Staff

Emily Tow (she/her/hers) is the president of The Tow Foundation, a family foundation that envisions a society where all people have a voice in their community and the opportunity to enjoy a high quality of life. Emily joined the Foundation’s Board of Directors at its inception in 1988 and has served as the Foundation’s president since 1995.

Under Emily’s leadership, what started simply as a way for her family to give back to the community has grown into a well-established organization of 11 staff, approximately $220 million in assets and over $20 million in annual giving. In her role as president, Emily upholds the Tow legacy by advancing the strategic direction of the Foundation and engaging the next generation of family members in the work.

Emily’s commitment to the Foundation’s areas of focus extends far beyond her role as president. She is a trustee of New York Public Radio and The Marshall Project and serves on the Advisory Committee of the American Theatre Wing. She was appointed by New York’s governor to serve on the New York State Juvenile Justice Advisory Group. Emily advances the Foundation’s justice priorities through her engagement with numerous other local, state and national committees and coalitions. Emily also formerly served as board chair of Philanthropy New York and as a trustee of Barnard College.

Emily speaks nationally and internationally about the Foundation’s work, its commitment to advocacy as a key to achieving social change, and the value of family philanthropy. She has received numerous honors and awards, including Connecticut Council for Philanthropy’s John H. Filer Award for leadership in promoting private action for the public good.

Emily earned her B.A. in history from Barnard College. She received an honorary Doctor of Criminal Justice degree from University of New Haven in 2017.

Nadia Alia (she/her/hers) is director of operations of The Tow Foundation. She is responsible for all aspects of the Foundation’s operations, grants and relationship management systems, and facilities. In her role, Nadia also oversees information technology and legal counsel. She works closely with the President to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the Foundation’s day-to-day operations.

Nadia joined the Foundation in 2013 as its grants manager. Prior to joining the Foundation, she was the manager of member services at Philanthropy New York. A board member for Technology Association of Grantmakers (TAG), Nadia serves as the chair of TAG’s fundraising committee and co-chair of its DEI working group. She also serves on the advisory board of Rattlestick Playwrights Theater and is an active member of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO).

In her spare time, Nadia volunteers for her local NAACP chapter and the Sustainable Port Chester Alliance, a grassroots coalition of community members safeguarding human and civil rights in Port Chester, NY. Nadia earned a B.A. in Political Science from Pace University.

Jessica Avellino (she/her/hers) is executive assistant to The Tow Foundation’s president and board of directors. Initially hired in November 2020 as operations coordinator, Jessica transitioned to her current role as executive assistant in July 2021.

Reporting directly to the president, Jessica plays a critical role in supporting the Foundation’s president and board of directors through administrative and project management support to ensure the Foundation’s business and decision-making are effective and efficient. is also serving as the interim executive assistant to the chairman.

Prior to her work with the Foundation, Jessica was the events coordinator at Accessories Council, a nonprofit international trade organization. Jessica also sits on the board of the Taylor Matthews Foundation, a nonprofit organization funding pediatric cancer research, and helps with its digital marketing and fundraising efforts. In her free time, Jessica loves reading, composing music and watching MasterChef.

Jessica graduated from Elon University in May 2020 with a B.S. in music production and recording arts and a minor in business administration.

Magdalena Cwintal (she/her/hers) is the accountant of The Tow Foundation. She joined the Foundation in 2019. Previously, Magdalena was an accountant for Jornik Manufacturing Corporation and Law Offices.

Magdalena is responsible for the Foundation’s day-to-day accounting functions, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timeliness in the processing and reporting of the Foundation’s finances. She also prepares the Foundation’s financial statements and administers its expenses.

Magdalena is currently a member of the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers. She also actively volunteers as a teacher for the Stamford Polish Saturday School, part of Polish Supplemental School Association, helping community members learn Polish as a second language.

Magdalena earned a B.S. degree in business management and an M.A. in American studies from Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland.

Beeta Jahedi (she/her/hers) is the chief of staff of The Tow Foundation. She joined the Foundation in March 2017 as its director of strategy and communications. Prior to joining the Foundation, she was the senior director of learning and programs at San Diego Grantmakers.

Beeta is responsible for amplifying the visibility of the Foundation’s work to address critical social issues in the areas of justice reform, medical innovation, higher education, and cultural institutions as well as actively engaging external audiences on solutions.  She is also responsible for researching and implementing strategies to accelerate the Foundation’s impact through collaboration, targeted communication, strategic planning, and engagement with external partners in key communities and with the public at large.

Beeta is vice president of the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation Board of Directors. She was previously a co-leader of ComNetwork New York, chair of the Junior Board for Girls Inc. of New York City and a screening committee member for the Human Rights Watch Film Festival.

