Annie Milli is leaving her position as executive director of Live Baltimore in late September to become the sole program officer at the Goldseker Foundation.
Milli held the position with Live (rhymes with “give”) Baltimore, the independent nonprofit that promotes the benefits of Baltimore City living, since 2017. The foundation to which she’s moving is Live Baltimore’s longest-supporting and largest philanthropic partner, so this is hardly a final goodbye.
“Leading Live Baltimore has been the greatest opportunity of my life,” said Milli, in a farewell email message to the community. “I couldn’t have dreamt of a more fitting professional outlet for my personal passions. I am grateful for our board’s trust, guidance, and encouragement, which have enabled my growth and the growth of our city. Live Baltimore is a special place—where dedicated professionals lead with their hearts to show off the best of our neighborhoods. I look forward to continuing my support of Live Baltimore and its many partner organizations from my new seat at the Goldseker Foundation.”
Live Baltimore’s announcement shared that Milli, a fourth-generation Baltimorean, first joined the organization in 2013 as marketing director. Her enthusiasm and stewardship quickly resulted in new initiatives that led to significant growth helping the organization strengthen Baltimore’s economy by attracting and retaining residents to the city.
Specifically, in the last five years, Live Baltimore helped facilitate $1.6 billion in home purchases. This resulted in over $70 million in tax revenue for Baltimore City. Every year, one out of every six new Baltimore City home purchases is a Live Baltimore customer, translating into a positive impact for more than 200 individual neighborhoods.
“Annie is one of Baltimore’s best, and one of the biggest cheerleaders for Charm City that I’ve had the honor to work alongside,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott in a statement. “For more than a decade, she has championed our city and welcomed thousands upon thousands of new residents and new homeowners—including being there every step of the way in my own home-buying journey. We will miss her as the head of Live Baltimore, but are thrilled that she’s staying close to home to continue working to better our city and will always be grateful for her tireless dedication. She carries the mantra of ‘I love City Life’ as much as anyone—and I know she’ll carry that spirit with her in everything she does.”
Milli’s accomplishments are vast and far-reaching, including doubling the organization’s revenue and operating budget, securing an 80% increase in government funding, and improving corporate contributions by 1,000%. She launched new programs that motivated residents to live in Baltimore City, including an initiative focused on retaining families with children.
She received a $3 million grant from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to launch Live Baltimore’s “Buy Back the Block” program, which provides grants to city residents who purchase homes in the areas where they currently rent. The grants do not have to be repaid.
Milli co-created Baltimore’s Birthday Bash, Live Baltimore’s annual fundraiser and city-wide summer celebration attended by more than 1,000 supporters every year.
Guiding the organization’s focused commitment to equity, Milli helped increase the percentage of Live Baltimore’s Black customers from 49% in FY17 to 74% in FY24, an increase of 50%.
“The board and staff at Live Baltimore are incredibly grateful for Annie’s leadership and the profound impact she has had on our organization’s growth and stability,” said Kate Williams, President of Live Baltimore’s Board of Directors. “Her dedication and vision have been pivotal in shaping our work and strengthening Baltimore’s neighborhoods. While we will miss her deeply, we are equally excited to see her continue to make a difference beyond Live Baltimore. We are fortunate to have benefited from her years of exceptional service and know that her influence will be felt for years to come.”
At Goldseker Foundation, Milli will support investments in community development, education, and nonprofit capacity building.
“The Goldseker Foundation has been a proud supporter of Live Baltimore’s important work and admired Annie’s dynamic leadership over the past decade,” said Matt Gallagher, the foundation’s president and CEO. “We are thrilled to welcome Annie as Goldseker’s next program officer and know her perspective and experience will continue to be invaluable to Baltimore as she serves the people and institutions of the city through this new role at the foundation.”