Tim Pennell is a Managing Director, leading Partnership teams that advise on using public funding and data as levers to impact how governments, providers, and their partners work with and improve the lives of the people they serve.  The Third Sector process leads to quantifiable improvements in people’s lives by creating new incentives to inspire sustainable operational changes, and when their work is complete, organizations entrusted to use public and private funds will have the systems, tools, and data to do more and do better for the people they serve.

Since joining Third Sector in 2012, Tim has led projects with state and local governments in a variety of areas, including child welfare, early childhood, juvenile justice, and workforce development. Tim has been involved in the development and launch of multiple Pay for Success projects and was an expert consultant to an international team pursuing a Development Impact Bond for the elimination of cholera in Haiti. Tim also oversees Third Sector’s growing Federal government technical assistance practice and has supported multiple communities in securing federal funding to support outcomes contracting initiatives. 

Tim has been a featured speaker on outcomes contracting and Pay for Success both in the United States and internationally. He was keynote speaker at the 2015 Japan Social Impact Investing Symposium in Tokyo, Japan and the 2017 Saudi Arabia Nonprofit Forum in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

In 2014 Tim managed Third Sector’s inaugural, federally funded Pay for Success grant competition. From 2013 to 2017 Tim managed Third Sector’s communications and PR activities. Previously, Tim served as Development Manager for the Winston-Salem Symphony in Winston-Salem, NC. 

Tim graduated magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University with a B.S. in Human & Organizational Development and a second major in Music. He also holds an M.B.A. with honors from Boston University. When not working to improve outcomes in communities, Tim fulfills his curiosity through reading, poetry, classical music, and travel.