Carí Jackson Lewis (She/Her/Hers)

Carí Jackson Lewis, J.D., LL.M. (tax), TEP, CSPGcm, AEP®, CAP® 

Carí Jackson Lewis is a charitable gift planning expert and purpose-driven nonprofit leader who is passionate about supporting Black women and girls. With three decades of experience in estate and tax planning, planned giving, fundraising, and nonprofit management and board governance, Carí has raised over $50 million in charitable gifts and helped improve the lives of communities in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. 

Carí is also the Founder + Principal of California Philanthropic Consulting (CPC), a Black- and woman-owned philanthropic consulting firm that helps nonprofit organizations establish planned giving and legacy society programs, and helps individuals, families, and business exit-planning clients realize their philanthropic goals while minimizing income, estate, gift, and capital gains taxes. Using a racial equity lens, CPC creates connections and builds relationships between donors and nonprofits, especially Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)-led and BIPOC-serving nonprofits. 

Carí was previously the Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of the California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute, a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to improving the lives of Black women and girls (the "Collective"). As the operational leader and “engine” of the Collective, Carí worked closely with the President and CEO and the Board to create and administer the CA Black Women’s Think Tank and its key initiatives, including the Research Institute, Leadership Institute, and Black Talent Program. Carí was responsible for the Collective's day-to-day operations, including overseeing Fundraising, People Operations, Finance, Procurement, Operations, Project Management, and Compliance. 

Before that, Carí was the Executive Director of Development, Gift Planning, at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles, where she supervised Gift Planning staff and worked with major gift fundraisers to cultivate current, blended, and deferred gifts of $100,000 or more from all LMU planned giving prospects, closing over $7 million in planned and current gifts during her tenure. 

A thought leader and frequent public speaker, Carí has presented at numerous community foundations, regional and national nonprofit conferences, religious organizations, and institutions of higher education on issues addressing estate and tax planning, planned giving, nonprofit board governance, fundraising, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in philanthropy. Carí is the Inclusion Committee Chair of the Board of the Los Angeles Council of Charitable Gift Planners and has served on several local and national nonprofit boards and committees, including the International Association of Advisors in Philanthropy, Many Mansions, and Haven Hills. 

Carí received her undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College, her Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law, and her Master of Laws in Taxation (with distinction) from LMU Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. Carí is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, and is a member of the Ventura County Alumnae Chapter. Carí is also a member of the New York State Bar, a Certified Specialist in Planned Giving, an Accredited Estate Planner®, a member of the Society of Trusts and Estates Practitioners®, and a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy®. 

When Carí isn’t singing with the Praise Team at Calvary Baptist Santa Monica, she enjoys spending time with her husband Preston Kevin Lewis and watching the never-ending shenanigans of their three adult children, Carson, Faith, and Jackson.