Beverley Francis-Gibson — CEO
Beverley Francis-Gibson is currently the CEO of Together Women Rise, a powerful community of women and allies dedicated to achieving global gender equality. With hundreds of local chapters across the U.S., members learn about and advocate for gender equality issues, give grants to organizations that empower women and girls in low-income countries, and build community to forge meaningful connections that increase our strength and collective impact.Beverley Francis-Gibson previously served as the President and CEO of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Inc. (SCDAA) based in Hanover, Maryland and has more than 25 years of experience serving non-profits and community foundations. She has an extensive background in philanthropy, fundraising, grant writing and organizational management. She has worked on behalf of women and girls through her professional and personal career.
She has also led organizations whose mission addressed issues of mental illness, HIV and AIDS, homelessness/poverty, domestic violence and women’s issues. She is currently a member of the Women’s Impact Fund, mentor with SHE-CAN, member of the Network of Engaged International Donors; member of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations; served on the Steering Committee for Philanthropy Together’s “We Give Summit” and volunteers with various organizations in her spare time. She has served on Duke University’s Women’s Services Advisory Council that was committed to gender equity and social change; participated in the YWCA’s Race Shall Not Divide Us Initiative and was a founding member of the Next Generation of African-American Philanthropists. She participated in a women’s delegation to Kostroma through the Sister Cities’ Program in Durham, North Carolina and in 2019 was a featured speaker at the 63RD Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women that focused on social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
Francis-Gibson previously served as a Board Member of the Global Patient Advocacy Advisory Board on Sickle Cell Disease; founding Board Member of the Global Alliance on Sickle Cell Disease Organizations and co-chair of the Governance Committee. As a member of the Steering Committee for the Black Women’s Health Imperative, she met with the Biden/Harris Transition Team to discuss health disparities in the United States for women and girls. She is Past Chair of the Board of Directors of Maryland Nonprofits. She is a 2009 Leadership Premiere Graduate and previous Board member of Leadership Howard County and a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Francis-Gibson created “Leadership Conversations”, a quarterly gathering of nonprofit Executive Directors who share best practices, network and hear from engaging speakers on various topics. Currently, she coaches Executive Directors and Board Chairs through her affiliation with Maryland Nonprofits.
She has been a dynamic instructor on fundraising, grant writing and philanthropy at Duke University’s Nonprofit Management Program and at the University of Chapel Hill in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, respectively. She has been a popular speaker and webinar presenter at the Maryland Governor’s Conference on Grant Making for several years. She is the recipient of several leadership awards and recently received a Certificate of Congressional Recognition for her advocacy efforts in Washington D.C.
A native of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, Francis-Gibson holds a B.A. in Public Relations and Communications and an M.A. in Industrial and Community Counseling from Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond Kentucky. She and her husband enjoy cooking, traveling and spending time with their adult children.Follow
