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In our Season Finalé, you’ll get an inspiring discussion on defending the nonprofit sector, with a call to action for funders to act with courage rather than caution. The message is clear: a strong country depends on a strong, well-resourced nonprofit workforce, and philanthropy must choose to lead boldly in this moment.

Host Rusty Stahl speaks with Dr. Sherece West-Scantlebury, President and CEO of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. Reflecting on more than 30 years in philanthropy and her forthcoming retirement, West-Scantlebury offers a candid assessment of what has and hasn’t worked in the sector. She traces the evolution of the Foundation’s mission, its focus on Arkansas working families, and how COVID reinforced the urgency of addressing low wages, systemic inequities, and the root causes of poverty. Throughout the conversation, she challenges philanthropy to confront the real costs of sustaining a healthy civil society and to move beyond outdated, restrictive funding models.

West-Scantlebury also details the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation’s commitments to capacity building, nonprofit workforce pay and benefits, leader wellness, and innovative approaches such as enterprise capital. She argues that investing in nonprofit people is essential to nonprofit sustainability and impact. Her message is clear: a strong democracy depends on a strong, well-resourced nonprofit workforce. Philanthropy must choose to lead boldly in this moment.

Download an edited transcript of this episode⁠

This is part 2 of our 2-part Season 8 Finalé. Check out part 1, a conversation with Andrea Levere of Capitalize Good (S8:E12), from December 10, 2025.

Guest Bio:

Sherece Y. West-Scantlebury, PhD, is a nationally recognized equity advocate and transformational leader whose career spans housing advocacy in New York City to executive roles at some of the Southeast’s most prominent foundations. For nearly two decades, she has led the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, where she will retire at the end of 2025, after previously serving as the founding CEO of the Foundation for Louisiana and at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Known for speaking life into leaders and organizations, Sherece brings deep expertise in public policy, strategic philanthropy, and program design. She is also the founder of Executive West Coaching & Consulting, where she supports women leaders and leaders of color with a trusted space to think clearly, lead with courage, and align leadership with their values and vision.

Related Episodes:

• ​Enterprise Capital: A Framework for Sustainable Nonprofits - with Andrea Levere (S8:E12)
• ​Lowering Our 'Revenue Risk,' with Gretchen Upholt, BDO (S8:E11)
• ​'Silence Isolates, Solidarity Shields,' with Tonya Allen, McKnight Foundation (S8:E7)

Links to Resources Discussed in the Episode:

• ​Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation
• ​Fund the People
• ​Annie E. Casey Foundation
• ​Foundation for Louisiana
• ​Capitalize Good
• ​United for ALICE (ALICE: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed)
• ​ALICE in the Nonprofit Workforce
• ​Enterprise Capital Explainer
• ​Capacity Building in Philanthropy
• ​MIT Living Wage Calculator
• ​Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow
• ​Audre Lorde (referenced on silence and complicity)