Full Name
Tené Traylor
Job Title
Vice President and Senior Fellow
Company
The Urban Institute
Speaker Bio
Tené Traylor is Vice President and Senior Fellow at The Urban Institute where she leads the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy. CNP amplifies work across all sectors to increase the impact of actors on the front lines of community-demand driven change by helping to shape and improve practice, inform policy, and advance the social sector field.
Prior to joining Urban, she was the Fund Advisor for Kendeda Fund, a limited-life private family foundation. She oversaw the Atlanta portfolio and led major investments that drove equitable access to high-quality K12 education and economic justice (emphasis on long-term housing affordability, community wealth building, and accessible quality transit). She managed a Reinvigorating Democracy portfolio dedicated to seeking a racially equitable and responsive democracy. Additionally, she led a national grantmaking program dedicated to restoring and reclaiming dignity for people formerly incarcerated.
Before joining the Kendeda Fund, Tené was a senior program officer at the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. For ten years, she led the Community Foundation’s community development and neighborhood transformation grantmaking, including the Neighborhood Fund, and launched several related programs and initiatives. Tené worked to identify, develop, and steward collaborative relationships and resources to amplify the importance of place-based philanthropy, equity, and civic leadership.
Since 2000, Tené has spent her career in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector with United Way for Greater Atlanta and The Zeist Foundation, Inc. At United Way, she launched the state’s first youth individual development account and secured millions from local and national funders for youth and youth development for the Atlanta region.
Tené has a Master of Public Administration degree with a concentration in public policy and nonprofit administration from the University of Georgia and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Georgia State University. Tené sits on several boards, including the Atlanta Housing Authority, Morris Brown College Foundation, Center for Community Progress, House ATL, and Georgia Grantmakers Alliance. She is also co-founder and founding board chair of the Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative. Tené is a proud Atlanta native and loves spending time with her family.
Prior to joining Urban, she was the Fund Advisor for Kendeda Fund, a limited-life private family foundation. She oversaw the Atlanta portfolio and led major investments that drove equitable access to high-quality K12 education and economic justice (emphasis on long-term housing affordability, community wealth building, and accessible quality transit). She managed a Reinvigorating Democracy portfolio dedicated to seeking a racially equitable and responsive democracy. Additionally, she led a national grantmaking program dedicated to restoring and reclaiming dignity for people formerly incarcerated.
Before joining the Kendeda Fund, Tené was a senior program officer at the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. For ten years, she led the Community Foundation’s community development and neighborhood transformation grantmaking, including the Neighborhood Fund, and launched several related programs and initiatives. Tené worked to identify, develop, and steward collaborative relationships and resources to amplify the importance of place-based philanthropy, equity, and civic leadership.
Since 2000, Tené has spent her career in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector with United Way for Greater Atlanta and The Zeist Foundation, Inc. At United Way, she launched the state’s first youth individual development account and secured millions from local and national funders for youth and youth development for the Atlanta region.
Tené has a Master of Public Administration degree with a concentration in public policy and nonprofit administration from the University of Georgia and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Georgia State University. Tené sits on several boards, including the Atlanta Housing Authority, Morris Brown College Foundation, Center for Community Progress, House ATL, and Georgia Grantmakers Alliance. She is also co-founder and founding board chair of the Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative. Tené is a proud Atlanta native and loves spending time with her family.
Speaking At
