February 6, 2017
The Community Foundation of New Jersey (CFNJ) today announced that Ayo Sanderson, Executive Director & Head for the US Pharma Division of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, has joined its Board of Directors.
At Novartis, Sanderson leads the Advocacy and Alliance Development team. She began her career as a litigator with Lowenstein Sandler and subsequently joined the litigation department of Akin Gump in New York City. She later joined Bell Atlantic/Verizon serving as Executive Director and Regulatory Counsel and held legal and executive business leadership positions at T-Mobile USA. Most recently, Sanderson served as general counsel for a division of BAE Systems, Inc., a British-owned major defense contractor.
“Ayo’s experience in law, business, and the nonprofit sector is unmatched in its breadth,” said Tom Uhlman, Chairman of the CFNJ Board of Trustees. “Above all, she is rooted in community and has a passion for making neighborhoods across New Jersey better. We look forward to her lending her expertise to our Board and fundholders.”
Sanderson previously served on the board of the United Way of Morris County and on the Health & Human Services committee for the Morris County Chapter of The Links, Incorporated. She also served as the President of the Morris County Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc., Founder and President of Born Heroes, Inc., Secretary for the Board of Directors of Sisters Enlisted to Empower Dreams, Inc. (S.E.E.D.), Advisory Council member for the Morristown Neighborhood House and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
“Joining the Community Foundation’s Board is a privilege and, in some ways, a culmination of so much of the community-level work I’ve been privileged to support,” said Sanderson. “I’m eager to share experiences and perspectives with my fellow board members and push the Foundation’s boundaries into new issues and neighborhoods.”
About the Community Foundation of New Jersey
Since 1979, individuals and businesses have opened charitable funds at the Community Foundation of New Jersey to fulfill their charitable goals and craft their philanthropic legacies. These Legacy Funds and Donor Advised Funds have granted tens of millions of dollars each year, and enabled the Foundation to launch its own Changemaker Projects that are improving New Jersey and its dynamic communities. The Foundation’s funds currently hold over $400 million in charitable assets and made over 5,000 grants last year to charitable work in New Jersey and around the world.