Kathleen Simpson is the Chief Executive Officer of The Russell Family Foundation (TRFF), where she partners with the Board of Directors to set strategy and deploy the foundation’s full range of resources, including grantmaking, impact investing, and partnerships, to advance a healthy planet and resilient communities. With more than 20 years of experience across accounting, investment operations, and governance in multi-entity organizations, she brings financial rigor and values-driven leadership to her role.
Since joining TRFF, first as Chief Financial Officer and now as CEO, Kathleen has helped transform the foundation’s investment portfolio from 7% to nearly 95% values-aligned and led its commitment to a net-zero future. Under her leadership, TRFF has emerged as a leader in catalytic climate finance. She is a recognized voice in the field, advancing how philanthropic capital can take risks, extend time horizons, and unlock solutions that traditional markets overlook.
Prior to TRFF, Kathleen served as Director of Finance for an independent wealth management firm advising individuals, multigenerational families, and foundations. She also founded and led a public accounting firm for more than a decade, providing outsourced CFO services to high-net-worth families, privately held businesses, and nonprofit organizations.
She is a Certified Public Accountant and holds an MBA. Kathleen serves on the board of directors for the Bainum Family Foundation and the Sierra Club Foundation, and on the Investment Advisory Committee for the Children’s Equity Fund. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Washington State Society of Certified Public Accountants.
