BREAKIN' IT DOWN ANNOUNCEMENTS

Breakin’ It Down has announced the appointments of Lee Ann Eiland and Sangini Brahmbhatt to serve as the next co-chairs of its Planning Committee.  They were elected and took on their new leadership roles in April 2024.

Lee Ann moved from her position as chair of the Awards Committee to succeed Rhea Yap, who stepped aside after a term of five years as Planning Committee chair.  Joining Lee Ann as co-chair is Sangini, who volunteered on the Speed Networking With Funders subcommittee in 2023.  She was recognized by the Breakin’ It Down Planning Committee as an incoming member and elected to the newly created co-chair position. 

Breakin’ It Down, a fiscal-sponsored project of Mujeres Latinas en Accion, provides a pivotal platform for driving transformative change in the field of nonprofit, philanthropy, and fundraising.  

For 20 years, the BID annual conference - through equitable access to relevant programming, experts, and resources - has engaged thousands of diverse professionals and community leaders in the field to discourse about the state of the field of nonprofit, philanthropy, and fundraising, and its impact on under-recognized and marginalized Chicago communities and the career quality of diverse professionals who serve them.  The co-chair appointments signal a strategic focus on enhancing capacities and spearheading BID’s role as a catalyst to contribute to economic empowerment and inclusive mobility for communities and professionals, by advancing racial equity in the field and shared actions at scale.

Lee Ann and Sangini have distinguished themselves in their life work and volunteer service to communities, and have voluntarily shared their business acumen with Breakin’ It Down. Both played instrumental roles in the success of Breakin’ It Down’s 20th Anniversary Conference last year, which saw a record attendance of nearly 275 participants.  

Lee Ann is Director of Development and Operations at Hope Excel Reaching the World Academy and Principal of Eiland & Associates, LLC. She frequently speaks at industry events and is currently board vice chair of Action Now, a social justice organization serving the West and South Sides of Chicago, and is a member of the West Side Giving Circle of the Chicago Foundation for Women.  She is a Community Leadership Fellows alum.  Lee Ann recently earned her Interim Executive Leadership certificate from Third Sector Company and is pursuing a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential.

Sangini Brahmbhatt is Director of Development at Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago.  She is an alumnus of Cultivate: Women of Color Leadership and Robert K. McCormick Foundation’s Leadership in Democracy Program.  Sangini is an emeritus board member of Latitude Chicago.

Breakin’ It Down’s three major programs - the annual conference, Denise Stennis Awards, and Speed Networking With Funders - will continue to drive collective progress on discourse, recognition, and professional networking under the newly created Professional Development Committee, to provide an holistic-integrative approach to professional development of professionals and community members in the field at all stages of their careers.  In addition to maintaining the momentum of each program, Lee Ann and Sangini have expanded the Awards program to recognize emerging individual and organizational leaders.  They have also identified a series of critical equity challenges to intensify BID’s focus on advancing racial equity in the field, which include advocacy, intersectionality, workforce information literacy, and equity in access.  Together, the co-chairs will work closely with the Planning Committee members and constituents to mobilize greater progress around field-wide awareness and shared actions for combined impact at scale.

In addition to their responsibilities as co-chairs of the Breakin’ It Down Planning Committee, Lee Ann and Sangini co-chair the Annual Conference Committee and Professional Development Committee.  Lee Ann also leads the Governance Committee and Annual Conference Committee and Sangini leads the Nominating Subcommittee and oversees the Planning Committee budgets., among other duties.

“I am honored to co-chair Breakin’ It Down’s Planning Committee with Sangini Brahmbhatt, particularly at this critical time for the nonprofit, philanthropy, and fundraising sector and the communities we serve, when increasing disruption and national politics are impacting DEI efforts in the workplace and marginalized communities,” said Lee Ann.  “Like the hundreds of BID conference participants each year, I have had the opportunity to learn from extraordinary foundation and community leaders and build meaningful connections that continue to play a significant role in my work as a nonprofit strategist and community leader. Breakin’ It Down’s dedication to advancing racial equity in the field - to enhance economic empowerment and inclusive mobility in marginalized communities in Chicago and the career quality of diverse professionals and community leaders who serve them - makes its work ever more vital today. I am grateful for Mujeres Latinas en Accion, BID’s fiscal sponsor and ally, without whose support our work would not be possible. I am also grateful for the trust placed in me, to build on the legacies of BID’s founders and community leaders who root us in purpose.  I am excited to be part of navigating its evolution in leadership excellence.” 

“My lived experiences as a South Asian-American woman and my participation in Breakin’ It Down have shaped my approach to nonprofit leadership and social change,“ said Sangini. “I am committed to nurturing spaces that are grounded in advancing racial equity, where we can gather insights, share experiences, and foster authentic relationships across the sector of nonprofit, philanthropy, and fundraising and in our diverse communities.   It is a privilege to serve Breakin’ It Down in the role of co-chair together with Lee Ann Eiland.”

Lee Ann and Sangini succeeded former Planning Committee chair Rhea Yap, who stepped aside in April 2024, at the end of her term.  She continues to serve on the Planning Committee as chair of the Speed Networking With Funders Subcommittee. Rhea joined the Breakin' It Down Planning Committee in 2015, before taking the helm on her own in 2019.

."...Sangini Brahmbhatt and Lee Ann Eiland...are immensely dedicated to growing the skills, knowledge and network of our diverse communities in the Chicagoland area," Rhea said. "After celebrating our 20th Anniversary of the conference last year, I am excited about them bringing fresh ideas, thoughtfulness and wisdom... so that we can continue evolving with the times."

Juan Calixto, Breakin’ It Down’s co-founder, expressed his confidence in the new leadership, stating, “Breakin’ It Down was started to give access to high-quality training and networking opportunities for those working in nonprofits who could not attend high-cost fundraising and nonprofit management conferences in Chicago. Unfortunately, the costs for these offerings continue to rise … Lee Ann and Sangini have stepped up to ensure BID will continue to expose diverse communities to affordable training options.”

The Planning Committee also welcomes incoming members, who were appointed in May 2024:  Carlil Pittman, founder and executive director of Goodkids Madcity, Amira Turner, consultant, and Athena Williams, executive director of Oak Park Regional Housing Center. 

The 2024 Breakin’ It Down Conference: Rooted in Purpose will be held on Friday, October 25, 2024.  For more information and updates, please visit our website, www.breakinitdownchicago.org. 

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Breakin’ It Down announced its inaugural Emerging Leaders Awards for Leadership Excellence which recognize outstanding endeavors of newer professionals, community members, and volunteers and nonprofit organizations who have demonstrated a passion for and commitment to advancing racial equity in the field of nonprofit, philanthropy, and fundraising and significant impact in marginalized Chicago communities.   The objective of the Emerging Leaders Awards  is to encourage newer professionals and organizations to continue their careers and service, to help drive economic empowerment  and inclusive mobility in communities and  in the field.   

The Emerging Leaders Awards will be bestowed  during the Breakin' It Down Annual Conference.  The individual and organizational winners will each receive a commemorative award and a monetary award of $500.  

To be eligible, Individual nominees must be in their first ten (10) years but at least two (2) years of continuous field-related experience.  Organizational nominees must have been in their first seven (7) years but at two (2) years of continuous operation.

The Nomination Period will open June 26, 2024 and run through August 6, 2024.  For additional information, please click here.

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