In late summer, the NCAN board of directors voted to appoint Mr. Jarian Kerekes and Ms. Caroline Altman Smith to its ranks. NCAN members then voted to approve the appointments during the 2021 membership meeting.
Jarian Kerekes
Mr. Kerekes serves as the head of Equitable Foundation and Social Impact. In this role, he is responsible for the overall social impact strategy, partnership programs, and engagements in alignment with Equitable’s Environmental, Social, and Governance
(ESG) goals and objectives of being a force for good. Mr. Kerekes joined Equitable after serving as the senior vice president of Team Member Philanthropy at Wells Fargo where his responsibilities included managing an enterprise-wide strategy supporting
volunteerism programs that provided opportunities for employees to make positive impacts in their communities.
Prior to Wells Fargo, Mr. Kerekes served as the senior director of corporate social responsibility at TIAA where he managed the launch and execution of the TIAA Serves platform, led the development of the Fortune 100’s community outreach initiatives,
and created a best-in-class volunteer council in key markets that include Charlotte and New York. In 2018, as TIAA celebrated its centennial year, Mr. Kerekes helped lead the company's outreach during the 100 Days of Difference, a milestone event
where over 9,000 employee volunteers were engaged in local communities.
Before joining TIAA, Kerekes worked at the National Basketball Association (NBA) as the director of social responsibility where he managed the NBA Cares brand and key platforms in conjunction with the league's global marketing partners.
In 2017, Mr. Kerekes was named as one of the Charlotte Business Journal’s 40 under 40 recipients for his leadership and impact in the Charlotte community. He also currently serves on the board of SHARE Charlotte.
Mr. Kerekes holds a master’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech.
Caroline Altman Smith
Ms. Altman Smith is the deputy director of the Kresge Foundation’s Education Program. She supports the team’s domestic grantmaking, which funds higher education institutions and national nonprofit organizations that work to help more underserved students
enter and succeed in postsecondary education.
Before joining Kresge in 2008, Ms. Altman Smith served for five years as a program officer at the Lumina Foundation in Indianapolis where she worked to create opportunities for students from low-income backgrounds, students from minoritized groups, and
first-generation students to enter college and complete their undergraduate degrees.
Ms. Altman Smithis an instructor for The Grantmaking School at Grand Valley State University, previously chaired the Grantmakers for Education and Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy boards, and currently serves on the boards of the Council of Michigan Foundations and the National Council of Nonprofits.
A graduate of the University of Virginia, Ms. Altman Smith holds a master’s degree in philanthropic studies and a certificate in nonprofit management from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University.
Outgoing Board Member
NCAN would also like to thank Mr. Ricardo Torres, this year’s outgoing member of the board of directors. Mr. Torres is the CEO of the National Student Clearinghouse and served on NCAN’s board of directors for an incredible nine-year term.
NCAN thanks Mr. Torres for nearly a decade of service, guidance, and leadership.
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