NPT Power and Influence Top 50 -- 2012

It has been 15 years since The NonProfit Times revealed its first Power and Influence Top 50 list. Since then, past honorees such as Peter Goldberg and Florence Green have passed away, but their ideas are still foundational in leadership, board management, and entrepreneurship.

The individuals represented in this year 's Power and Influence Top 50 represent all of those qualities and more.

As has always been the case with this prestigious list, the honorees will be celebrated next month at a gala at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. For some of these individuals, it's their first time on the list, while others are back for an encore. Let's take a look at some of the powerful figures in the nonprofit sector who will be represented this year:

• Robert F. Ashcraft, Ph.D.-Founding Executive Director at Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation: Ashcraft is turning the academic setting at Arizona State University into a community hub for all things infrastructure and has reached across the border into Mexico to address regional issues regarding philanthropy and capacity building. He is a leader and incubator among his nonprofit academic center peers.
• Diana Aviv President and CEO at Independent Sector: It isn’t easy balancing opposing views in a broad sector, but somehow Aviv pulls it off. The organization is again an important convener of the sector’s power brokers, even if that muscle isn’t used as often as it should be. 
• Dan Busby President at Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability: In one form or another, the nation’s religious community still pulls in the majority of American giving. While there have been some high-profile bankruptcies, the policies Busby has put in place and enforces have staved off the financial scandals that used to come on a regular basis.

We invite you take a look at the full list and see the other nonprofit leaders who were chosen this year.