Janice Petrovich

Janice Petrovich is a consultant to foundations and non-governmental organizations in the areas of philanthropy, policy research, evaluation, and program strategy. She has dedicated her career to advancing social justice by strengthening the capacity of individuals and organizations to promote evidence-based collective action.

She was Executive Director and Vice President of The Puerto Rico Foundation Network (now called Philanthropy Puerto Rico), where she helped develop a new fund to strengthen the voice and impact of Puerto Rico’s nonprofit sector in transforming the island as it recovered from the double blow of a Category 5 hurricane on top of an economic crisis. The Puerto Rico FORWARD Fund raised nearly $10 million that was largely committed to research and advocacy for relevant policies.

Petrovich spent fourteen years at the Ford Foundation as director of global work in the fields of education, gender, and religion. She oversaw staff and programs in thirteen offices worldwide, developed and implemented global strategies, and managed an annual grant program budget exceeding $70 million.

She has consulted for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies, Ángel Ramos Foundation, Transparency International, the International Education Funders Group, and Rutgers University, among others.

Petrovich was also National Executive Director of ASPIRA, a national association that promotes Latino youth leadership and equity in educational opportunities. Other previous positions include Director of Research Studies at the American Council on Education; Director of the Research Institute at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico; and faculty member at the University of Puerto Rico. Her service on commissions and boards of directors included: the Center for Investigative Journalism, the White House Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, Independent Sector, Mount Holyoke College, Miranda Foundation, and the Center for Advanced Studies of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

Her numerous publications include the book Bringing Equity Back (Teachers College Press, 2005) with Amy Stuart Wells and Strategies for Improving Public Education (Ford Foundation, 2008). She holds a doctorate in educational policy research from the University of Massachusetts, bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico.