The Black Economic Alliance (BEA) is a nonpartisan coalition of business leaders and aligned advocates committed to growing Black political and economic power. Whether by helping elect and hold leaders accountable, carrying out research to support and develop data-driven solutions, or catalyzing programs to move those ideas into action, BEA ensures Black work, wages and wealth are a focal point of decision-making in Washington, on Wall Street, in state houses across the country, and in the boardrooms of America’s leading companies and philanthropies.
In just five years, BEA has grown into a formal alliance of Black business leaders and aligned allies supporting a well-established collection of entities - including the BEA 501(c)(3) charitable Foundation, the BEA Political Action Committee (PAC), the BEA 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, and the BEA Entrepreneurs Fund. In January 2023 the Board finalized BEA’s strategic vision for expanding its impact over the next five years and created a Chief Executive Officer position to oversee all of the entities. This new structure allows BEA to work strategically across the philanthropic, private, and public sectors to most impactfully advance work, wages, and wealth across the Black community.
About the Black Economic Alliance Foundation
The Black Economic Alliance (BEA) Foundation is the 501c3 charitable nonprofit entity of the Black Economic Alliance. The BEA Foundation works with leaders in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors to evaluate, analyze, and curate data and research to diagnose the obstacles to Black economic mobility and prescribe practical solutions to advance Black work, wages, and wealth. The Foundation convenes leaders to drive action on these solutions, for example with the inaugural BEA Solutions Summit in 2023 that brought together leading decision-makers from across business, government, and philanthropy to highlight and build consensus on leading solutions to advance Black economic prosperity and wealth-building. The BEA Foundation also crafts programs that convene industry leaders around initiatives that will produce better economic outcomes for Black people, including the Center for Black Entrepreneurship (CBE) and BEA Entrepreneurs Fund.
Signature Programs & Initiatives include
The Black Entrepreneurs Fund There continue to be gaps in funding for Black entrepreneurs from traditional funding sources. To help address this, BEA launched the Black Economic Alliance Entrepreneurs Fund to provide $50 million of capital to businesses founded and led by Black entrepreneurs. The launch of the Fund is anchored by Wells Fargo with a $20 million commitment to kick-start operations and investments.
The Center for Black Entrepreneurship The BEA Foundation, Spelman College, and Morehouse College have partnered to develop the Center for Black Entrepreneurship (CBE), the first-ever academic center of its kind to produce, train, and support a new class of Black entrepreneurial talent. The CBE seeks to eliminate the access barrier between Black entrepreneurs, professional investors, and business builders by leveraging education, mentorship, access to capital, and opportunity. By building on an existing culture of strong entrepreneurship programs at both Spelman and Morehouse, the CBE will help expand the ecosystem, grow the pipeline of Black innovation, and bridge the divide between the business and tech communities and the next generation of Black entrepreneurs. The CBE is anchored by a $10M investment from Bank of America and has secured funding partners including Mastercard, Visa, Comcast, Ford Foundation, and more.
BEA Solutions Summit The inaugural BEA Solutions Summit in Spring 2023 brought together leading decision-makers and experts to build consensus on actions needed to close the racial wealth gap and create sustainable economic prosperity. The Summit’s action-oriented discussions and knowledge sharing informed BEA’s forthcoming Architecture for Action –– a curated, data-driven framework designed to guide leading decision-makers in both the public and private sectors to assess potential economic equity interventions and investments through a lens specifically focused on long-term gains in economic outcomes for Black Americans.
Research & Data
The BEA Foundation is convening and collaborating with partners, research institutions, think tanks, and policy experts to evaluate, analyze, and curate research on the leading solutions and economic policies that impact Black communities. Among the top issues BEA Foundation has included in its economic agenda are health care affordability, investing in skills training, affordable childcare, college affordability, and eliminating race & gender wage gaps. The Foundation’s recently published research and thought leadership on timely policy issues.
ROLE SUMMARY
The BEA Foundation is seeking a President who is passionate about the organization’s mission and leading programs, research & data, convenings, and partnerships to drive economic progress for the Black community.
The President will report to the CEO and work closely with the Board of Directors on strategy, fundraising, and brand-building for the BEA Foundation. The President will lead program development and management, research & data initiatives, and stakeholder engagement for the Foundation, and will partner with the CEO on the strategic expansion of the Foundation’s work and overall impact.
