Steff Clothier serves as a Director on the Philanthropy team at Gary, directing activities in the School Readiness outcome area. She develops and manages investments and solutions strategies to promote school readiness in areas such as healthy births, children’s early skills and family support and a portfolio around early learning focused on preschool and child care.
Steff’s career spans a variety of social change strategies including philanthropy, innovation, state policy, national policy efforts, student and community organizing and campaigns covering issues including early childhood, poverty and welfare reform and environmental issues. She’s happiest thinking of new ideas with diverse thinkers and bringing them to life.
Prior to joining Gary, she was Senior Policy Director for the Alliance for Early Success, providing strategic support to state and national organizations. For nearly a decade, Steff led early care and education initiatives with state legislatures as program director with the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). She led legislative efforts on welfare reform in the late 90’s and early 2000s and prior to that was part of the founding team of Green Corps, the field school for environmental organizing. Hobbies include spending time with trees, hiking, paddleboarding, tennis and getting out into nature in her VW camper.
Share Your Ideas
I would like to see business people try to solve social problems with the same imagination and energy they use to finance a factory or make a deal. Don’t call it philanthropy; call it corporate social investment. Make it integral to business.