Nava Kantor, MSW

Director

Nava Kantor is a social impact strategist who works toward a world centered on equity, connection, healing, and sustainability.

Nava spent the last seven years immersed in funder organizations and philanthropy consulting, focusing on ways to make funding processes more equitable, accessible, and effective. Nava has designed and directed grantmaking processes that have resulted in millions of dollars being invested regionally and globally in support of public health, social service, and community-building initiatives.

At Gladiator, Nava shares her passion for and expertise in facilitating community-driven, data-informed decision-making to create change. She brings skills in assessing community needs and creating strategies to address them; evaluating programs for learning and improvement; and engaging and facilitating volunteer leadership and community stakeholders. 

 Nava earned a Master of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis, focusing on social and economic development and organizational management, and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Barnard College.

Nava lives in South City with her partner and dog. In her free time, she enjoys all things food-related, traveling to new places, and volunteering at MaTovu, a Jewish community space in St. Louis City that she helped found.