Meet the Grantmakers - May 10, 2023

Mark Wm. Johnson, Executive Director, Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC), St. Paul, MN

Mark Johnson is a native Minnesotan and has served as the Executive Director of Minnesota’s Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC) since 2014. His prior employment included 24 years working with Conservation Nonprofit organizations and 8 years in his own business as an animal health and farm management consultant.

Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council​​​​​​ is a council of the Minnesota Legislature that makes recommendations for grant funding exceeding $100M annually for projects to restore, enhance, and protect habitat for fish, game, and wildlife in Minnesota. “This is a dream job,” said Mark. “I get to be part of restoring, enhancing and protecting Minnesota’s woods, waters, prairies, and wetland resources so 200 years from now they will be available for critters to live in and for people to enjoy. What could be better than that?”

Jacquelyn Lendsey, Interim President and CEO, Washington Area Women's Foundation, Washington, D.C.

Washington Area Women’s Foundation is a community-supported foundation that invests in the power of women and girls of color in the Washington, DC region by opening doors to opportunity, safety and security through grantmaking and advocacy.

Jackie has 25+ years’ experience leading nonprofit organizations. Since 2012, she’s served as an interim executive professional, guiding organizations through transition. Her expertise includes managing operations, communications and government and community relations, Board governance and education, grants management, program development and advocacy/public policy.

Ms. Lendsey served as Interim Executive Director of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute; Interim Director of the Student National Medical Association, and, Interim President/CEO of Voices for America’s Children. She served as consultant/executive director for the Black Philanthropic Alliance, a network of African American professionals who strengthen the Black community in the Washington, DC region. As Vice President for Programs and Communications at the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation Jackie was responsible for leading all programs and communications including $18 million in annual grantmaking and special initiatives.

Jeff Yost, President and CEO, Nebraska Community Foundation, Lincoln, NE

Jeff Yost, President and CEO of Nebraska Community Foundation, and his talented team are unleashing abundant local assets, inspiring charitable giving, and connecting ambitious people in 275 hometowns in 83 of Nebraska’s 93 counties. Yost has dedicated the past 25 years of his career to NCF’s mission and asset-based philosophies. Since 1994 NCF and its affiliated funds have reinvested $463 million in Nebraska hometowns.

Prior to NCF, Jeff worked for the State of Nebraska in the governor’s office. Yost is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and has served on many boards and advisory councils, including the University of Nebraska President's Advisory Council, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and the Council on Foundations. Yost has taught and provided consulting throughout the United States and internationally in 15 countries. Yost and NCF have been featured in numerous publications including Nonprofit Quarterly, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, and The New York Times. He pens a monthly column that is published in newspapers across Nebraska.