Elena Thandiwe Pullen-Venema
Director of Philanthropic Advising
As Director of Philanthropic Advising, Elena onboards new financial firms and directly supports donors in developing their charitable strategy. For the past 20+ years, Elena has worked extensively in the fields of philanthropic, financial, and estate planning as well as in the nonprofit sector and with micro-lending institutions in the US and South Africa. She has her MBA in Finance from Temple University, her CAP® designation, and is currently working towards obtaining her CFP® from the American College of Financial Services.
Most recently, Elena worked with the Community Foundation of Snohomish County in Everett, WA. As Director of Gift Planning, she partnered with financial planners, attorneys and accountants, helping them create tailored philanthropic plans for their clients in order to meet financial, estate, charitable, and tax goals.
Prior to earning her MBA, Elena received her BA from Tufts University in Boston, MA. After completing her undergraduate work, Elena was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to live and work in Cape Town, South Africa.
Although she is originally from the East Coast, Elena currently lives in Snohomish, WA with her husband Jaymes and children Thandiwe and J.D.. In her free time, she is an avid runner, enjoys coaching her son’s soccer team, attempts to grow vegetables in her garden, and road-trips down to Corvallis, OR to visit her daughter at Oregon State University (Go Beavs!).