Connie Archbold Robinson to Serve as Waldemar A. Nielsen Philanthropy Fellow at CPNL

Georgetown University’s Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership is proud to announce Connie Archbold Robinson as our Fall 2026 Waldemar A. Nielsen Philanthropy Fellow. Connie is a philanthropic strategist, social impact leader, and practitioner-scholar whose work bridges practice, institutional leadership, and research to advance effective and equitable philanthropy. For more than two decades, she has worked at the intersection of philanthropic capital, civic leadership, governance, and community change, advising donors, foundations, nonprofit organizations, and cross-sector initiatives navigating periods of transformation and strategic opportunity.

During her tenure as the Nielsen Philanthropy Fellow, Robinson will provide executive leadership coaching within the Executive Certificate in Philanthropic Leadership, facilitate strategic dialogues that strengthen community-centered, funder-engaged philanthropic practice, and conduct applied research on expanding individual donor engagement. She will also mentor McCourt School of Public Policy graduate students through candid conversations on career pathways, equipping the next generation of philanthropists to lead with courage, build transformational partnerships, and reimagine what philanthropy can achieve in service of the public good.

Over the course of her career, Connie has overseen and advised more than $1 billion in philanthropic assets and grantmaking strategy across private foundations, donor collaboratives, and civic institutions. She previously served as Chief Executive Officer of the Panta Rhea Foundation and as Portfolio Director at The James Irvine Foundation, where she led complex grantmaking portfolios, program related investment initiatives, leadership development efforts, and cross-sector partnerships. She also chaired California’s inaugural Citizens Redistricting Commission (2010–2020), stewarding one of the state’s most significant civic governance processes.

Connie’s work explores how global philanthropy can evolve to meet today’s complex social, environmental, and democratic challenges. Her practice integrates strategic philanthropy, donor engagement, organizational leadership, governance, and systems change, with particular interest in the evolving role of individual donors and institutional philanthropy in advancing durable social impact.

As Founder and Principal of Sand Dollar Strategy, she advises donors, foundations, nonprofit organizations, and social impact leaders across the United States and internationally. In addition to strategic advising, she serves as an executive coach and facilitator, supporting leaders and institutions through moments of growth, transition, and organizational evolution. She is recognized for combining analytical rigor with relational leadership, helping organizations translate vision and values into strategy while cultivating the trust and alignment necessary for lasting change.

A proud member of the Raizal community from the Western Caribbean archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina Islands, Colombia, Connie brings a global and multicultural perspective to her practice. She holds a Master of City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Spanish from La Sierra University.

Please join us in welcoming Connie to Georgetown University and our Center.

Learn about the Waldemar A. Nielsen Philanthropy Fellowship Here