Alli Jernow Joins Arcus Foundation as Social Justice Program Vice President
NEW YORK – The Arcus Foundation, a global foundation promoting respect for diversity among peoples and in nature, announced today that Alli Jernow (she/her/hers) will join the foundation as vice president of the Social Justice Program effective September 26. Jernow will succeed Cindy Rizzo (she/her/hers), who has led the program since 2018 and held leadership positions at the foundation for 16 years. In January, Rizzo announced her plans to transition to a senior advisory role by the end of this year and to pursue other endeavors.
Arcus’ Social Justice Program works to enable lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) people to live their lives with dignity and respect wherever they are in the world. The program comprises an integrated portfolio focused on advancing LGBTQI safety, protections, and social inclusion of LGBTQI communities in the United States and in priority regions around the globe.
Jernow is currently program director at Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, where she leads the SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression) Program. In her eight years at Wellspring, Jernow on many occasions worked in partnership with the Arcus team. She brings to Arcus comprehensive global experience in human rights and legal advocacy. She has worked as a civil rights prosecutor in the U.S. Department of Justice, consulted for the United Nations, and led the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Programme at the International Commission of Jurists, where she co-authored Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Justice: A Comparative Law Casebook.
“We are tremendously grateful to Cindy Rizzo for the innumerable contributions that she has made to the foundation and to the field of LGBTQ philanthropy over the past 16 years, including her participation in the search for the right leader to succeed her,” says Annette Lanjouw, Arcus’ chief executive officer. “We are thrilled to welcome Alli, who comes to Arcus with tremendous expertise and global experience in philanthropy, human rights, and advocacy. For nearly a decade, we have known her as a strong and trusted partner in our LGBTQ work. Many of our grantees will already have a relationship with her. At a time when movement cohesion is of the utmost value and importance, we are delighted to begin a new chapter of leadership with continuity to complement all the strengths that Alli brings.”
Jernow earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Harvard College, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa, a master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University, and a Juris Doctor degree summa cum laude from New York University School of Law.
ABOUT ARCUS
Founded in 2000 by Jon Stryker, the Arcus Foundation is a private grantmaking institution dedicated to the idea that people can live in harmony with one another and the natural world. Arcus’ work is based on the belief that respect for diversity among peoples and in nature is essential to a positive future for our planet and all of its inhabitants. The foundation works globally and has offices in New York City and Cambridge, U.K.