ackah

Carra Cote-Ackah, a fifth generation Andrus family member, is Chairperson of the Surdna Board of Directors. She joined the board in 2011 and served as Vice Chairperson for four years. She also served on the Andrus Family Fund board for six years, the last two as board chair.

Presently Carra is the President of the Vanguard Group Foundation and Executive Director of Community Stewardship at Vanguard, where she leads the company’s global philanthropic and volunteer programs. Previously she was a Director at the Center for High Impact Philanthropy; she has transitioned to a Senior Fellow role to provide ongoing help to donors and impact investors seeking to move from good intentions to high impact. She also is a member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), a global leadership network, and an Executive Forum member of the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship.

Carra holds a Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude, from Vanderbilt University, a M.A. from Duke University, and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, where she was also awarded the Morgenthau Public Administration Fellowship in support of excellence in public interest and public policy.

Carra and her husband live in Bryn Mawr, PA, with their three children. She is also active within her family’s business, the Cote Family Companies, which has lodging, hospitality, and recreational holdings in Arizona and Minnesota.