Who We Are
Members, Leadership & Staff
At its heart, WGA is a membership organization.
Our Members elect officers, decide where monies are spent, and what kind of organization they’d like to have. WGA Committees carry out this substantial work. Our Leadership, Operating Board and The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida guide and support our efforts, directed by our Governance documents. Guided by the principle “one Member, one vote”, we all have equal say and the same opportunities to become involved.
Meet Our Members, Leadership & Staff
Pictured (left to right): Sabeen Perwaiz, WGA President, and Isaiah M. Oliver, TCF President
Members
Everything begins with our Members! Click here to see a list of Members that contributed to last year’s grants pool. To access the complete Member Directory, log into the Member Portal for names and contact information.
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Leadership Team
Sabeen Perwaiz, President
Sabeen Perwaiz is President & CEO of Florida Nonprofit Alliance where she strengthens, promotes and advocates on behalf of Florida’s nonprofit sector. Since joining WGA in 2015, she has served as Education Co-Chair, Delores Barr Weaver Fellow and a member of the Diversity taskforce. An avid volunteer, she has also led the all-volunteer team for TEDxJacksonville since 2012. She is a graduate of Leadership Jacksonville and Leadership Florida Connect. She serves on the board of directors of National Council of Nonprofits and The United Way of Northeast Florida. Perwaiz has been named an Aspen Ideas Scholar, Woman of Influence, Athena International Young Professional, 40 under 40 and a National Business Journal Influencer. She has also received a One Jax Humanitarian award. Sabeen earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and pre-medicine from City College of New York and her master’s in International Development from the University of Birmingham in the UK. An avid traveler, Sabeen has visited over 42 countries and hopes to visit at least 100 in her lifetime.
Kirsten Martino, President-Elect
Kirsten Martino is the Chief Brand Officer and an owner of Bono’s Pit Bar-B-Q and Home Team Restaurant Group. Kirsten graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1998 with a B.S. in Economics and Engineering Science. Kirsten is a dedicated member of the Women’s Giving Alliance of Northeast Florida, which combines her passion for helping women and girls with her love of the Jacksonville community. Kirsten has served in many roles at WGA, including an evaluation team volunteer and the Evaluation team Co-Chair. She currently serves as the Grants Leadership Team Co-Chair and sits on the WGA Executive board. Kirsten is also an executive committee member of the UNF Student Affairs Community Council and a graduate of the Weaver Philanthropic Initiative at the Community Foundation. Kirsten’s passions include hiking, skiing, volunteering, and traveling the world with her family. Kirsten is a proud Jacksonville native and currently resides in Ponte Vedra Beach with her husband, Josh, and their three daughters, Ella, Chase and Mae.
Melissa Shrader, Vice President, Membership
Melissa is the Director of Learning Partnerships for YPO, a global community of 33,000 chief executives from 150+ countries unified around the common belief the world needs better leaders. Melissa has led her globally distributed team in optimizing multi-year relationships with notable global brands (EY, Goldman Sachs, DLA Piper, UBS, Salesforce, Mayo Clinic, etc.). To date, this has resulted in the design of over 400 virtual and in-person immersive learning events for executives and has impacted the 22 million employees and US$9 trillion in annual company revenues those executives represent.
Community involvement for Melissa includes the World Affairs Council, Women’s Giving Alliance and Year Up. Melissa is a Jacksonville native and hails from the University of Central Florida where she received a B.A. in Advertising/Public Relations and a M.A. in Interpersonal Communication. She has supported her entrepreneurial husband Cory Shrader, CFA, CFP, CMT in founding Black Creek Wealth Management and is actively raising two teens in Fleming Island.
