STAMFORD, CT, February 16, 2023 – Tostan, a leading non-profit organization supporting community-led breakthroughs in Africa is pleased to announce that Celeste R. Barone has joined their board of directors. Barone is a co-founder of 4Pines Fund Services, LLC and serves as President and Chief Client Officer.
Tostan empowers communities to develop and achieve their vision for the future, and inspire large-scale movements leading to dignity for all. Since its founding in 1991, Tostan’s flagship program, the Community Empowerment Program, has impacted the lives of more than 5 million people, supporting community-led results in education, health, economic empowerment, governance, the environment, and many other areas.
Barone says that she is particularly proud to join Tostan given this impact – and also the approach the organization uses. “Tostan’s work demonstrates how positive growth and collective learning can be transformative and empowering,” said Barone. “Their model is successful because everyone is engaged in helping the rural communities map out their own futures. From partner organizations to our board, to those living in the communities in West Africa – I am thrilled to be part of the team working to further Tostan’s mission.”
Elena Bonometti, CEO of Tostan, says that Celeste’s addition to the board, and to this broader community of partners, is both exciting, and timely. “Celeste’s incredibly deep experience as a CFO of a major foundation and her years as a leader in private capital organizations will be invaluable to Tostan as we expand upon our mission.”
Barone says she also joined because of the expanding reach of the organization and its partners. “I was so impressed to see that Tostan has not only created this powerful education model but they have also built and scaled a platform to share their work with other organizations – so far they’ve reached over 900 development practitioners and local leaders from 49 countries across Africa and around the world.”
Bonometti says Barone will join Tostan at a particularly exciting and strategic moment: In early 2023 Tostan is launching its Strategy to 2030: In partnership for community well-being. Developed in collaboration with local communities, local & national government, and supporters from around the globe, this strategy will support breakthroughs in community well-being across West Africa and far beyond.
“Celeste brings both strategic and tactical experience, having built organizational excellence in the firms she managed throughout her career. Really it is a dream come true for us to have someone like Celeste joining our Board at this moment in our history,” says Bonometti. “We have so much potential to support local communities and to see the engagement and commitment of Celeste, our other Board members, and so many partners at all levels – it really inspires us as we look to the future.”
Barone brings to Tostan’s board 25-years of experience managing the financial operations of multi-billion-dollar private capital and asset managers. Most recently, she held the position as interim CFO of Cambridge Associates. Before joining 4Pines, Barone was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Commonfund, a non-profit asset manager.
See a full list of Tostan’s Board of Directors: https://tostan.org/about-us/team/board-of-directors/
ABOUT TOSTAN
Tostan is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, operating in five West African countries and partnering with actors across Africa and around the world through training and mutual learning. Since its founding in 1991 Tostan has impacted the lives of more than 5 million people. For more information about Tostan and its work, please visit www.tostan.org
ABOUT 4PINES FUND SERVICES
4Pines was founded by a leadership
team of accomplished private capital CFOs and technology executives committed to delivering innovative fund administration services with its advanced
technology and premier customer service.
For more information visit 4PinesFS.com