Beeta is currently pursuing an Ed.D in adult learning and leadership through AEGIS at Columbia University. She earned her M.P.A. in public policy and nonprofit management and administration from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University and her B.A. in gender studies from Bard College at Simon’s Rock, an early college.

Susan Ransden (she/her/hers) is the director of finance and administration at The Tow Foundation.  She joined the Foundation in June 2015.  Previously, Susan was a director at the accounting firm Deloitte Tax LLP, where she specialized in tax and financial planning for high-net-worth families and their entities.

Susan supports the goals and objectives of The Foundation through financial, human resource and administrative management. She is involved in a range of internal initiatives, including building and managing effective and streamlined financial systems. She helps implement the Foundation’s investment strategy through her work with both the Board’s Investment Committee and investment managers. She is also responsible for ensuring that all grantee partners are in financial compliance to receive funding.

Susan is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Connecticut Society of CPAs. She is also an active volunteer in the Boy Scouts of America, serving in various leadership roles within the local Boy Scout troop and Cub Scout pack.

Susan earned her B.S. in accountancy from Villanova University and holds a CPA license from the State of Connecticut.

Diane Sierpina (she/her/hers) joined The Tow Foundation in 1998 and currently serves as the director of justice initiatives. Prior to joining the Foundation, Diane was a newspaper and magazine journalist covering government, politics, and social issues. Diane is primarily responsible for the Foundation’s criminal justice reform strategy and investments, which average more than $5 million a year.

Diane has been an advocate of evidence-based, youth-centered justice system reform in Connecticut, New York and nationally for more than 20 years. She holds leadership roles with Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance, Strengthening Organizing Work in Connecticut (SOW) Funders Group, New York Youth Justice Initiative, Justice Reform Working Group of Philanthropy New York, and Youth Transition Funders Group (YTFG). Diane is a steering committee member of YTFG, board member of Connecticut Council for Philanthropy (CCP) and was a founding chair of CCP’s Program Officers Network.  In May 2017, Diane was honored by her peers with CCP’s Martha S. Newman Award in recognition of her exemplary service to the philanthropic sector in the state.

Diane earned a B.S. in journalism summa cum laude from Boston University.

Hope Tow-Jackson (she/her/hers) is the communications intern at The Tow Foundation. She joined the Foundation in June 2019.

Hope is assisting with special communications projects, including cataloging and preserving the Foundation’s archives.

Hope is passionate about the use of history in explaining the development of present-day societal issues in order to incite change. She worked as a curatorial intern at the Brooklyn Museum, where she worked explored archives behind the scenes in order to create exhibits that bring important historical events to life.

Hope is currently pursuing her B.A. in history at New York University.

Eileen Wiseman (she/her/hers) is the director of strategic initiatives of The Tow Foundation. She joined the Foundation in August 2015. Previously, she was the director of development at Long Wharf Theater and the executive director at the Westport Arts Center.

Eileen’s experience creating collaborative projects and multi-disciplinary programs will help advance the Foundation’s cross-disciplinary projects and vision. Eileen oversees and manages the Foundation’s strategic initiatives portfolio, which averages more than $9.5 million a year, and is responsible for leading the portfolio’s strategy and investments in medical innovation, higher education and cultural institutions. Eileen collaborates with the Foundation’s chairman, executive director and director of justice programs to leverage the impact of existing grants and ensures that new projects and relationships align with the Foundation’s over-arching strategic goals.

Eileen has served as a panelist at the National Endowment for the Arts and the CT Commission on the Arts. She was an active member of the Fairfield County’s Community Foundation’s arts committee. Eileen is looking forward to being an active member to various philanthropic associations and forging strong relationships with grantee and grantmaking partners with similar commitments in the Foundation’s priority funding areas.

Eileen received her B.A. in history from Trinity College.

Ryan Yoch (he/him/his) is the communications associate for The Tow Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2020, Ryan was an assistant account executive at McCann New York, where he helped create and implement multimedia advertising campaigns.

As the communications associate, Ryan is responsible for developing, executing and supporting strategic communications and other activities to advance The Tow Foundation’s goals and objectives. Working closely with the Foundation’s staff, consultants, grantee partners and media representatives, Ryan captures, shares and promotes information, stories and lessons learned from the Foundation’s areas of investment in Connecticut, New York and nationally.

Ryan is a steering committee member for the New York chapter of the Communications Network. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, commiserating with Minnesota sports fans and exploring the outdoors in his colorblind-correcting sunglasses.

A proud Hoya, Ryan graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University in 2019 with a B.A. in government and minors in business administration and Arabic.