Who We Are

Cornelia Grumman, Executive Director

Before joining the First Five Years Fund, Cornelia Grumman served on the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune, where she wrote primarily about education, juvenile justice, Illinois politics and the death penalty. Grumman received 2001, 2005 and 2006 Casey Medals for Meritorious Journalism for editorials on children and family issues. She received a 2001 Studs Terkel award for coverage of disadvantaged communities and three Herman Kogan awards for editorials about the criminal justice system. Grumman also won a Pulitzer Prize in 2003 for her series of editorials calling for death-penalty reform.

Grumman earned a master’s degree in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Duke University. She lives in Chicago with her husband, Jim Warren, and their 5-year-old son, Blair.

Sonya Anderson, National Director

Dr. Sonya Anderson, National Director of The First Five Years Fund, began her career in the education field as a member of the Mississippi Teacher Corps, teaching French and history in rural Mississippi. She served as a Program Associate with the Ford Foundation, then co-directed implementation of education development projects in West Africa and the Caribbean. Before joining FFYF, she was Education Program Director at the Oprah Winfrey Foundation. She holds an undergraduate degree from Yale University and a masters and doctorate degree in education from Harvard University.