Liberty Hill Foundation Strengthens Executive Leadership to Support Long-Term Strategy, Philanthropy and Community Impact

LOS ANGELES — As it approaches its 50th anniversary, Liberty Hill Foundation announced today the expansion of its executive leadership team to strengthen the organization's infrastructure and advance its mission for supporting grassroots organizing in LA county during this critical moment in history.

Liberty Hill has appointed Manal J. Aboelata as Chief Program Officer, Nisha Randhava as Chief Advancement Officer, and Corey Matthews as Chief Strategy Officer — a newly created role designed to strengthen integration and alignment across the organization’s strategy, programs, and cross-sector external engagement with civic, business, academic, and community stakeholders.

These leadership additions come at a time when community-based organizations across Los Angeles are being asked to respond to overlapping crises—from climate disasters to threats to democracy—often operating with limited and fragmented resources. As a result, Liberty Hill is investing in the leadership and infrastructure required to strengthen grassroots power, align philanthropy, and support long-term, community-led solutions.

“This moment requires philanthropy to operate differently,” said Shane Murphy Goldsmith, President and CEO of Liberty Hill Foundation. “Building people-powered change at the scale our communities need demands strategic partnership across movements, alignment across funders, and long-term investment in community-rooted leadership and policy change. These leadership additions position Liberty Hill to both deepen our impact and contribute to a more coordinated, effective philanthropic ecosystem in Los Angeles.”

Strengthening Programmatic and Movement Infrastructure

As Chief Program Officer, Manal J. Aboelata will lead Liberty Hill’s Movement Infrastructure Department, overseeing grantmaking, capacity-building, and government partnerships that enable grassroots organizations to win, sustain gains, and build long-term power. Her portfolio includes internal initiatives such as the Wally Marks Leadership Institute, and external programs such as the organization’s Fund for Change grant making program, Ready to Rise, and Stay Housed LA.

Aboelata brings more than two decades of experience advancing health equity, racial justice, and community-centered systems change. Most recently, she served as Managing Director at The California Endowment, where she led Inclusive Community Development strategies statewide and supported community-driven grantmaking across Los Angeles. Prior to that, Aboelata was Deputy Executive Director at Prevention Institute, where she spent nearly 20 years advancing policies and building collaborations to improve conditions for community health.

Expanding Philanthropic Capacity

As Chief Advancement Officer, Nisha Randhava will lead Liberty Hill’s Advancement Department, overseeing individual donor fundraising, donor engagement & organizing, the Upton Sinclair Dinner, Donor Advised Funds and Giving Circles, and long-term fundraising growth. She will work to deepen relationships with existing supporters while building pathways to engage new donors seeking to invest in progressive, movement-driven change.

Randhava previously held senior fundraising leadership roles at The Nature Conservancy, the ACLU of Southern California, and the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE), where she helped align philanthropy with long-term social justice outcomes.

Aligning Strategy and External Engagement

In the newly created role of Chief Strategy Officer, Corey Matthews will strengthen alignment across Liberty Hill’s organizational strategies and external engagement. In this increasingly complex funding landscape, cross-sector collaboration has become essential to create monumental impact and drive systems change. His role is designed to bring cohesion across the foundation’s work with philanthropic institutions, civic leaders, and cross-sector partners.

Matthews joins Liberty Hill from JPMorgan Chase, where he served as a Vice President of Global Philanthropy and led regional grantmaking strategies focused on economic inclusion, affordable housing, and workforce development. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer of Community Coalition in South Los Angeles.

Positioning for the Next 50 Years

As Liberty Hill approaches its 50th anniversary, these leadership appointments reflect not only an investment in organizational capacity, but a commitment to helping shape the next era of social justice philanthropy in Los Angeles, one grounded in trust, coordination, and long-term partnership with community leaders and peer funders alike. Together, the expanded executive team will support Liberty Hill’s mission to advance justice by investing in grassroots power, strengthening movement infrastructure, and ensuring Los Angeles communities have the resources and support needed to thrive.