BOSTON, June 23, 2026—Philanthropy Massachusetts (PMA) today announced a new Senior Fellows Program and named its two inaugural appointees: longtime Massachusetts civic leader Ira A. Jackson as Democracy & Civic Life Senior Fellow and Aixa Beauchamp, Co-Founder of the Latino Equity Fund at the Boston Foundation, as Philanthropy Senior Fellow.
“As philanthropy is being called to lead differently in a complex environment, these fellows will help our members learn, align, and engage,” said Mary Skelton Roberts, President and CEO of PMA. “Rather than advisors operating at a distance, Aixa and Ira will be leaders embedded within PMA and its daily work, powering our sector to move forward with courage and coordination as we strengthen the Commonwealth by strengthening philanthropy.”
PMA’s strategic plan, adopted by its board in late 2025, identified the Fellows Program as a key step to accelerate the organization’s positive impact. It also named Democracy & Civic Engagement as foundational to all that philanthropy seeks to accomplish in meeting needs, remedying injustice, and promoting equity and opportunity for all. The Philanthropy Fellow position will drive innovation and opportunities for funders to engage with each other and learn what is working, and what needs changing, in philanthropy.
“I am honored to serve as a PMA Senior Fellow because this position creates space for the kind of
reflection and honest conversation our sector needs to become more inclusive and effective,”
Beauchamp said. “Philanthropy is strongest when it listens deeply, invests with intention, and recognizes the leadership already present in communities.”
Jackson said: “As we celebrate our 250th, I am proud of Philanthropy Massachusetts for stepping up so boldly to focus on the need to strengthen and perhaps even reinvent democracy and civic life throughout the Commonwealth. I am delighted to be serving with Mary and other philanthropic leaders to creatively collaborate with other sectors in helping to work toward renewal of civic engagement, building bridges across our polarized society, and making democracy more responsive and relevant to meeting the needs of the future.”
Over the course of a year, the Senior Fellows will:
- Host convenings on their areas of expertise that move participants from shared learning into
coordinated action and innovation.
- Help PMA members make stronger use of data, both by conducting new, original research and
by synthesizing existing analysis for practical application.
- Produce briefs, tools, frameworks, and insights for the broader philanthropic field.
“Launching the Fellows Program responds to a desire we hear from our members for greater
knowledge-sharing and community building around key issues facing the Commonwealth,” said Jessica Berns, Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives. “With Aixa and Ira serving as our initial expert leaders, we look forward to building on this program for many years to come.
About Aixa Beauchamp: Aixa is Managing Director of The Beauchamp Group. She co-founded the Latino Equity Fund, the first Latino-focused fund in Greater Boston, to mobilize philanthropic resources, elevate Latino leadership, and address persistent inequities in health, education, economic mobility, and civic life. After serving for 10 years as LEF co-chair, the Fund launched the Poderosa Fellowship in recognition of her leadership and commitment to preparing the next generation of Latino philanthropic leaders. Aixa was also a Founding Board Member of the Milagros Fund at Boston Children’s Hospital Trust. With nearly 30 years of experience in philanthropy, strategy, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness, she has advised foundations, nonprofits, intermediaries, and community-based institutions across the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe.
About Ira A. Jackson: Ira is a cofounder of the Civic Action Project (CAP), where he continues to lead the CAP Collaborative which cross-trains senior executives from both business and government. He is also a research fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he created the Forum, was associate dean and was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus. He was formerly Massachusetts Department of Revenue Commissioner under Gov. Michael Dukakis, Chief of Staff to Boston Mayor Kevin H. White, Executive Vice President of the Bank of Boston, Dean of the John W. McCormack School of Global and Policy Studies and Dean of the Peter Drucker School of Management at the Claremont Colleges. among several other top academic and philanthropic
appointments. He has chaired and served on more than 50 nonprofit boards throughout his career.