Staff

Emily Tow (she/her/hers) is president of The Tow Foundation. She joined the Foundation’s Board of Directors at its inception in 1988 and has been leading the foundation since 1995.

An innovator and changemaker, Emily leads with the Foundation with a highly collaborative approach. Under Emily’s leadership, the Foundation has developed and advanced its vision of a society where all people have the opportunity to enjoy a high quality of life and have a voice in their community. Emily oversees the strategic direction of the Foundation through cultivating its collaborative efforts, shaping major initiatives, and setting long-term objectives. 

Emily is currently a trustee of  New York Public Radio. She was appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo to the New York State Juvenile Justice Advisory Group and also serves on the Advisory Committee of the American Theatre Wing. Emily advances the Foundation’s priorities through her engagement with numerous local, state and national committees and coalitions. She is also an active member of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations and Exponent Philanthropy, former chair of Philanthropy New York, and a former 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. Nadia serves on the advisory board of Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, is a Co-Chair of the Technology Association of Grantmakers (TAG)’s DEI Working Group 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) joined The Tow Foundation team as operations coordinator in November 2020. In her role, Jessica works closely with the director of operations on administration, project management and logistical support. Her core responsibilities include managing schedules and organizing operational needs for internal projects.

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.

Sean Cade (he/him/his) is the grants manager and Salesforce administrator for The Tow Foundation. Previously, Sean was a administrator for Hearst Magazine Media and Fortune Magazine.

Sean works closely with the program, finance and executive teams to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the Foundation’s grantmaking procedures. He is the primary project manager for the Foundation’s grant milestones and deliverables. He also collaborates with the program and finance teams to ensure the Foundation is in compliance with regulatory and legal grantmaking requirements. As the Salesforce administrator, Sean manages the Foundation’s information systems and reporting tools to ensure we capture, analyze and preserve the integrity of data across the organization.

Sean is a volunteer Salesforce instructor with PepUp Tech, a nonprofit that inspires underrepresented people in the tech industry to learn about computer science, Salesforce and careers in tech. In his free time, Sean collects New York City subway memorabilia. He has over 100 maps, signs, tokens, straphangers, and other vintage items.

Sean is an alumnus of PepUp Tech and Monroe College.

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.