Learning Committees

The Learning Committees is a new joint committee structure at Hestia. It consists of the Education Committee, who will continue to bring us an informative speaker series for our monthly meetings, and a Research Committee. The dual committees will work in tandem to further our members’ learning about education and philanthropic practices.

Education Committee

Role: The charge of the Education and Speakers Bureau is to build Hestia members' knowledge and skills so that we may be more effective as philanthropists. The committee searches for and invites speakers for our monthly and annual meetings to help educate the membership.

Education Co-Chairs 2023-2024:

Donna Cowan donna.cowan@yahoo.com

Melanie Calzetti-Spahr mcspahr@gmail.com

Research Committee

Role: The purpose of the Research Committee is to support our Boston-area focus on education by helping members to learn about our current investment sectors. By initially diving deeply into: BPS, early childhood care and education, teacher training and professional development, STEAM, and academic enrichment, our goal is to report on historical and Covid-19 context along with attributes of impactful investments in these sectors. At same time Research has looked to identify new areas of importance (further amplified by Covid-19) such as: social emotional learning and definition of post-secondary success. We decide year-to-year how to deliver the more salient information in support of our grantmaking. The committee meets approximately the third Thursday of the month and welcomes any Hestians.

Research Chair 2023-2024:

Lisa Krakoff Lkkrakoff@gmail.com

Maren Anderson

Donna Cowan

Chris Letts

Research Committee Folder