About Us

Laura officially joined the Imago Dei Fund in 2017 as a Project Manager after supporting the team since 2012. She enjoys diving in with the team to tackle special projects to ensure things run smoothly behind the scenes for the Imago Dei team and its grantee partners. Laura enjoys collaborating closely with the entire team, helping keep the focus on the important work of co-creating a more just, free and sustainable world.

Earlier in her career, Laura practiced as a CPA in the audit and assurance practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Boston University’s School of Management. Outside of work, Laura loves exploring new places with her family, laughing with friends and cheering on her two young soccer players.

Deb joined the Imago Dei Fund in July 2025 as Finance Director, overseeing finance, budgeting, accounting, and human resources. She enjoys collaborating with and supporting the Imago Dei team to ensure resources are used as effectively as possible in advancing its mission to co-create a more just, free, and sustainable world.

Deb previously served as Imago Dei’s founding Executive Director from 2009 to 2017 and is delighted to rejoin the team. Her career has focused on the intersection of finance, strategy, and the nonprofit sector. Most recently, she was Chief Financial Officer at The Edinburg Center, a nonprofit serving individuals with mental health challenges and developmental disabilities.

Deb holds an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Calvin University.

Katherine Cook joined the Imago Dei Fund as its Foundation Administrator in March 2025. In this role, she plays a key role in the foundation’s daily operations, ensuring seamless administrative processes, coordinating meetings and events, and contributing to special initiatives that further Imago Dei’s mission. She is excited to bring her organizational skills and collaborative approach to advancing the foundation’s impactful work.

Prior to joining Imago Dei, Katherine worked at Philanthropy Massachusetts, a regional membership association for foundations and nonprofits, where she managed operations and helped strengthen member engagement. She worked closely with funders and nonprofit leaders to ensure they had the resources, connections, and support needed to drive their work forward.

A Massachusetts native, Katherine grew up in Brookline and now lives in Cambridge. She looks forward to building relationships with Imago Dei’s Boston-based partners and expanding her knowledge of the foundation’s international collaborations.

Katherine holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and American Studies from Connecticut College. In her free time, she loves exploring nature on long walks, enjoying local cultural institutions, and spending quality time with family and friends.

Harriet joined the Imago Dei Fund in October 2023 to manage communications for the Fund and The Girl Child & Her Long Walk to Freedom project. As Communications Manager, she leverages strategic communications to advance Imago Dei’s mission. Her work centers the stories of our incredible grantee partners as she oversees Imago Dei’s digital platforms and leads digital strategy development.

Prior to joining Imago Dei, Harriet worked in the international development sector with a focus on integral human development and faith-based actors. She served as the Communications Coordinator for the Vatican’s Covid-19 Commission, where she also participated in a global faith communications fellowship.

Harriet earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Notre Dame in Medieval Studies and Philosophy. A Washington, D.C. native, she now lives in Boston and enjoys exploring New England.

Andrew serves as the Imago Dei Fund’s Impact Partner and co-leads the Imago Dei team. In
this role, Andrew focuses on foundation strategy, operations, and impact assessment.

He brings three decades of experience in the international development and human
rights field with extensive programmatic, management and policy experience overseas
and in Washington, DC. Andrew previously served as VP of Global Education Programs
at Impact(Ed). He has also worked in various capacities for a range of organizations
globally, including CARE, Oxfam, Save the Children, UNICEF, and International Justice
Mission. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Comparative Area Studies and Economics
from Duke, a Master’s degree in Public and International Affairs from Princeton, and a
Law degree from UVA. As the brother of Founding Partner Ross Jones, Andrew was a
longtime informal thought partner to Imago Dei prior to joining the team.

Emily is a donor-activist engaged in promoting human equality, justice, and peace around the world. She is particularly passionate and engaged in the nexus of faith, gender, and development and working to mobilize our faith traditions to more fully and unambiguously embrace gender equality. She is the founding partner and trustee of the Imago Dei Fund and the co-author/convener of a project called The Girl Child & Her Long Walk to Freedom, which invites participants to better understand the historic and religious roots of patriarchal oppression that persist in our world today and “put faith to work through love” to transform harmful gender norms.

Emily has a BA in Government from Dartmouth College and a Master’s in Educational Policy from Boston University. She is a trained Spiritual Director through both the Selah Spiritual Direction Certificate Program (Leadership Transformations) and the Still Harbor Spiritual Direction Practicum.

Ross is a Managing Director at Berkshire Partners, LLC in Boston. He began his career in private equity over 35 years ago. Ross joined Berkshire Partners in 1993 and became a Managing Director of the firm in 2000. During his tenure, Ross has represented the firm’s interests on a wide range of portfolio company
boards, including: Advanced Drainage Systems, Asurion, Bare Escentuals, Carter’s, Inc., CrossFit, Melissa & Doug, Torres Unidas, and Tower Development Corporation. Prior to Berkshire Partners, Ross worked at a start-up merchant bank, at Bain & Co. and in the Investment Banking Division of Morgan Stanley & Co. He earned a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

In addition to his role as Co-Founder of the Imago Dei Fund, Ross is engaged in several non-profit organizations including Seed, a Stanford GSB-led initiative that is working to end the cycle of global poverty, and the Dartmouth College President’s Leadership Council. Ross enjoys travel adventures with his family, exploring the great outdoors, and a variety of sports including biking, golf, tennis, and skiing. Ross and Emily raised their three now grown children in Needham, Massachusetts, where they currently reside.

