Nonprofits have been tested…

…during the Covid-19 pandemic like never before. Few organizations went into the emergency with extensive reserves. Now, with fundraising events canceled, ticket sales gone, and contracts on hold, many organizations are struggling to survive financially, while the needs for some have increased dramatically.

Across the country, nonprofits have transformed their work — sometimes in a matter of days — to respond to urgent new needs in their communities. With hearts as big as Texas, our Dallas philanthropists and non-profit leaders headed the call.

This is a conversation with four leading philanthropic experts to learn how they and their organizations responded to the crisis through adaptation and innovation, while engaging their donors and volunteer leaders to imagine what is next.

Your Moderator
Melissa Cameron
Senior Counsel – CSR & Philanthropic Services | Sunwest Communications
JLD Sustainer Board of Advisors

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Trisha Cunningham, North Texas Food Bank, President and CEO

Trisha Cunningham is President and CEO of the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB), a $200 million nonprofit leading the fight against hunger in North Texas. Trisha and her team of 180 employees and thousands of volunteers work with more than 200 partner agencies from the NTFB Feeding Network. For more than 30 years, Trisha has served her community in various capacities, most recently as Chief Citizenship Officer at Texas Instruments (TI). Her commitment to nourishing her neighbors is evident in her vast civic involvement, and when she is not volunteering her time in the community, she can be found spending time with her family.

Jan Langbein, Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support, President and CEO

For 29 years, Jan Edgar Langbein has been an activist in efforts to end violence against women. Currently, as CEO of Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support, Ms. Langbein oversees Genesis’ internal and external operations as well as funding and community education. Recognized as a National Expert on the dynamics and effects of domestic violence, Ms. Langbein provides expert testimony in court cases and trains law enforcement and prosecutorial professionals to enhance their efforts to end violence against women. She conducts training, keynote, and workshop programs for numerous local and national conferences, social and civic organizations, and corporations, and is an adjunct faculty member at AEquitas, The Prosecutors’ Resource on Violence Against Women. In partnership with the Dallas Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Ms. Langbein co-founded the annual National Conference on Crimes Against Women, which trains law enforcement, prosecutors, and advocates on the most advanced, cutting edge techniques and strategies in the investigation of crimes against women. In 2009, Ms. Langbein concluded a Presidential Appointment as Senior Policy Advisor to the Director of the United States Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). Jan is the recipient of numerous local and national awards and recognition, including the FBI Director’s 2012 Community Leadership Award.

Terry D. Loftis, TACA (The Arts Community Alliance), President and Executive Director

TACA’s mission is to support excellence and impact the arts in North Texas through grant making, capacity building and thought leadership. Under his leadership, TACA has recently launched the TACA Resiliency Initiative (TRI) to reframe vital support for Dallas cultural arts organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to TACA, Loftis was Vice President of the Broadway Strategic Return Fund in New York.  He was responsible for investor development for BSRF throughout the United States. Loftis spent the bulk of his career in marketing/advertising and was President of Dallas based, Eisenberg And Associates for four years. He is a Tony nominated Broadway producer of Bandstand on Broadway in 2017 which received the Tony for Best Choreography and Orchestration. He received his first Tony nomination in 2015 for The Visit starring the legendary Chita Rivera. In 2019, BSRF as a co-producer won the Tony for Best Musical for Hadestown.

Loftis is a Dallas native and a graduate of the Booker T. Washington High School for the Visual and Performing Arts. He has been actively engaged in the Dallas arts and non-profit community for many years and serves on the board of directors of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Black Tie Dinner (Program Chair), Arts District Dallas, and President’s Council of the Advisory Board of Booker T. Washington High School for the Visual & Performing Arts. He has served on the boards of Resource Center, Resource Center Foundation, The Dallas Way, the Friends of Katy Trail and TITAS.

Monica Egert Smith, Communities Foundation of Texas, Chief Relationship Officer

Monica Egert Smith serves Communities Foundation of Texas as the foundation’s Chief Relationship Officer. As CRO, she leads a team who are on the front lines of cultivating new donor relationships, stewarding existing donor relationships, and communicating the CFT story. During Monica’s tenure with CFT, she previously served as Senior Director of Strategic Philanthropy, where she served as a philanthropic advisor to CFT donors and fund holders on a variety of community needs and interest areas.  In that role, Monica also led CFT’s grantmaking from the W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation, which makes transformational investments in the areas of education, public safety and medical research.  Prior to joining CFT in 2008, Monica served as Senior Director of Community Services for The Dallas Morning News and WFAA-TV, where she oversaw more than 150 Dallas-based community sponsorships and programs, and managed the annual Dallas Morning News Charities campaign, which raises money to support direct services for the hungry and homeless. A native of Canton, Ohio, Monica earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University. In her free time, she volunteers with several local nonprofit organizations including the Leadership Dallas Alumni Association, the Women’s Auxiliary at Children’s Medical Center, the Junior League of Dallas, and the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association.