Following a highly competitive national search and vetting process, the board of the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers is proud to announce the selection of Dr. Madye Henson as President and CEO. She will take the helm on April 15.
Madye steps into this role with over 20 years of cross-sector leadership and a distinguished reputation for building strong relationships. She is known as a visionary and strategic thinker with capacity-building and organizational management skills that have enhanced the teams she’s led within the business, education, and nonprofit sectors. Throughout her career, she has tackled effectively the significant and complex challenges facing the organizations she led with a blend of strategic, operational and cultural expertise admired by staff and stakeholders alike. Modeling leadership resiliency and courage, Madye has engaged in implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and developed lasting partnerships as cornerstones for mission success.
Most recently, Madye served as CEO of Covenant House Greater Washington, the region’s leading comprehensive nonprofit serving young people experiencing homelessness, disconnection, and exploitation. There, she partnered with the board to make important and intentional investments in the physical infrastructure that would help set Covenant House and its young people up for a future of success and initiated and helped lead advocacy efforts that led to the historic legislative change that transferred GEDs into high school diplomas for all DC graduates.
Prior to her role with Covenant House, Madye served as the deputy superintendent of Alexandria City Public Schools where she was a leader in the system's efforts to integrate school with community, and address issues of disproportionality and inequities in schools and learning. Madye also served for three years as President and CEO of HandsOn Greater DC Cares, reestablishing its financial security for the period of her tenure and building its reputation as a star affiliate in the HandsOn network, earning her a position on the national HandsOn board of trustees. Prior to DC Cares, Madye served as Vice President, Community Impact Development with United Way Worldwide, and before moving to the nonprofit arena she held leadership positions in and consulting relationships with several major corporations. Across her career, she has engaged with the philanthropic sector as a board member, grantee, funder, partner, and consultant and brings deep experience and insights into WRAG’s goals to better align philanthropic investments and nonprofit resources in support of positive change for communities in the Greater Washington area.
She earned her doctorate in management and her MBA from Webster University, as well as her Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She is a member of Leadership Greater Washington Class of 2010.
Madye will lead the design and implementation of WRAG’s vision for the future of the organization. We believe she has the expertise and experience needed to build upon WRAG’s current successes, engage new members and grow investment in the region, and advance the organization’s commitment to racial equity in the Greater Washington region.
The board and search committee extend their gratitude to their search firm partner in this process Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group. Please join the board and staff in welcoming Madye to WRAG.