After first joining CAF America in 2011, Krafft was appointed as the organization’s president and CEO in September 2024.

During her nearly 15 years with the charity, Krafft played a significant role in supporting the organization as its contributions grew from $25 million annually to more than $900 million. She was most recently senior vice president of external affairs, where she designed and implemented grantmaking strategies and developed major partnerships.

CAF America works with philanthropists seeking to support charitable organizations around the world, providing back-office support for grantmaking and maintaining a network of vetted charity partners. Individuals, corporations, nonprofits and their advisers use the organization to develop, manage and monitor their philanthropic endeavors. In 2024, CAF America distributed over 10,000 grants to over 3,900 grantees across 108 countries.

Krafft has bachelor’s degrees in anthropology and Spanish from Virginia Commonwealth University, along with a certificate of Spanish translation and interpretation. She also has a master’s degree in international development from American University.

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A Buchanan County native, McClanahan has led the Virginia Tech Foundation since 2021. She was previously a state Supreme Court justice and president and dean of the Appalachian School of Law. McClanahan also serves as an adjunct professor of finance at Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business.

In 2024, the Virginia Tech Foundation marked its 75th anniversary managing the university’s endowment and real estate holdings. It has more than $3 billion in assets. The foundation also owns the for-profit Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, for which McClanahan serves as president.

A Virginia Chamber of Commerce board member, she received her bachelor’s degree from William & Mary and a law degree from the University of Dayton School of Law. McClanahan was Virginia’s chief deputy attorney general before becoming a state appeals court judge.

She is a member of Tech’s Center for Economic and Community Engagement Advisory Board, the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine’s board, the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission and Carilion Clinic’s board.

INTERESTING PLACE I’VE TRAVELED: The Diamond Beach in Iceland

PERSONAL MOTTO: The 4-H motto: “To make the best better”

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While the Toys for Tots program is closely associated with Christmas, the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation has expanded its efforts and now provides year-round support for children in need, including children affected by natural disasters, kids in the foster care system and Native American children. In 2024, the organization distributed more than 30 million toys, books and games to nearly 13 million children. The charity spends 97% of its budget on programs and only 3% on support functions such as fundraising.

Laster took the helm of the foundation in 2020 after serving as executive vice president. He was in the Marine Corps for 38 years, reaching the rank of lieutenant general and serving as chief of war plans on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He retired from the service in 2018. The Marine Corps presented Laster with the Leftwich Trophy for outstanding leadership in 1989.

The Texas native is a graduate of the New Mexico Military Institute, Southwest Texas State University and the National War College. He is a senior fellow with the National Defense University.

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Robinson, who assumed her role in 2023, is only the second layperson and second woman to lead the domestic humanitarian work branch of the Catholic Church in the United States. She followed Sister Donna Markham’s eight-year tenure.

A member of the Leadership Roundtable — a network of lay people and Catholic clergy that supports leadership and management in Catholic organizations — Robinson has dedicated her professional life to the church. Her work has focused on helping the church use the expertise lay members can provide.

According to the organization, Catholic Charities has 168 member agencies and 3,900 locations across the United States. It served more than 16 million people in 2024. Last year, the organization’s agencies provided 28 million meals. Other services provided included shelter, financial services and behavioral and wellness services.

Robinson also served as director of development for Saint Thomas More Catholic Chapel & Center at Yale University, leading a $75 million fundraising campaign. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and Yale Divinity School.

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Morris has spent nearly 30 years in organizations dedicated to protecting the environment, a passion she developed while teaching in Namibia.

She saw how the health of the community she was working with in southwest Africa was impacted by the unhealthy environment. Morris heads a global staff of nearly 6,000 in more than 80 countries and all U.S. states, where they work to combat climate change, protect lands and oceans, and find sustainable food system solutions that will allow the world to feed the growing population.

Locally, The Nature Conservancy helps support nature-based economic and community development projects in Southwest Virginia through the Cumberland Forest Community Fund.

Morris earned a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University, then spent 23 years with Conservation International. She joined The Nature Conservancy in 2020. She also is board chair of Enduring Earth, a collaboration between The Nature Conservancy, The Pew Charitable Trusts, World Wildlife Fund and ZomaLab to accelerate conservation worldwide by securing long-term investments in large-scale conservation projects.

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