Elyse Gordon

Elyse is a connector, convener and facilitator who wears many hats at Philanthropy Northwest. Born and raised on the East Coast, Elyse has now been in Seattle for almost a decade and is proud to call the Northwest home. Elyse leads the Annual Conference, Conversations in Philanthropy, and is the project manager for From Extraction to Action, our upcoming report on philanthropy in Indian Country. She holds a PhD in Geography from the University of Washington, with a focus on place-based philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. Prior to Philanthropy Northwest, Elyse was a Community Based Learning and Research Fellow at the University of Washington - Bothell, where she taught about philanthropy, equity, nonprofit management, power, identity and culture. Elyse has a passion for making philanthropy more responsive, more inclusive, more transparent and more equitable, and is eager to get to know how our multiple and diverse membership is approaching these values in their specific places. She loves to cook and bring people together around food, and will likely include snacks during any in-person trainings! When not being a nerd about philanthropy, Elyse can be found hanging out with her chatty cat and adorable pup, cooking for friends, adventuring around the NW, attempting to learn Spanish, or dancing.