As Senior Director of Partnerships, Kari Onyancha works with community members, stakeholders, and organizations to support timely initiatives that respond to community needs. Kari joined the Foundation because she has a deep passion for community-led initiatives and for the reputation that the Partnerships team has for pushing boundaries and testing innovative approaches to community-led work. She believes the Foundation gives her the opportunity to re-engage with her local community after many years of focusing on global development in her professional life.

Kari has 14 years of experience in project operational management and 10 years of experience in grants administration. She started her career in evaluation and learning, which means she is always seeking evidence and anecdotes to support proposed strategies and approaches.

Her educational background includes a bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota in entrepreneurial management and non-profit management, as well as a Master's Degree in Evaluation Studies, also from UMN. Outside of work, Kari spends a lot of her free time with her two young sons exploring the many outdoor areas the Twin Cities has to offer. Her hobbies include gardening and pickleball. Kari also has a cat named Hatari, which means 'mischievous' in Swahili.