As a Principal and co-founder at Converge, Takema leads our firm’s philanthropic strategy practice, which intentionally connects local and national philanthropic investments with social justice initiatives across the region. Previously Takema served as the Senior Program Associate for Education and Community Change at the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. Before launching Converge, Takema founded her own consulting firm, Momentum for Progress, in 2005 to accelerate the social impact of foundations, corporations, and their nonprofit partners. In 2013, Takema was awarded the Association for Black Foundation Executives Connecting Leaders Fellowship and in 2004, the Echoing Green Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurs. Currently, she is a Senior Fellow at the Community Democracy Workshop.

Takema serves as the director of the Greater New Orleans Funders Network (GNOFN). Her current work includes facilitating strategic planning processes for two women’s health advocacy nonprofits: LIFT Louisiana and The Institute of Women and Ethnic Studies. She is also spearheading the design and implementation of the New Orleans Educational Equity Index in partnership with the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights and Orleans Parish Education Network. Her philanthropic clients include Foundation for Louisiana, the Surdna Foundation, and the Ford Foundation. She is currently curating the Ford Foundation’s upcoming Board of Trustees visit to New Orleans in October and supporting the Annie E. Casey Foundation with developing a framework for the foundation’s new National Community Strategies unit.

Takema received a B.S. in Political Science and B.A. in African American Studies from Howard University in Washington, D.C. and completed postgraduate studies at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. Takema is an advisory board member for Grantmakers for Girls of Color, board member of Any Given Child and a former founding board member of the New Orleans Parent’s Guide. Takema is fine art curator and a certified yoga instructor. She practices radical self-care as a runner and is the proud mama of two boys.