CEO Geoff Green Among 23 National Experts Guiding Panel on Nonprofit Independence

CalNonprofits CEO Geoff Green has been named to a new Independent Sector panel established to strengthen the independence of nonprofits as they face increasingly complex legal and policy environments.

"The ability of charities to operate free of profit motives and partisan influence is more important than ever as we navigate an increasingly complex social, political, and financial landscape," said Green. "Nonprofits have earned their place as our most trusted organizations through generations of hard work, transparency, and responsiveness to community needs. I look forward to working with fellow panelists to update and reinforce these principles for the current era."

Green joins a group of 22 leading charitable sector experts from philanthropies, operating charities, and academic institutions contributing their expertise to the Panel on Sector Independence. Over a series of meetings, this panel will reaffirm the core principle of the charitable sector's independence and produce operational best practices and policy recommendations to guide nonprofit institutions seeking to protect their independence through increased complexity. The panel is expected to complete and release its final recommendations in Fall 2026.

The Panel on Sector Independence expands upon Independent Sector's foundational Principles for Good Governance and Ethical Practice,a set of 33 sector-facing recommendations for self-governance that have served as an ethical standard for nonprofit accountability since their publication in 2007. Developed at the invitation of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, the Principles have guided nonprofit and foundation boards and executives in the areas of legal compliance and public disclosure, effective governance, strong financial oversight, and responsible fundraising, in order to increase transparency, accountability, and public trust. The new Panel on Sector Independence seeks to strengthen and build upon these principles by developing best practices to guide nonprofits through increasingly complex legal and policy environments.

"Since our country's founding, the U.S. charitable sector has supported the American people through every challenge - healing the sick, feeding the hungry, supporting veterans suffering from the wounds of war, marching for abolition and voting rights, and serving as a launchpad for the artists, musicians, and innovators that have made the United States a cultural and scientific powerhouse. This work has only been possible because of charity's unique status as an independent sector of American society, separate from the influences of politics and profits," said Dr. Akilah Watkins, President and CEO of Independent Sector. "A charitable sector that functions as an independent and equal partner of government and business allows mission-driven organizations to act more authentically, strategically, and responsively to the needs and aspirations of the communities they serve. At a time when so much of American life has been transformed by the things that divide us, Independent Sector is calling upon leading minds from across the charitable sector to develop guidelines that will help nonprofits maintain their independence as spaces where Americans of every background can follow their passions, lift up their neighbors, solve big problems, and work together towards the common good."

The nonprofit and philanthropic leaders participating in the Panel on Sector Independence include:

• Tonya Allen (Panel Co-Chair), President at McKnight Foundation
• John Tyler (Panel Co-Chair), General Counsel, Secretary, and Chief Ethics Officer at Ewing at Marion Kauffman Foundation
• Dr. Akilah Watkins,President and CEO at Independent Sector
• Jeffrey Moore,Chief Strategy Officer at Independent Sector
• Sara Barba, Managing Partner at Integer
• Kristen Cambell, Principal at Scenario 4, LLC
• Dan Cardinali,Board Chair at The Fetzer Institute
• Roger Colinvaux, Professor at Columbus School of Law at Catholic University of America
• Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO at American Indian College Fund
• Heather Dill,Former President and CEO at John Templeton Foundation
• Andrew Dunckelman,Deputy Director of Philanthropic Partnerships at Gates Foundation
• Geoff Green, CEO at CalNonprofits
• Philip Hackney, Professor of Law at University of Pittsburgh School of Law
• Noorain Khan, Chief Innovation Officer at Ford Foundation
• Donna Murray-Brown,President and CEO at Inforum
• Amir Pasic, Eugene R. Tempel Dean at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
• Sonia M. Pérez,COO at UnidosUS
• Adam Phillips,CEO at Interfaith America
• Alexander Reid,Partner at BakerHostetler LLP
• Lisa Rice, President and CEO at National Fair Housing Alliance
• Mason Rummel, President and CEO at James Graham Brown Foundation
• Darpana Sheth,General Counsel at The Center for Individual Rights
• Benjamin Soskis, Senior Research Associate at The Urban Institute