Charmaine Mercer is the Chief of Equity and Culture at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. She serves as an internal resource on racial equity in the foundation’s grantmaking, and helps champion and share diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within the foundation. She also oversees external grantmaking related to racial equity, including a new 10-year, $150 million racial justice initiative.

Previously, Charmaine was a program officer in the Hewlett Foundation’s Education Program, where she helped refresh and implement a K-12 teaching and learning grantmaking strategy that centers equity.

Prior to joining the foundation, Charmaine held senior-level positions with the Learning Policy Institute and the Alliance for Excellent Education, grantees in the prior Education team’s Deeper Learning strategy. In both roles, she supported a team of dedicated researchers, policy advocates, and communication specialists. Charmaine also held various positions on Capitol Hill, including as a senior staffer for the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, a senior staffer for the Education and Labor Committee, and a researcher for the Congressional Research Service. She is on the board of the Grantmakers for Education, serves as an advisory board member of the Black Female Project, and is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc.

Charmaine received her Ph.D. in politics and education policy from Claremont Graduate University, as well as her master’s degree in political science. She received her bachelor’s degree in political science from San Diego State University. Charmaine is married and is the shamelessly proud mom of adorable twin boys.

Current Term

2023 – 2026