Leadership

Al Klingenstein

Trustee

Alan Klingenstein serves as Board Chairman at FilmRise, a film and television distribution company he co-founded in 2010. Prior to FilmRise, he served as President of Filbert Steps Productions where his films won multiple awards including the Audience Award at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, Best Dramatic Feature at the 2005 Austin Film Festival, and a special 100th anniversary National Board of Review award in 2009. Al began his career as a securities lawyer and an investment banker. He earned his undergraduate degree at Princeton University and a joint JD / MBA at Cornell University.

Alexandra D. Klingenstein

Trustee

Alex Klingenstein is an attorney practicing in health care in the Boston area and previously served as a board member, finance committee member and governance chair of a domestic violence services agency based in Boston. She began her career as a fellow at a domestic violence legal services agency in D.C. before transitioning into corporate law. Alex earned her undergraduate degree at Columbia University and her JD at Washington University in St. Louis.

Andy Klingenstein

Chairman & CEO

As Chairman and CEO of Klingenstein Philanthropies, Andy guides our work by advising on strategy and direction and helping to carry out all of our collective philanthropies. He is a longtime investor in early stage companies, where he has provided legal and business assistance to companies in the healthcare and technology fields. Previously, he was principal and co-founder of a Virginia-based venture capital firm specializing in the creation and management of companies in those fields. Andy practiced law for several years, both in a commercial law firm and as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. He holds a B.A. from Yale and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He and his wife have four daughters and live in Washington, D.C.

Emma Brownstein

Trustee

Emma Brownstein is the founder and Executive Director of the Greater Brookland Intergenerational Village, a grassroots nonprofit that helps older adults develop the tools and relationships they need to age successfully in their neighborhood. She began her career working in education-related nonprofits in the DC area. Emma earned her Bachelor’s in Political Science at Oberlin College, and her Master’s in Business Administration from Georgetown University, where she studied nonprofit management.

Greg Brownstein

Trustee

Greg is a PhD student at George Washington University studying international relations. Before beginning his doctoral studies, Greg spent a decade working for various NGOs and think-tanks in Washington, DC focused on foreign policy, international economics, and development. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Classics and Political Science from Oberlin College and a Master of Arts in international affairs from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Julie Klingenstein

Trustee

Julie was the founding board chair of The Literacy Lab, a non-profit that provides targeted one-on-one literacy instruction for below grade level readers from age three to grade three. She continues her literacy focus by serving as a longtime reading tutor for the District of Columbia Public Schools. She has also served as board chair of a Maryland independent school and a Washington, D.C. charter school. She and her husband, Andy, are members of the Washington Area Women’s Foundations’ Early Care and Education Funders Collaborative.

Kathy Klingenstein

Trustee

Kathy Klingenstein has been involved in many community organizations through the years, not only as a volunteer but in leadership positions as well. She is currently on the board of trustees of The Homeless Children’s Foundation of Indian River County., Florida. She has previously served on the boards of Temple Sinai in Stamford, Connecticut; Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, Connecticut; and The Young Women’s League of New Canaan, Connecticut. Kathy is an advocate for children’s mental health issues as well as education in general. She received her B.A. from St. Lawrence University and her M.S. in Special Education from Dominican University in California.

Nancy Klingenstein Simpkins

Vice President

Nancy Klingenstein Simpkins is a founding Trustee and current Board Chair of The Wild Center, a natural history museum in the Adirondacks. She is Chairman of the Board of Miss Porter’s School and a Trustee of Teachers College, Columbia University. She also serves on the Advisory Board of the Klingenstein Center at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is president of the HABE Foundation and a Trustee of the Esther A and Joseph Klingenstein Fund, the Klingenstein Third Generation Fund and the Sadie and Harry E Davis Fund. She earned her BA from Smith College.

Sally Klingenstein Martell

Trustee

From 1994 – 2019 Sally was the Executive Director of The Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation. She earned her BA at Tulane University, MFA in Writing and Literature at Stony Brook University, and was a 2021 BookEnds Fellow. Sally has served on the boards of the 92nd Street Y and The Town School, and is a current trustee of Emma Willard School, The New-York Historical Society, and is the President of the Klingenstein-Martell Foundation. She is now a full-time novelist.

Zack Toal

Trustee

Zack Toal is a strategy and risk management professional in the financial services industry. He was the founding Board Chair for a global sports and music organization, and has served as an advisor to several technology and finance organizations. Zack holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.A. from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. He and his wife have a son and live in Washington, D.C.

Eliot Brenner, Ph.D.

Executive Director & Trustee

Prior to joining the Klingenstein Philanthropies, Dr. Brenner held leadership positions at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, and the Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut. Dr. Brenner has maintained a small private clinical practice for more than 20 years. He earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Yale University and his Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of Chicago.

Jay Andrews, Ph.D.

Program Officer

Before joining the Esther A. and Joseph Klingenstein Fund, Dr. Andrews served as Senior Director of Operations for PennFuture, an environmental law and policy nonprofit focused on leading the transition to a clean energy economy in Pennsylvania. Dr. Andrews started his career as an English professor at Temple University and subsequently worked for the American Federation of Teachers directing legislative advocacy programs for its Pennsylvania state affiliate. He earned a M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the University of Pittsburgh and a B.A. in political science from SUNY Buffalo.

Jinmo Koo

Program Assistant

Prior to joining Klingenstein Philanthropies, Jinmo worked at the Fortune Society, a nonprofit providing social services for people coming out of incarceration, as well as The Literacy Lab, a nonprofit providing early literacy tutoring for young students in Washington DC . He received a Bachelor’s in Government from Cornell University.

Kathleen Pomerantz

Chief of Operations & Director of Fellowship Programs

Kathleen has worked for two decades with multiple generations of the Klingenstein family. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Albany and was previously employed by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York.