One of the most well-known and influential national leaders in the nonprofit sector will share her expertise with the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and the central Indiana nonprofit community.
Diana Aviv, chief executive officer of Feeding America and former president and CEO of Independent Sector, will serve as Distinguished Visiting Practitioner and Visiting Fellow at the school through mid-2018.
Aviv will share reflections on her leadership experience in the nonprofit sector and explore key themes to advance the impact of civil society. Her expertise spans a wide range of philanthropy issues and governance topics, from collaboration within the nonprofit sector and with government to the organizational dynamics of national nonprofits with their regional affiliates and the impact of the sector's shifting dynamics on nonprofits' ability to fulfill their missions.
"As one of the foremost leaders in the nonprofit sector today, Diana Aviv brings a thought-provoking perspective, a wealth of knowledge and new, sometimes controversial, ideas to the table," said Amir Pasic, the Eugene R. Tempel Dean of the school. "We are pleased that she has agreed to share her insights with our students, our faculty and our community."
Since Oct. 1, 2015, Aviv has led Feeding America, a nationwide network of 200 food banks and 61,000 food pantries and meals programs. The Feeding America network provides more than 3.6 billion meals to more than 46 million people across the United States and supports programs that improve food security and stability for the families it serves.
Aviv served for 12 years at the helm of Independent Sector, the national leadership network for America's nonprofits, foundations and corporate giving programs. She also was executive director of the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector, which prepared recommendations on nonprofit governance, ethics and accountability.
"I am delighted to serve as a Visiting Fellow at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, a distinguished institution that is shaping the future of philanthropy and helping improve the lives of people across the globe," said Aviv.
Engaged with the school for many years, Aviv recently addressed The Fund Raising School's 2016 Leadership Roundtable at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. In 2015, she joined Emmett D. Carson, Ph.D., the school's then-Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Visiting Chair on Community Foundations, in a discussion hosted by the school on hot topics affecting nonprofits. School faculty and staff served on numerous Independent Sector committees during Aviv's tenure, including on the Expert Advisory Group to the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector.
Prior to leading Independent Sector, Aviv served as vice president for public policy and director of the Washington Action Office for the Jewish Federations of North America. She formerly was associate executive vice chair at the Jewish Council of Public Affairs, director of programs for the National Council of Jewish Women and director of a comprehensive program to serve battered women and their families.
Aviv is on the board of governors of the Partnership for Public Service and on the board of directors for the Southern Africa Legal Services Foundation. She is a member of the advisory boards of the Comptroller General at the Government Accountability Office, the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, and the Centers on the Public Service of George Mason University.
A native of South Africa, Aviv graduated with a B.S.W. from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and received a master's degree in social work at Columbia University.
About the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy is dedicated to improving philanthropy to improve the world by training and empowering students and professionals to be innovators and leaders who create positive and lasting change. The school offers a comprehensive approach to philanthropy-voluntary action for the public good-through its academic, research and international programs and through The Fund Raising School, Lake Institute on Faith & Giving and the Women's Philanthropy Institute. Follow us on Twitter @IUPhilanthropy or "Like" us on Facebook.