Aaron Merki

At The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Aaron Merki serves as Managing Director, Programs and Grants, and is responsible for leading the program team in all grantmaking activities. Prior to this role, Aaron served as a Program Director at the Foundation, and was responsible for grantmaking focused on aging and older adult services, which is now covered under the Foundation’s Housing and Health portfolios.

Prior to working at the Weinberg Foundation, Aaron served as the Executive Director of FreeState Justice, dedicated to improving the lives of Maryland’s LGBTQ citizens through legal services and advocacy. From 2010-2013, Aaron worked as a corporate litigator at Venable LLP where he represented a range of Fortune 500 companies, in addition to smaller businesses and individuals. From 2008-2009, Aaron clerked for the Honorable Judge Susan K. Gauvey of the United States District Court for Maryland. He earned his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law and his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), Phi Beta Kappa, where he was a Walter Sondheim Public Affairs Scholar.

Other past and present leadership roles include service on the boards of Grantmakers in Aging, the Public Justice Center, The Journey Home, the Baltimore City Public Schools Ethics Panel, and FreeState Justice. In 2011, Aaron was named one of Baltimore’s “20 in their 20’s” and in 2010, Aaron was named UMBC’s Rising Star Alumnus of the Year.