Phelena Napper

Phelena Napper is a 4th-generation Angeleno, born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. She is a multi-hyphenate professional—an educator, journalist, and fundraiser whose work has taken her across five continents. As the Vice President of Development at 9to5, she focuses on securing the resources needed to support economic justice and workplace equity for women, particularly women of color.

With over 20 years of experience as a fundraiser, Phelena has raised over $30 million for mission-driven organizations across higher education, nonprofit leadership, and venture capital. She has worked in academic institutions like Cypress Community College, Temple University, and LeMoyne-Owen College, securing funding to expand educational access and student success initiatives. She has also led fundraising efforts for BIPOC-led nonprofits, working to increase outdoor access for BIPOC youth in California, ensure systems-involved youth in Philadelphia receive proper legal representation, and sustain Black-led newsrooms amplifying underrepresented voices. Her experience extends into venture capital, where she participated in the first-ever beauty tech accelerator in Silicon Valley with Draper University.

A proud HBCU alumna, Phelena earned her Bachelor’s degree from LeMoyne-Owen College and her Master’s degree from Temple University, with further academic and business training at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business (business accelerator), the USC Marshall School of Business (business incubator), the School for International Training, and the University of the West Indies. Throughout her career, she has remained committed to ensuring that organizations serving historically excluded communities have the funding, infrastructure and strategic vision to thrive.