Stephanie Rivera-Kumar serves as the Director of Business Development at the National Education Opportunity Network (NEON), where she helps advance the organization’s growth strategy and expand the partnerships needed to bring college credit-bearing courses to students in historically underserved communities. In this role, Stephanie leads donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship efforts, manages relationships with high-capacity donors and prospects, and helps align fundraising strategy with NEON’s organizational goals, impact data, and long-term sustainability.
Before joining NEON, Stephanie worked across nonprofit leadership, fundraising, research, and strategy roles focused on education, economic mobility, public health, and equitable community development. She has managed complex grant portfolios, built cross-sector partnerships, supported development operations, and helped advance initiatives designed to improve access to opportunity.
Stephanie is a PhD candidate in City and Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design and a Fontaine Fellow. She holds a Master of Science in Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington. Her doctoral research examines Latinx entrepreneurship, ethnic enclaves, spatial analysis, and urban economic development. Stephanie is also an AmeriCorps alum, a former McNair Scholar, and a first-generation student.