All Team Members

Zakiya Lord

Regional Philanthropic Director

Zakiya describes herself as a ‘resource mobilizer’. She joined MVP in August of 2020 — amidst a global pandemic, online school, and a country in turmoil. Since this time, she has supported MVP stakeholders in their desire to fuel movements, make meaning, and build people power. She is buoyed by her desire to build community, and by the opportunity to mobilize resources. Whilst she works with high-net-worth individuals across the US, her primary focus is the Southeastern region.

Over her 20-year career, Zakiya led teams and projects across Alabama, Chicago, Bermuda, and NYC. Her work has spanned the nonprofit sector, private entities, local governments, and quasi-NGO’s. Guided by her training as a clinical therapist, her years working in fundraising have centered around advancing LGBTQI protections through the lens of race and gender, and have included the Astraea Lesbian Foundation and Lambda Legal. Zakiya is a founding board member of OUTBermuda, and she served on BYP100’s inaugural C3 board.

When not working, you can find Zakiya playing tennis, practicing her golf swing, writing snail mail, or looking for worthy Scrabble opponents.

Zakiya proudly hails from the tiny island of Bermuda, where she was born and raised. She presently resides in Washington DC with her wife, where they are raising their 9-year old son — who is Black boy joy, and magic.