Primary Responsibilities
Hire and supervise Foundation staff and collaborate with staff of the other BEA entities.
Lead implementation of the BEA Foundation strategic plan.
Create and manage an annual budget and work plans to meet Foundation goals.
Lead all operational, financial, and staff management related to Foundation programs, research & data, and partnerships while maintaining the vision for how these functions work together across the BEA entities to support each other’s success.
Lead, enhance, and grow BEA Foundation’s Center for Black Entrepreneurship (CBE) partnership, working closely with the Director of the CBE, the Spelman and Morehouse College Presidents, and the CBE Advisory.
Ensure programmatic, research, and organizational excellence with rigorous evaluation to measure progress against goals.
Build an innovative research & data agenda that can examine the obstacles to Black economic mobility and prescribe practical solutions.
Serve as an external representative to the Foundation’s constituents and the general public.
Establish and maintain relationships with various partner organizations and utilize those relationships to strategically enhance the Foundation’s mission.
Oversee marketing and other communications efforts related to Foundation programs, research & data, and partnerships.
Provide leadership and strategy for the engagement and management of strategic programmatic and corporate partners.
Develop and implement the strategy for a comprehensive giving and engagement program for Foundation donors and prospects.
Establish appropriate plans and goals for growth in our donor base and revenue.
Review and approve contracts for services.
Other duties as assigned by the CEO.
Qualifications
Must embrace the mission and objectives of the Black Economic Alliance.
A bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university
Transparent and high-integrity leadership.
Ten or more years nonprofit management experience.
High-level strategic thinking and planning.
Experience representing an organization externally, serving as a strong public communicator of the strategy and work to current and prospective supporters, partners, funders, and other interested parties.
Prior supervisory experience, including demonstrated ability to oversee and collaborate with staff.
A history of successfully generating new revenue streams and improving financial results.
Previous success in establishing and stewarding relationships with individuals and organizations of influence including funders and partner agencies.
Solid organizational abilities, including planning, delegating, program development and task facilitation.
Strong financial management skills, including budget preparation, analysis, decision making and reporting.
Strong written and oral communication skills.
Strong public speaking ability.
Strong work ethic with a high degree of energy.
Experience engaging with a Board of Directors.
Compensation
The salary range for this position is $200,000 -$220,000. The BEA Foundation offers a comprehensive benefits package.
Reporting to:
Samantha Tweedy is an accomplished executive, fundraiser, strategist and Yale Law-trained attorney who has spent two decades working to increase economic mobility and opportunity for Black people. Prior to being named the first-ever Chief Executive Officer of BEA, Samantha served as the inaugural President of the Black Economic Alliance Foundation – leading the organization’s efforts to produce cutting-edge research, practical solutions, and programming to create better access to good paying jobs, livable wages, and wealth creation for Black people.
Before joining BEA Foundation, Samantha was the first Chief Partnerships and Impact Officer at the Robin Hood Foundation. She developed and directed the Power Fund to invest in nonprofit leaders of color and the High-Quality Schools Fund to support innovative school models for New York City’s most under-resourced communities. She was instrumental in creating the NinetyToZero partnership among America’s leading companies and organizations to combat the racial wealth gap through increased investment in Black talent and Black businesses.
She served as the first Chief Advancement Officer at Uncommon Schools.
Samantha also founded and directed an elementary school that won the National Blue Ribbon School Award for its success in closing racial and socioeconomic opportunity gaps.
After graduating from Yale Law School and Duke University magna cum laude, Samantha began her career as an attorney at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Samantha lives in Bed Stuy with her husband and two children, Stokely and Evers. She is a Pahara Fellow and serves as a board and advisory member for a number of organizations dedicated to racial and economic justice, including Amsale Aspire, Coney Island Prep, The Highland Project, and Next100.
Board of Directors
BEA Foundation is fortunate to have an extraordinary Board of Directors that represents the support and commitment of a coalition of Black business leaders and allies committed to advancing the mission. Co-Chairs Charles Phillips (Co-Founder & Managing Partner of RECOGNIZE) and Tony Coles (Executive Chairman of Cerevel Therapeutics) lead the BEA Foundation Board, which is comprised of prominent corporate and civic leaders such as Deval Patrick (former Governor of Massachusetts) and Richelieu Dennis (Founder and Chair of Essence Ventures).
Click here to view the entire BEA Foundation Board of Directors.