BrazilFoundation Announces its New President and CEO

We are thrilled to welcome Rebecca Tavares, Ed.D. as our new President and CEO, who brings with her extensive experience in the non-profit sector.

She is coming from a position leading the Every Woman. Every Child Initiative with the UN Secretary General. Rebecca also served at the United Nations in Asia and Latin America for over ten years. Her previous career in international philanthropy and development spans the Ford Foundation, the San Diego Foundation, ACCION International and clients including over a dozen international organizations, firms and foundations, including the MacArthur and Levi Strauss Foundations. A native of California, Dr. Tavares graduated from Yale University and holds a doctorate in education from Harvard University. She has taught and published widely on gender in governance and development, racial justice in Brazil and microfinance in Latin America and South Asia. In 2019, Dr. Tavares received the inaugural YaleWomen Impact Award.

“Rebecca will join us on August 12, bringing with her extensive experience in the non-profit sector in both Brazil and the United States. Most recently, she has led an initiative of the UN Secretary General called Every Woman. Every Child, a global movement looking to address key health challenges facing women and children globally. She worked with the UN in various capacities, both in Brazil and the US, for the past ten years, with a strong focus on racial equality, women’s issues, and other causes that represent shared values with BrazilFoundation. Rebecca has the experience and ability to deliver BrazilFoundation its new era of growth and social impact. The Board looks forward to working closely with Rebecca as we move BrazilFoundation into its third decade of promoting philanthropy in Brazil, mobilizing donors globally.” – Will Landers, Chair of the Board