Stephanie Gidigbi Jenkins

Stephanie Gidigbi Jenkins champions public policy solutions that deliver economic, social, cultural, and environmental benefits for communities.

She is a social entrepreneur and strategist who advances system-change strategies that center on people and place. With more than 20 years of experience, Stephanie has advised community-centered coalitions, public agencies, and philanthropic leaders on strategies that advance climate justice, community wealth creation, and inclusive public infrastructure investment. Her leadership paves pathways toward possibility, aligning public resources with long-term community priorities and purposeful progress.

Stephanie currently serves as Co-Director of the Communities First Fund, guiding its national work to shift infrastructure and investment toward community benefit. Previously, she held leadership roles at the Natural Resources Defense Council, served as a local government official, and was a federal political appointee at the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Stephanie began her career on Capitol Hill. Her work and voice have been featured in The Washington Post, Politico Magazine, The New York Times, and other national outlets. She is also a wife, mother, minister and community advocate who lives in Washington, D.C.