A deeper dive into Melissa’s professional and community experience, including references and shared thought leadership, is viewable at linkedin.com/in/melissashrader
Tina Wirth, Vice President, Governance/DEI
Tina is founder and principal consultant at Wirth Works LLC, a management practice focused on hands-on solutions for nonprofits. Current and recent clients include Partnership for Child Health, Downtown Ecumenical Services Council (DESC), United Way of Northeast Florida, Here Tomorrow, Duval County Public Schools, Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, LIFT JAX, City Year, READ USA and many others. Her career spans more than 25 years in economic development, workforce development and nonprofit leadership in roles as both staff and board, including leading workforce and education initiatives at the JAX Chamber and Charleston Chamber for more than 15 years and in board leadership at JASMYN, Leadership Jacksonville, Cathedral Arts Project, City Year Jacksonville and the Women’s Giving Alliance, where she has co-chaired the Grants Leadership Team and served on Grants Decision prior to her current role as VP for Governance & Inclusion.
She is founder of JAX Leaders & Allies, a collaborative of nonprofit and civic leaders formed in Fall 2022 in response to a legislative and cultural climate negatively impacting services to the LGBTQ community in Northeast Florida. She is also proud founding member of 904WARD, begun 10 years ago to foster truth and reconciliation around race and racism and whose work is more important than ever. She and her wife Carrie, both UNF Osprey alums, are at the mercy of their sweet pups and enjoy travel, cooking and laughter with friends.
Karen Mayfield, Secretary
Karen B. Mayfield, CFP®, CTFA. Karen Mayfield is a Senior Wealth Advisor with Truist Bank, offering high-net-worth clients more than 25 years of financial services that include complex estate and financial planning, and investment management. Karen is a Registered Representative, Truist Investment Services, Inc., Investment Adviser Representative, Truist Advisory Services, Inc. She has a Bachelor of Science University of Tampa | 1998-2002. Mayfield serves on the boards of the Women’s Giving Alliance, Brooks YMCA Advisory Board, and the Estate Planning Council of NE Florida. She is active in Leadership Florida and the Baptist Advisory Committee, a past president of Leadership Jacksonville, and a sustaining member of the Junior League.
Mary Coleman, Treasurer/Finance
Mary was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. After graduating from a local high school she attended Florida State University, and earned a Bachelors of Science degree. Upon graduating from FSU, Mary was hired by the US Treasury, IRS Division and returned to Jacksonville. She spent 15 years in the civil examination division and 20 years in the Criminal Investigation Division as a Special Agent. Always one to enjoy outdoor adventures and travel, Mary sailed a 42 foot Tayana across the Atlantic Ocean in 1999, has rafted down the Colorado River and snow skied out west and in Europe. More recently Mary has enjoyed the challenges of high altitude hiking and camping in Peru, Tanzania, Nepal and Alaska. And there is more adventure to come! After retirement from the federal government, Mary has served on the board and finance committees for First Coast No More Homeless Pets, Lutheran Social Services, Women’s Center of Jacksonville, The St Johns Riverkeeper, Master Gardener Program Duval County. Mary has served on the finance committee and grants review committee for WGA.
Operating Board
The 2026 Operating Board includes: Sabeen Perwaiz, Tina Wirth, Melissa Shrader, Karen Mayfield, Mary Coleman, Sheila Collier, Elizabeth Gainer, Kirsten Martino, Tammi McGriff, Trina Medarev, Teresa Nichols, Sarah Parker, Joni Poitier, Susan Rodgers, Jennifer Ryan
The Operating Board is responsible for establishing the strategic direction and management of WGA. The Operating Board consists of:
- WGA Officers (President, Vice President of Governance/DEI, Vice President of Membership, Secretary and Treasurer)
- Chairs/Co-Chairs of Standing Committees
- Members At Large
- Staff and Consultants of The Community Foundation (TCF)
Log in to the Member Portal for a complete list of Steering Committee Members and their contact information.
Learn more about our committees here.
The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida
As a collective giving initiative of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, WGA is supported by the professional staff of the Foundation, including the WGA Director, Nikki Sabol. Learn more about the vital role of the Foundation in WGA’s work and operations.
The Community Foundation staff provides operational support and technical expertise to the Women’s Giving Alliance.
Governance Documents
Two fundamental documents govern WGA: the Member-approved Bylaws and the WGA/TCF Operating Agreement. They are reviewed regularly and approved by the Steering Committee. WGA also practices active, regularly renewed strategic planning to guide the organization’s efforts.