Molly Mead, EdD has worked and consulted extensively in employee ownership and nonprofit sectors, helping organizations with strategic planning, organizational design, and change work.

Before joining Praxis, Molly had a 30-year career in higher education, most recently at Amherst College where she was the founding director of the Center for Community Engagement and a member of the American Studies faculty. Molly came to Amherst from Tufts University where she was on the faculty of the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and the founding director of the Tisch College of Civic Life.

Molly is a national expert on the role of diversity in effective organizations. She co-authored the award-winning book, Effective Philanthropy (with Mary Ellen Capek), in which they make the case if foundations want to do impactful grantmaking their staff and board need to be deeply diverse.

She has significant experience helping nonprofit organizations do strategic planning. Because of her background as an educator, she always strives to help the organization she is working with learn strategic planning skills. Strategic planning clients include: the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance, the Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations, three units within Drexel University (The Lindy Center, the Dornsife Center, and Action for Early Learning), Lambda Legal, and the Annie E Casey Foundation.

Molly has worked with the National Breast Cancer Coalition as the educational facilitator of Project LEAD, an internationally recognized program teaching the science of breast cancer to breast cancer advocates. Over 1500 hundred people have gone through this program in its 25 years. Many participants in this program have gone on to partner with researchers, improving the design of breast cancer research.

Molly holds an AB from Cornell University, an MBA from Simmons College and an EdD from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

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