Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation is excited to welcome Janna Oberdorf as our new Director of Communications. She joins a growing team committed both to deepening equity within the organization and to supporting organizations and leaders working to advance our vision of a more just and equitable New Jersey.
Janna (she/her/hers) comes to the Dodge Foundation with two decades of experience in communications and journalism, and 15 years of experience working in the social sector, with a focus on gender and racial equity. Most recently, Janna was the Vice President of External Affairs at Echoing Green, a nonprofit organization that invests in early-stage social entrepreneurs solving the world’s most pressing problems. In 2020, she successfully launched and led a $75M campaign, the Racial Equity Philanthropic Fund, with the goal of expanding investment to leaders of color across the country and around the world. Prior to Echoing Green, Janna was the Director of Communications and Advocacy for Women Deliver, a nonprofit organization that champions gender equality and the health and rights of girls and women, in all their intersecting identities.
In the Director of Communications role at the Dodge Foundation, Janna will guide the Foundation’s communications strategy, with a focus on centering racial justice. She will work to strengthen communication and engagement with community partners and with the broader field of philanthropy. Additionally, she will bring her expertise in narrative change to bolster our work to shift storylines about those most impacted by racial inequity and build cultural power to support justice and equity.
“Janna’s experience working at the intersection of communications and equity make it clear that she is well positioned to advance the Dodge Foundation’s vision for the future,” says Tanuja Dehne, the Dodge Foundation’s President and CEO. “She brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our work, but more importantly she shares the values of our organization and has a deep connection to New Jersey. We look forward to having her perspective as we strengthen our communications efforts and platforms to amplify the important work and impact of all our partners.”
Originally from New Jersey, Janna now lives in Maplewood, NJ with her husband and two children.
“I’m thrilled to join the Dodge Foundation at an important inflection point for the organization, and to join an organization that has both a legacy of impact and a bold vision for the future,” says Janna. “I have spent the last decade investing in and sharing the stories of nonprofit leaders who are positively impacting their communities, and I’m eager to connect that work to New Jersey and my home community.”
Janna joins the Dodge Foundation at a pivotal moment. In 2016, the Foundation began our equity journey in earnest, culminating in a strategic plan centered on a vision for an equitable New Jersey. As our organization moves forward to transform program priorities to focus on equity and justice, we are making an intentional commitment to strategic communications and engagement to bolster those efforts and to strengthen the Foundation’s ability to lift up the voices of community partners and their work.