Aerial Reese

Aerial Reese (she/her) is a program manager at the Pat Tillman Foundation responsible for developing, managing, and evaluating national programming. Aerial brings a wealth of program management experience, having delivered high-quality peer learning, program design, facilitation, and evaluation at Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. The most notable national programs include The Change Leaders in Philanthropy Fellowship, a 10-month peer cohort program for senior leaders in philanthropy to learn about and improve their change management skills, and the racial equity learning series for philanthropic CEOs and vice presidents. Aerial brings to PTF a background in public policy with the American Association of University Women, legislative advocacy with Voices for Georgia’s Children, and community and union organizing with the Fight for $15 campaign. She has also served as Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee with the Women’s Information Network in Washington, DC, and was an outreach and communications fellow at Alliance for Justice.

As a first-generation college graduate, Aerial received her MS in Organizational Leadership, with a transformative leadership concentration, from the University of Colorado Boulder. She obtained her BA in Philosophy and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Agnes Scott College, where she also led successful workers’ rights campaigns. Aerial is a loud and proud Black, Queer woman, survivor, and artist. In her spare time, Aerial uses art and texture therapy as an intentional healing and liberatory practice and grounding tool to invoke the senses, while creatively expressing thoughts and experiences. Aerial currently lives in Chicago with her dog, Peggy, and her best friend.