Tonia Wellons is a Vice President at the Greater Washington Community Foundation and leads Community Investment, which includes investment strategy, grant-making, community engagement, and partnerships. She has over 20 years of experience spanning senior leadership in both locally-oriented and international organizations.

Prior to joining the Foundation in July 2016, she served as a political appointee for the Obama Administration as head of global partnerships at the Peace Corps. Tonia was responsible for leading the agency’s relationships with other federal agencies, the private sector, international NGOs, and donors. Most notably, Tonia led bold cause-marketing partnerships at the Peace Corps for Let Girls Learn (an initiative of First Lady Michelle Obama) with corporate partners including Land’s End, Alex and Ani, and IBM, all linked to expanding access to education for girls globally. Tonia previously served as fund manager a multi-donor initiative focused on financial access and inclusion at the World Bank Group. She also spent a significant part of her career working on USAID-funded capacity development initiatives during the immediate post-apartheid era in South Africa and the broader sub-Sahara region. In 2010, Tonia founded The Prince George’s County Social Innovation Fund (PGCSIF) in an effort to 'shift the narrative' and build social capital in the County. The Innovation Fund's flagship initiative, Forty Under 40 Prince George's, recognizes top talent in the County, and connects them to political, social, and economic opportunity; all the while sharing the important story of amazing people - under the age of 40 - who live and work in Prince George's.

Tonia has a master’s degree in Public Administration and International Development Policy from the University of Delaware, and a BA in Political Science from North Carolina A&T State University.