Rhia Ventures is on a mission is to create a vibrant U.S. market for sexual, reproductive, and maternal health that produces equitable outcomes for all. The firm makes direct investments in early- and growth-stage companies, provides technical assistance and resources to portfolio companies, and organizes corporate engagement programs to change social norms, practices, and people that influence the market.
Yesterday the firm announced the appointment of Erika Seth Davies as Rhia Ventures new Chief Executive Officer. Davies is is a seasoned leader with more than 20 years of experience in development and fundraising, program design, collaboration and partnership management, and racial equity advocacy. She is the Founder of The Racial Equity Asset Lab (The REAL), an organization working in partnership with Common Future that centers racial equity in impact investing and works to shift capital to close the persistent racial wealth gap. She previously served as Vice President of External Affairs at ABFE (Association of Black Foundation Executives) where she designed the SMART Investing Initiative, the organization’s first philanthropic effort to incorporate a racial equity lens in foundation endowment practice through increased access for minority- and women-owned investment management firms. She is also a Social Entrepreneur in Residence with Common Future and a Fellow, Equitable Access to Capital Markets in the Fair Finance portfolio of the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University. She was a member of the inaugural class of the ABFE Connecting Leaders Fellowship program, a recipient of the NYU Wagner School of Public Service IGNITE Fellowship for Women of Color in the Social Sector, and a member of the class of 2017 for Executive Leadership Institute of CFLeads.
Davies is currently the Associate Director of Philanthropy at McDonogh School and previously served as the Chief of Staff of the Baltimore Community Foundation. She enjoys volunteering as a member of the Impact Hub Baltimore Advisory Board and a member of the board of directors for the Baltimore Algebra Project. She earned a B.A. in English and a Certificate of African Studies from Georgetown University.
Erika Seth Davies will succeed Hope Neighbor, the Interim CEO and will start full-time on June 1, 2021.
