Elle Fersan is a strategist, systems builder, and donor organizer with more than two decades of executive leadership across philanthropy, government, academia, and international human rights. At the core of her philosophy is a belief that movements deserve infrastructure as bold, resilient, and visionary as the change they are driving — and that philanthropy, at its best, is the work of organizing communities of people of resource around movements for justice.
Elle currently serves on the Executive Team at Tides, a national philanthropic institution with $800M+ in assets, where as Chief Advancement Officer she was recruited to build the organization’s first integrated Advancement function — uniting fundraising, marketing, and communications as a single engine for progressive philanthropy. Before Tides, Elle served as Vice-President of Philanthropy at the East Bay Community Foundation, where she led trust-based philanthropic advising for a $300M+ donor portfolio that mobilized strategic grants to community priorities. She built engaged peer communities among EBCF’s donor-advised fund holders, deepening the foundation’s role as a community convener and movement-aligned grantmaker. Through fundraising in support of EBCF’s H-election strategy, she also helped expand the foundation’s capacity for lobbying-capable grantmaking.
Earlier in her career, Elle directed the University of Southern California’s Immigrants and Global Migration Initiative at Gould School of Law, integrating public education, resource mobilization, and coordinated advocacy into a single coherent response while repositioning USC as a trusted partner to immigration justice nonprofits and advocates. At the U.S. Department of State’s Embassy Beirut, she advised three U.S. ambassadors on human rights and civil society, co-architected the public affairs strategy that helped secure three major women’s rights legal reforms in Lebanon, and built a coalition of 12 allied foreign missions for the first comprehensive LGBTQ engagement strategy in the U.S. foreign service.
Elle is a first-generation American, multilingual in English, French, Arabic, and Spanish, a former Eisenhower Fellow, a Truman National Security Project Fellow, and the recipient of honors from the U.S. Department of State, the City of Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles, and UNESCO. She holds a Master of Arts in Public Leadership from the University of San Francisco and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in History from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Lebanon.
What People Say About Me…
“Eliane is a transformative leader, with a clear vision & ability to develop strategic outcomes while collaborating with & leading her coworkers & external stakeholders towards mutual goals.”
The Hon. Former CA State Senator Martha Escutia, VP of Government Relations, University of Southern California (USC).
“Elle has a bold, unique leadership style that inspires everyone around her to not only succeed but surpass their goals. Her drive to do her best is only rivaled by her ability to bring out the best in others. She is a collaborative partner, a thoughtful team leader, and she understands the intersection of programs, fundraising, and communications. To top it off, Elle also has a fantastic personality and a devilish sense of humor that makes her a pleasure to work with.“
Beth Trimarco, Executive Coach, Communications & Organizational Strategy
“Elle Fersan is a visionary, committed, inspiring, enthusiastic, and a compassionate leader dedicated to a world that works for all, especially in the areas of the global refugee crisis, women and human rights.”
Barry Simon, President, the United Nations Association of the USA, Southern California Division.
“Elle is the philanthropic leader I turn to for high level fundraising and investment strategy and guidance. Her depth of experience – from building large scale fundraising systems to cultivating transformative 1:1 relationships with major donors has translated into some of the most significant investments made in the social justice movement.”
Heather Masterton, Chief Philanthropy Officer, California CASA Association.
“Elle is a strategist who brings analysis for critical systemic change while crafting plans for concrete steps to bring it to life today.”
Brie Loskota, ED, Center for Religion and Civic Culture, USC.
“In a world of brutal inequality, Elle is a masterful connector with a perspective that inspires cooperation & hope.”
Jordi Ortega, Filmmaker, TORO BRAVO.
“Passionate leader driven by a deep belief in social justice & equity. She is a person of integrity, an amazing networker & incredible team player.”
Dina Sherif, ED, Legatum Center, MIT.
“Elle is a creative leader who gets the job done. She is passionate about driving an inclusive agenda where equity is central.”
Dr. Linda Lopez, LA Mayor’s Chief of Immigrant Affairs.
“Elle is an outstanding leader with a strong global vision. She was one of the top candidates selected for our Women’s Leadership Program in a competitive pool in 2015. She is an excellent public speaker and since her fellowship has given back to Eisenhower Fellowships by speaking at conferences and serving on EF’s newly formed Los Angeles Steering Committee. She is a dynamic passionate leader.”
Erin Hillman, VP of Programs and Operations, Eisenhower Fellowships.
“… I’ve never worked with anyone who was brighter than Eliane. She has it all: the knowledge, the vision, and the communication skills. She is extremely passionate about what she does and very generous in the help she gives. I have learned a lot from Eliane over the years and know I will continue to learn.”
Dr. Omar Fattal, MD, MPH
Deputy Medical Director, Behavioral Health. NYC Health and Hospitals
“Elle Fersan is a passionate, committed leader with the vision, intelligence and energy to move big ideas forward.”
Kate Weber, Executive Director, Public Exchange, University of Southern California
“Eliane is a powerful and visionary female leader, an excellentnetworker and connector and a dedicated internationaldevelopment professional with a strong passion for human rights.I enjoyed working with her, she is an asset to any team.”
Baukje Dijkstra, Diplomat, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
“In all of our work together, Elle looked at situations of injustice and saw the potential for how to challenge the status quo, and importantly brought others along with her due to her energy and spirit of possibility.”
Robyn Barnard, Esq. Staff Attorney at Human Rights First
“For me, the best aspect of working with Elle is that I can always feel safe and certain that she will find a way to accomplish any task or project she takes on.”
Jack Harrison-Quintana, Vice President for Social Impact, Executive Director, G4E
Eliane Fersan 