Renata Cobbs-Fletcher, M.S.

Renata is a mission, vision, and values-driven leader. At Northern, she leads efforts to ensure all Northern’s work is effective, adaptive, culturally relevant, and at the forefront of program innovation, development, and implementation that support children youth, and families. She also works collaboratively with people, institutions, and systems, focusing on strong external relationships that support the cross-sector development of best practices in the sectors that intersect in Northern's work. Renata is passionate about youth, as well as about racial and social justice for all people.

Working in Philadelphia and in over 25 U.S. cities and ten countries across five global regions, Renata brings over two decades of experience in leading social program design, implementation, research, and policies, as well as in direct service and fund development. Through this work, she has gained the perspective, expertise, and skills to understand intersections between issues, people, communities, and systems, and as such identify which programs and initiatives work, don’t work, or show promise as practices.

Renata received a B.A. from Spelman College and an M.S. in Social Change Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania's School for Policy & Practice. She is a former Lipman Family Prize Fellow, an annual global prize at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business Wharton Leadership Program. Lipman Family Prize, which celebrates global leadership and innovation among organizations creating positive social impact.

Her thought leadership is evident in ’s authorship and/or coauthorship of over ten publications. Renata has testified before several U.S. Congressional Committees and has made many presentations, including at The Brookings Institution, the Federal Reserve, the National Urban League, and the White House Office for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

Renata is a member of the Black Nonprofit Chief Executives of Philadelphia and serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Coalition of Culturally Competent Providers, of which Northern is a member. She is a former member of the Pathways to Housing PA Board of Directors.