Experience. Diligence. Trust.
Elizabeth Ramirez, Founder & Principal, is a trusted advisor to donor families and individuals that are refining their strategies, scaling their programs, or evolving and adapting to better realize their impact ambitions. In this role, she specializes in partnering with individuals and families who care about impact to navigate key decision points including getting started, strategy, approach, structure, governance, and next generation engagement.
Previously, Elizabeth led the Walton Personal Philanthropy Group, which supported Walton family members on their individual philanthropic activities. She evolved programmatic and operational services and resources to support significant growth in philanthropic work during her tenure. She structured and launched a large scale family-led philanthropic initiative and led the development of a new program area for several family members.
Prior to her time with Walton, Elizabeth was a senior director at Arabella Advisors, a leading philanthropic advisory firm. There, she partnered with donors to translate their visions into actualized outcomes by structuring and implementing innovative approaches to impact. For example, in that role, she launched and supported a holistic impact platform for a family, integrating charitable, advocacy (c4), and investment vehicles.
Earlier in her career, Elizabeth worked at the Levi Strauss Foundation, where she managed the foundation’s signature leadership development and technology capacity-building initiative and facilitated board governance. She began her career in the executive office of the United Nations Foundation.
Elizabeth is based in Washington, DC and is a dual citizen of the US and Brazil.
Our approach.
Winding River Advisors understands that the issues on which donors seek to make an impact are complex. But we believe that accomplishing this should not add unwanted complexity to their lives. Our approach is informed by nearly 20 years of experience working with some of the world’s leading changemakers on strategy, programs, governance, and operations. We are guided by five core values:
● Action oriented: We’re here to get things done. Our work is anchored in application, not an intellectual exercise. We believe in learning by doing and adapting along the way.
● Curiosity: We’re inquisitive. We peel back the layers to get to the core of the issue at hand and surface previously unexplored possibilities.
● Humility: The best solutions are informed from those closest to the issues at hand. We’re servant leaders and are most aligned with our sense of purpose when enabling others to achieve theirs.
● Integrity: We hold ourselves to the highest degree of integrity, centered in our clients’ best interest.
● Joy: Engaging in philanthropy is inherently a privilege and supporting the causes and communities one cares most about should be a joyful act. We remove the barriers that impede joy.