Jessie Krafft

Jessie Krafft

President & CEO
CAF America

Jessie Krafft currently serves as CAF America’s President and CEO. Prior to this appointment, she held leadership roles at CAF America throughout her 13-year tenure, progressing from roles in Grants and Donor Services through to Senior Vice President of External Affairs. As a leader, Jessie brings a collaborative and inclusive approach to the table, fostering an organizational culture that values diverse perspectives, innovative problem solving, and a commitment to transparency and accountability.

In her previous role as SVP of External Affairs, Jessie designed and implemented grantmaking strategies that addressed pressing issues in cross-border giving, and also led the development of major partnerships that enabled the expansion of donors’ global grantmaking footprint. Jessie also played a fundamental role in the founding of CAF Canada by developing its operational model and internal compliance protocols for working with donors to support CAF Canada's projects around the world. Jessie has managed CAF Canada’s programs since their inception.

Jessie’s career in the philanthropic sector began at the nonprofit Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, an organization focused on providing care for orphaned children in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. As the program coordinator and child caretaker, she coordinated the surgical services brigade and volunteers for the orphanage, while caring for children in the evenings and weekends.  This experience deeply impacted her and served as inspiration to pursue international philanthropy and global charitable causes.

Jessie has completed her Masters in International Development at American University, and holds a B.A. in Spanish and a B.S. in Anthropology, graduating summa cum laude from the honors college at Virginia Commonwealth University. She has a certificate in Nonprofit Executive Management from Georgetown University. She is also certified in Anti-Money Laundering (AML/CFT) by the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).