Cecilia A. Conrad, Ph.D.
she/her
CEO, Lever for Change; Senior Advisor, Collaborative Philanthropy and Fellows, MacArthur Foundation
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Dr. Cecilia Conrad is the founder and chief executive officer of Lever for Change and a senior advisor at the MacArthur Foundation. Lever for Change connects donors with problem solvers to find and fund bold, effective solutions to accelerate social change. So far, her team has influenced over $2.5 billion in grants and provided support to more than 500 organizations. Before founding Lever for Change, Conrad led the MacArthur Fellows program. In 2025, she was recognized for her leadership in the inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy list. In 2024, the Chronicle of Philanthropy listed her as one of 16 People to Watch and, in 2023, Inside Philanthropy named her one of the 50 most powerful women in philanthropy. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
Conrad is an emerita professor of economics with Pomona College, joining the faculty in 1995 and retiring in 2013. At Pomona, she also served as vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college, and later as acting president. In recognition of her academic research and advocacy around racial and gender equity, Conrad received the National Economic Association’s Samuel V. Westerfield Award and the National Urban League’s Women of Power Award.
She earned a B.A. from Wellesley College where she also received the 2023 Alumnae Achievement Award and a Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University.