As a Program Officer at the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, Eric Phamdo leverages his expertise in place-based economic development and nonprofit capacity building to uplift projects in Early Childhood, Afterschool, and Youth Sports & Recreation. Additionally, he is involved in Nonprofit Support & Innovation, a special initiative of the Foundation focused on building capacity through project-specific grants for intermediary organizations and encouraging collaboration among nonprofits.

Eric leads a portfolio that has expanded economic opportunities in neighborhoods and strengthened the nonprofit infrastructure across 16 counties in Michigan and New York. He serves in leadership roles for initiatives in Buffalo, NY; Detroit, MI; and Pontiac, MI that are coordinating state, municipal, and philanthropic resources to support economic development. He is passionate about ensuring capacity building resources and networks are available to organizations across Southeast Michigan and Western New York. Through their work, they have coalesced organizations and funders to coordinate and scale resources and networks across the Foundation’s two regions.

Eric earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Rochester studying cross-cultural psychology, sustainability, and business administration. He also earned a Public Leadership Credential from the Harvard Kennedy School. He is also passionate about human well-being. They are a trained natural foods chef and a yoga teacher and have taught thousands of students mindfulness and conscious movement to nurture their mental, physical, and emotional wellness.