Nadege Souvenir is a transformative leader dedicated to empowering communities, advancing equity, and fostering innovation in philanthropy. In April 2024, she began her tenure as the CEO of the San Antonio Area Foundation, a community foundation managing over 600 charitable funds with $1.3 billion in assets. Since its establishment in 1964, the foundation has invested over $800 million in grants and scholarships to close opportunity gaps and uplift the San Antonio community. With deep expertise in philanthropic strategy and operational excellence, Nadege previously served as Chief Operating Officer at the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, Minnesota’s largest community foundation with $1.7 billion in assets. There, she strengthened systems and processes across grants administration, operations, governance, and learning and evaluation. She also led initiatives like Countering Hate, an annual philanthropic convening addressing societal challenges, and co-hosted the podcast I So Appreciate You! Nadege is a respected thought leader and advisor, serving on Catchafire's Executive Advisory Council and the advisory board of the Center for Effective Philanthropy. Her leadership has been recognized by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal as a “Women in Business” honoree and by Twin Cities Business as a “Black Leader to Know.” A former litigator specializing in complex commercial cases, Nadege began her career in arts administration and remains deeply connected to the arts. She was the first Black woman to chair the Minnesota Opera Board and is a trustee for OPERA America. Her leadership earned her OPERA America’s National Opera Trustee Recognition Award in 2023. Throughout her career, Nadege has consistently championed equity, innovation, and collaboration, leaving a profound impact on the communities and sectors she serves.