Foundation Staff

Carrie Summy was selected as President and CEO in August, 2025 after holding the position on an interim basis for six months. Carrie joined the Foundation in 2016, and has served in a variety of roles to increase charitable giving to and through the Foundation, addressing socio-economic issues with philanthropic resources, leadership, and advocacy. In her tenure with the Foundation, she re-developed and executed its community leadership program, was a member of the strategic planning leadership team to reassess the Foundation’s purpose and mission, worked collectively to fundraise and distribute over $1 million in COVID relief funds, and worked on the Foundation’s Community Voices report, an assessment of structural racial barriers and challenges community members face in the west Cook County region. Carrie is a longtime River Forest resident, has four children and serves on the boards of Wonder Works Children’s Museum and the Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce. She has a habit of trying to learn new competitive sports – from roller derby to tennis – and enjoys hiking and camping with her family in the great outdoors.

Sheryl Martin serves as the Chief Financial Officer where she oversees all financial, investment, human resources, IT and facility responsibilities of the organization. She works directly with external investment managers and the Foundation’s investment committee to oversee the $50 million in Foundation invested assets as well as $34 million in investments for a private foundation for whom the Foundation serves as co-trustee. Sheryl joined the Foundation in 2014. Previously, Sheryl was the VP of Talent Management and Human Capital at a tax consulting and business advisory professional services firm. The majority of her professional career was spent at Motorola, Inc. where for 26 years she held various accounting, finance and talent management roles. Sheryl started her career in public accounting after receiving her bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She completed post-graduate coursework at the University of Chicago, and is a registered CPA. Sheryl volunteered on the Board of Directors of Sarah’s Inn, a domestic violence agency serving western Cook County, for nine years. She and her husband David live in Oak Park where they raised their three children. She spends most of her free time on a tennis or pickle ball court or watching Tennis Channel.

Anne Sullivan is the Foundation’s Grants Manager, supporting the administration and management of the Community Foundation’s grants and scholarship programs, and maintaining the integrity of the donor and grants database. She serves as the Foundation’s primary connection to schools and students on behalf of our Scholarship Funds. Anne previously worked at Dominican University where she supported the University’s Honors Program through program management, student advising, and logistical support. Anne has worked in the wealth management industry, higher education, and been involved in the OP-RF community for the past 30 years. She uses all these experiences in her work at the Community Foundation to help the Foundation change communities and lives for the better. Anne has an MBA in Finance from DePaul and a BA in American Studies from Notre Dame. In her free time, she likes playing tennis (really all racket sports), reading, satisfying her wanderlust, and spending time with her family and friends.

Brian Biederman is a nonprofit builder and executive with 15 years of experience turning bold ideas into funded, high-impact programs. Known for his positivity, sharp listening, and creative problem-solving, Brian excels at translating community and stakeholder insight into actionable strategy. A natural coalition builder, Brian is equally at home in boardrooms, libraries, and high school band rooms. He has built a career rallying schools, funders, corporations, and volunteers around shared missions, anchored by clear metrics and open communication. Skilled in fundraising, grant stewardship, and data-driven operations, his strength lies in forging communities that move together to deliver measurable, sustainable impact.

Samantha Siers brings extensive programmatic, philanthropic, and development experience to the Foundation. She started her career as a teacher, and through teaching at a school that ran a community center, fell in love with nonprofits. She has designed capacity-building and grantmaking programs and led community-building programs for University of Chicago students, where she also studied and was selected as an Obama Scholar. Prior to joining the Foundation, she worked as a Senior Giving Officer with Wayfarer Pathways, where she designed the grantmaking infrastructure for a national $25M philanthropic entity focused on addressing racism and empowering women and girls in Black, Indigenous and Immigrant communities. At the Wayfarer Foundation, she developed a capacity building department, where she introduced flagship programs including sabbaticals and succession planning for nonprofit founders. As a Change Collective Fellow, she published a civic action plan to close the funding gap for Indigenous nonprofits through culturally rooted capacity building programming. Samantha lives in Oak Park with her husband and two children.

Daniela Bovio is the finance director for the Foundation. She previously served as finance manager for the Women’s Global Education Project for more than a decade. Earlier in her career she was a financial and administrative associate with the Environmental Law & Policy Center, and handled fiscal operations for the El Valor Corporation. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Andrés Bello Catholic University in Venezuela and an MBA from Edgewood University in Madison, WI. She lives in Oak Park with her husband and daughter. In her spare time, she enjoys learning about nutrition and gluten-free cooking, and can be found salsa dancing at Latin Street.

Sabrina Canchola is the Foundation’s office manager, overseeing daily operations and keeping the Foundation running smoothly and efficiently. She manages office systems, vendor relationships, scheduling, and administrative processes to ensure synergy across our workflows and high quality service for donors, partners, and community members. Before joining the Foundation, Sabrina served as a program manager and leader for youth development and education centered organizations across Chicago, including The Bloc and Bottom Line. She holds a master’s degree in Social Sector Leadership and Nonprofit Management from the University of Chicago, and has extensive experience in youth program operations, volunteer and alumni engagement, and data-informed decision-making. Rooted in grassroots values that have shaped her experiences growing up in Chicago, she is driven by a love for people, programs, and the neighborhoods that raised her. Outside of work, she enjoys biking, being outdoors, getting crafty, watching good TV, and spending lots of time with her twin niece and nephew.