Kristen J. Molyneaux, Ph.D. is the President and a co-founder of Lever for Change, a nonprofit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Lever for Change emboldens donors and problem solvers to think big and leverage investments in effective solutions to accelerate social change. Kristen oversees operations of the organization, driving its mission to unlock significant philanthropic resources and accelerate social change globally. Since its founding in 2019, Lever for Change has influenced over $2.2 billion in grants and provided support to more than 500 organizations.

Kristen has extensive experience in social change, strategic philanthropy, and network building, with a career that has ranged from serving as a volunteer, an educator, and a nonprofit and philanthropic leader. She has been instrumental in shaping Lever for Change’s strategic vision and guiding the organization through continuous growth since inception.

Previously, Kristen was the Vice President, Program Strategy at Lever for Change, with oversight of the Award Management and Social Impact teams, the organization’s learning agenda, and the creation of the Bold Solutions Network.

Kristen joined the MacArthur Foundation in 2013 as a Program Officer in the Girls' Secondary Education in Developing Countries program. She was also a Senior Program Officer for 100&Change, a competition for a single $100 million grant to help solve a critical problem of our time. In this role, Kristen co-developed, designed, and launched the inaugural 100&Change competition. Prior to joining the foundation, Kristen was a Program Officer at the Firelight Foundation.

Kristen currently serves on the Executive Committee for MSI’s Scaling-Up Community of Practice and is a former board member for the Comparative International Education Society (CIES) and former member of the Grants Advisory Committee for the We Mean Business Coalition.

Kristen holds a Ph.D. in Comparative International Educational Policy Studies from University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.S. in International Educational Policy Studies from Florida State University, and a B.S. in Elementary Education from State University of New York at Oswego. She has held a range of teaching positions from elementary school though graduate level courses and was a post-doctoral research fellow at Florida State University. Kristen served as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in Uganda and Cape Verde.