Renata Cobbs-Fletcher, M.S.

President & CEO

Renata cobbs fletcher

Since 2015, Renata has served as President and CEO of Northern, where she has guided the organization through strategic growth, crisis management, financial revitalization, and the development of culturally relevant, trauma-informed programs and services for children, youth, and families living in low-wealth communities.

Renata brings over 20 years of experience in social program design, implementation, impact measurement, and partnership building across community, public, and private sectors. Skilled in best practices, policy development, strategic planning, and organizational leadership, she has a proven track record of securing funding, scaling programs, and fostering a collaborative culture focused on accountability and results. Her work emphasizes the creation of adaptive, scalable, and sustainable programs that respond effectively to evolving community needs.

Her career began at Leadership, Education & Athletics Partnership (LEAP), where she served as Development Director and then Executive Director, building foundational experience in youth development and organizational leadership. She then joined Public/Private Ventures (P/PV), where she led significant projects that made substantial contributions to social policy and community well-being. Her work at P/PV included the Ready4Work initiative, a $25 million, 30-site reentry demonstration for juvenile and young adult populations that became a model for the federal Second Chance Act and programs in the UK. She also led a post-Hurricane Katrina rebuilding program for faith-based organizations through the Bush Clinton Katrina Fund and developed targeted programs for underserved young males of color.

After P/PV, Renata joined the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), where she managed interconnected U.S. and international programs across eight regions and 70+ initiatives. Her work at AFSC included youth, masculinity, and healing-focused convenings, an innovative youth development program exchange, and the expansion of an anti-racism youth organizing model.

Renata holds a B.A. from Spelman College and an M.S. in Social Change/Non-Profit Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a former Lipman Family Prize Fellow an annual global prize through the Wharton School of Business that funds leadership, innovation and social impact. Renata has testified before U.S. Congressional Committees and presented at institutions such as The Brookings Institution and the White House, with thought leadership reflected in numerous publications and speaking engagements.

In addition to her role at Northern, Renata is a board member of the Coalition of Culturally Competent Providers (CCCP), of which Northern is a member, and a former board member of Pathways to Housing PA, TeenSHARP, and Volunteer Services for Children. She is a member of the Black Nonprofit Chief Executives of Philadelphia (BNCEP), and a Senior Advisor for EConsult Solutions, an economic consulting and analytical services for businesses, governments, and non-profit organizations.

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