TESTIMONIALS
“Arum is a pleasure to work with. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network found Arum through her volunteer efforts with Catchafire.org. Over a six-month period, she helped us through the reorganization of our Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. Arum presented a training session for our staff and Board members. She facilitated our monthly committee meetings and helped us develop strategies for broadening the committee’s work. Her efforts to help us identify deliverables for the committee to take on and prioritize tasks is still helping to advance the committee’s work today. Arum is a thoughtful listener with the ability to identify significant outcomes within a mix of complex issues. We would love to work with Arum again!”
-Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network
“…Arum can look at a strategy with an eagle-eye view to see the big picture vision or goal. Then she’s able to dial into the details in a thoughtful way, carefully considering the steps it will take to reach that goal…She set a foundation of transparency, clarity and mutual respect. Her approach not only kept us aligned and on task, but also provided the space for me to be curious, creative and try new things, knowing I’d get her honest feedback…Arum leads with empathy and is generous with her time, knowledge and energy. She sets high expectations for herself and those around her. The difference maker with Arum is that she doesn’t just set expectations and leave you to navigate them alone; she actively engages, providing guidance and collaboration to achieve goals together.”
-TraiAnne Peek, General Catalyst
“We found ourselves trapped in a cycle of distraction and unproductivity. After spending an hour sharing our challenges with Arum, she skillfully guided us towards a plan that reinvigorated our team. Since then, we've turned to her for targeted advice, and she has consistently provided invaluable wisdom, expertise, and thoughtfulness. I highly recommend working with Arum—she has truly been a gem.”
-Asn Ndiaye, Northern California Land Trust
FORMAL BIO
Arum Lee Lansel is an accomplished leader with two decades of experience in the nonprofit, philanthropy, international development, and venture capital sectors. Her vast breadth of leadership roles in these industries has allowed her to see what works in what context and bring best practices across a variety of industries.
After a successful career in programmatic and operational roles focused on strategy and HR leadership, she is pursuing her heart’s passion; supporting mission-driven leaders to fulfill their vision and make a lasting, positive impact in the world.
Arum’s journey has taken her through vastly different work cultures and operating environments. Formerly she was Vice President of Learning & Development at General Catalyst (GC), a leading venture capital firm with over $32 billion in assets under management. At GC she served as an HR leader where she led change management, shaped the culture, and designed employee development and performance management systems using a growth-mindset lens. She is certified in Employee Relations & Investigations and has led many trainings and facilitated tough conversations. Arum also designed and spearheaded GC’s first racial equity initiative and helped GC become a DEI leader within the VC industry.
Arum led program operations at one of the largest philanthropic organizations, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, which grants over $400 million every year to nonprofit and mission-driven organizations. She worked with nonprofits across the globe to support their organizational effectiveness and designed capacity building strategies. She helped shape the organizational effectiveness team’s theory of change and designed and led monitoring, evaluation, and learning strategies. Arum was also a core member of the initial funder collaborative of several large foundations working to combat the “nonprofit starvation cycle” and encourage funders to give unrestricted grants and pay for the real, indirect costs nonprofits incur to fulfill their mission.
International expertise is one of Arum’s distinguishing skills. With a masters degree in International Development from American University’s School of International Service, she has led several multi-million dollar international development projects. She worked for one of the largest USAID contractors, Tetra Tech, as a Senior Project Officer and managed USAID-funded projects in Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, West Bank, Jordan, and Haiti. She has also worked on projects in Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Guatemala in past roles.
Arum knows what it's like sitting on the inside of a nonprofit. She worked at International Justice Mission building out pivotal programs while the organization was growing rapidly. She is also proud to sit on the Board of two international nonprofits. Choshen Farm is a nonprofit serving community needs in rural Zambia. She has been on the Board since 2018 and led the organization through annual planning during a season of major change. Arum joined the Board of World Connect in 2022, a global nonprofit that activates power inside communities. World Connect co-invests alongside communities in the community's vision for progress.
Outside of work, Arum loves playing board games and traveling with her husband and two amazing children. Arum’s other passion is singing and you can often find her practicing and preparing for an upcoming performance. Arum lived in New York, Washington DC, and the San Francisco Bay Area before moving back to her home state of FL in 2022. She currently resides in Orlando, FL.