Ebonie Johnson Cooper

For two decades, Ebonie has been a national thought leader and consultant advancing nonprofit and donor equity, board governance, African-American philanthropy, faith-based engagement, and fundraising strategy. Through a Black identity–centered lens, she teaches undergraduate and graduate students at a Big 10 university and prepares nonprofit leaders to lead with rigor, relevance, and impact. She is also the principal consultant of Friends of Ebonie and the founder of the Young, Black & Giving Back Institute (YBGB), the nation’s leading organization championing Black-led and Black-serving nonprofits.

Rooted in her faith, Ebonie brings a distinctive voice to the intersection of church and stewardship. As an itinerant elder at Kingdom Fellowship AME Church in Calverton, Maryland, she serves with gladness during Sunday services, pours into teens through the youth worship experience, and serves the broader community with the Kingdom Cares Center. A proud alumna of North Carolina A&T State University, New York University, and Wesley Theological Seminary, she is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and Benefactors Giving Circle, as well as the mother to a precocious 4-year-old.