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Meet our passionate team advancing the most promising poverty-fighting solutions.

Our Staff

Our team of experts cultivates community with nonprofits, cutting-edge leaders, partners, and our community at large because we know together, we can create a Bay Area where everyone prospers.

Meet Our Team

  • Liz
    Bender

    Chief Operating Officer
    Read Liz Bender bio

    Liz Bender

    Chief Operating Officer

    Pronouns: she/her

    “Wars of nations are fought to change maps. But wars of poverty are fought to map change.” - Muhammad Ali

    Liz comes to Tipping Point as an old friend, having worked alongside the team for years as both a grantee and funding partner. Most recently, she served as the Chief Finance and Growth Officer at First Place for Youth, launching the Affiliate Network to expand the organization outside of California. Prior to her time at First Place, Liz was a Senior Portfolio Associate at the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, where she was responsible for the Foundation’s sourcing efforts and supported several grantees as they expanded to serve more youth and deepened their outcomes and evidence. Liz received her BS in Finance from Boston College and earned an MPA in Nonprofit Management and an MA in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University. When she’s not in the office, Liz loves trail running on Mt. Tam and taking her dog to Crissy Field to frolick.

  • Sam
    Cobbs

    Chief Executive Officer
    Read Sam Cobbs bio

    Sam Cobbs

    Chief Executive Officer

    “To whom much is given, much is required.”

    Born and raised in the Mississippi Delta, Sam Cobbs moved to the Bay Area in 1991 and has been fighting poverty by working to create economic opportunities for individuals ever since. In January 2020, Sam became CEO of Tipping Point Community, a leading philanthropic organization that finds, funds, and strengthens the most promising poverty-fighting solutions in the Bay Area. Since being at the helm, Sam has expanded Tipping Point’s approach by pairing effective direct service grantmaking with policy work to disrupt the conditions that hold poverty in place. Read more about Sam.

  • Kimberly
    Davis-Wells

    Chief Communications and Events Officer
    Read Kimberly Davis-Wells bio

    Kimberly Davis-Wells

    Chief Communications and Events Officer

    Pronouns: she/her

    "Change starts with me."

    Kimberly understands that poverty is the issue of our time, and wants to help drive the understanding and impact how we as a community can change the trajectory of poverty in the Bay Area. She has spent the past 20 years as a marketing and communications strategist, creating purpose-driven campaigns within the private and public sectors.Kimberly went to Hampton University for undergrad and received her MBA in marketing from Washington University’s Olin School of Business. In her free time, she enjoys listening to all forms of live music!

  • Liz
    Givens

    Chief Development Officer
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    Liz Givens

    Chief Development Officer

    Pronouns: she/her

    “There are very few organizations that attack poverty from all sides – Tipping Point does that and more.”

    Liz brings over 15 years of experience in development and relationship management to her role at Tipping Point. Prior to joining the team in 2015, she served as the Chief Development Officer at Opportunity Fund where she helped families in need build financial security. Liz started her career in investment banking at Alex. Brown & Sons and then moved to a start-up where she built a research and consulting business unit. Liz earned an MBA with a focus on public management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Washington and Lee University in Virginia. A native of the East Coast, she loves cultivating her family’s California garden, volunteering in the public schools, and trail running in the Berkeley hills.

  • Ali
    Sutton

    Chief Program Officer
    Read Ali Sutton bio

    Ali Sutton

    Chief Program Officer

    Pronouns: she/her

    "I believe that to be truly compassionate, one must directly support their neighbors who are struggling with poverty and also work to change and improve the systems that have allowed that poverty to exist."

    Ali joined Tipping Point to more directly serve her community while also continuing to work on the critical system changes necessary to ensure meaningful reductions in poverty. Prior to joining Tipping Point, Ali served as the State of California’s Deputy Secretary for Homelessness where she oversaw the state’s interagency council on homelessness and several large state homelessness grant programs. Earlier in her career Ali served as a Senior Advisor for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, focusing on a range of anti-poverty programs within the Administration for Children and Families. Ali graduated with a Masters in Public Policy from the University of California – Berkeley, and received her B.A from the University of Iowa. When not working to alleviate poverty, Ali can be found hiking, backpacking or reading a good book…outdoors!