Sheila joined the Imago Dei Fund in July 2020. In her role as program partner, she works closely with current and potential grantee partners, leading due diligence and managing partner relationships. She is focused on supporting our partners, understanding the broader ecosystem they work in, and lifting up their work to other stakeholders.

Previously, Sheila was executive director of The Fledgling Fund, a family foundation that supported the use of documentary film and other creative media to educate, engage and mobilize audiences around complex social issues that affect the most vulnerable. Prior to Fledgling, Sheila was a senior associate at The Crimson Group, where she led consulting engagements and developed curricula for its customized management education programs for leaders in large healthcare organizations.

Sheila has an M.B.A. in healthcare management from Boston University, and a B.A. in Government and International Relations from the University of Notre Dame.

Sonya joined the Imago Dei Fund at the end of 2016 as part of the operations team. She loves tackling spreadsheets and various data systems, communicating with grantees to ensure that Imago Dei data is accurate and working with team members to further Imago Dei’s mission by providing strong underlying administrative support.

Sonya earned a B.A. and M.B.A. from Boston University. Before joining Imago Dei Fund, Sonya worked at Park Street School/Park Street Kids as the Assistant Director of Development.

Sonya spends her time outside of Imago Dei volunteering for a myriad of organizations that touch upon the lives of her family.

Kazi is passionate about leadership development at all levels and uses her experience and expertise to identify and support community-led solutions to ending injustices caused by poverty and inequalities. With over 12 years of experience in humanitarian, leadership training, social development, community development, and financial inclusion, she leverages her expertise to solve some of the world’s challenging and complex issues, including improving education standards in rural communities in Kenya. Kazi joins the Girl Child Long Walk Team as a Project Manager to support the project and its mission to liberate our societies from patriarchal beliefs, values, and cultures that have seen girls and women as lesser humans in society for generations. Her focus and passion is in international development, leadership coaching, fundraising, partnerships/relationship management, project/program management, systems design, and strategic thinking to solve community challenges.

Kazi founded Elimu Fanaka, a non-profit organization impacting public primary schools in rural underserved communities in Kenya through improving access to quality education and using systems change to create sustainable communities. She previously worked at Acumen, managing their East Africa Fellows Program and Academy, at Ongoza Institute as Stakeholder Engagement Manager, and at Adaptive Change Advisors as a Project Manager.

As Co-Director & Program Partner, Jennifer Oakley co-leads the Imago Dei Fund, advancing the fund’s strategic and grantmaking priorities locally in Boston and internationally. She collaborates with current and prospective grantee partners, directing a portfolio of investments across multiple sectors. Jennifer brings a relational approach to her work guiding grantmaking processes, nurturing partnerships, and helping build connections across a diverse network of changemakers.

Jennifer is an active member of several funder networks, including the Network of Engaged International Donors, Praxis, Professionals in Christian Philanthropy, and Big Bang Philanthropy. She serves on the Advisory Board for the Center for Effective Philanthropy and as Vice Chair of the Professionals in Christian Philanthropy Board. Her commitment to faith-inspired social change, educational equity, and human dignity is reflected not only in her work at Imago Dei but also in her broader leadership and community engagement.

Prior to joining Imago Dei in 2014, Jennifer practiced civil law at firms in Washington, D.C., Boston, and Hong Kong. Her legal work focused on combatting discrimination based on race, gender, and disability and advocating for the basic rights of refugees and immigrants.

Jennifer holds a B.A. in Political Science and Music from the University of New Hampshire and a J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law.

Kristie joined the Imago Dei Fund in early 2016 to support the team technically. She loves to simplify things, to integrate, automate and streamline anything she can.

Kristie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Villanova University and specializes in systems integration. Prior to Imago Dei, Kristie served as Director of Operations and Technology for non-profit Neighbor Brigade. Before her non-profit work, Kristie worked with a professional services firm, delivering analytical solutions to clients such as EMC, Fidelity and Staples.

She spends much of her free time volunteering in her community, goofing around with her five kiddos, and enjoying the company of extended family and friends.

Leah joined the Imago Dei Fund team in 2021 as Project Manager. She is excited to bring together her professional experience and passion for philanthropic impact to advance Imago Dei’s mission.

Prior to Imago Dei, Leah’s work has been in fundraising and development, and as a mentor and
client service relationship manager for a multi-family office and trust company. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Emmanuel College in English Writing and Literature.

In her free time, she loves spending time with her family, cooking (and eating), biking and enjoying the outdoors.

Sharon Rajadurai joined the Imago Dei Fund Program Team in 2024, bringing experience in philanthropy and nonprofit fundraising.

Prior to joining Imago Dei, Sharon was a program associate at The Philanthropic Initiative, where she supported TPI staff and clients through program management, research, and administrative support for a variety of philanthropic client engagements and ongoing projects. Her passions lie at the intersection of faith, international development and generosity, and she is highly interested in collaborative forms of philanthropic giving. Sharon currently serves part time as the Executive Director of the Lady Doak College Foundation, which supports the women’s college of that name in Madurai, India.

Sharon holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government with a concentration in International Relations and a minor in Psychology from Suffolk University. Born in Torrance, California, Sharon grew up in Massachusetts. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, serving her Church community, and traveling.