Name: Bryna Lipper

Pronouns: She/Her

Title: Chief Executive Officer of the Humboldt Area Foundation

Bryna Lipper is passionate about helping communities, organizations, and governments deliver meaningful impact amidst social, political, and environmental change. She is a skilled strategist and facilitator, counseling global leaders about decision-making, complexity, and dynamic scenario planning. At the same time, Bryna is equally devoted to empowering and enabling local leaders and stakeholders to mobilize, participate, and collaborate for common good.

Bryna has held leadership roles in government, non-profit, and private sector organizations dedicated to civic, social, cultural, and environmental progress. In her role as Co-Founder and Senior Vice President for 100 Resilient Cities by the Rockefeller Foundation, Bryna led the formation of its urban resilience practice, global network, and governmental relationships. The organization was created to enable cities to adapt to 21st century challenges. During her tenure, this work reshaped the policies, governance, and politics of cities within 47 nations. Prior to that, she was the (Acting) Director of Philanthropic Research and Initiatives for the Office of International and Philanthropic Innovation (IPI) at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), where she led strategies to spur philanthropic partnerships, promote policy innovation, increase aligned investments, and conduct comparative international research. Her experience also includes roles as Vice President for Marketing, Communications, and Government Affairs at the National Building Museum; co-founder of the Global Studio—a non-profit organization encouraging design students and building professionals to serve in vulnerable communities; and Vice President of a creative agency in California. Bryna was named to the prestigious Loeb Fellowship at Harvard University in 2018. She holds a Bachelor of Design in Architecture from the University of Sydney and a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She was a Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities PLACES Fellow and awarded the Advancement for Architecture prize for her work with design students, policy-makers and the public in Australia envisioning the future of Sydney.

Bryna is a certified yoga instructor and avid hiker. She recently completed a summer of solo camping, hiking, and enjoying the beautiful nature of many of America’s national forests and parks. She is proud companion to Finn, a rescue dog from Tennessee.