Tod Cowen joined Bridgespan in 2005 as Director of Finance. His prior experience includes several years in management positions at organizations focused on economic development in the US and in developing countries; he has held three positions at the Harvard Institute for International Development, principally serving as the US-based project manager for environmental policy and advising on projects in Central and Eastern Europe, Egypt, China, and Central Asia. Tod also served as Senior Vice President and CFO of the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, a non-profit organization focusing on market-based solutions to issues facing America's distressed inner cities.

Tod holds an MBA from the School of Management at Yale University, and a B.A. in Art History from the University of Toronto. His volunteer activities include involvement in numerous political campaigns in the United States and Canada.