Walton Family Foundation Taps Unicef USA Official as Leader
Caryl Stern, president of Unicef USA, has been named CEO of the $4.9 billion foundation established by the family that owns Walmart.
She succeeds Kyle Peterson, who, after three years in the position, announced in January his intention to depart.
National Center for Family Philanthropy Hires Chief
Nicholas Tedesco will become president and CEO of the philanthropy-advisory group on December 1. Until then, he will continue in his job as senior philanthropic adviser at the Philanthropy Centre at J.P. Morgan Private Bank.[[photo id="93323
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Virginia Esposito, founder and president since 1997, will remain with the organization as senior fellow.
National Public Radio Appoints Government Official as CEO
John Lansing will be the next CEO of NPR, succeeding Jarl Mohn.
He is currently the CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, a government group that oversees Voice of America, Radio and Television Martí, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
United Nations Foundation Promotes Deputy to Top Role
Elizabeth Cousens, deputy director since 2015, has been promoted to president and CEO, effective January 1. She is a former ambassador to the U.N. Economic and Social Council and alternate representative to the U.N. General Assembly from 2012 to 2014.
She replaces Kathy Calvin, who is retiring after serving as chief executive for the past 16 years.
Burroughs Wellcome Fund to be Led by Physician-Scientist
Louis Muglia has been named president of the $770 million health foundation, effective in January.
A physician-scientist, he currently holds a variety of appointments: At Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, he is the vice chair for research, chair of the Division of Human Genetics, co-director of the Perinatal Institute, and director of the Center for Prevention of Preterm Birth. He is also a professor of pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
Former Surdna CEO to Head Robert H.N. Ho Family Fund
Phillip Henderson, who was president of the Surdna Foundation until last year, will now be CEO of the Robert H.N. Ho Foundation based in Hong Kong.
MIT Media Lab Scandal Prompts Personnel Shifts
Joi Ito, director of the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has resigned following an investigation into his decision to obfuscate large donations that the Media Lab received from Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy convicted sex offender who killed himself in prison in August.
In addition, Brown University has put Peter Cohen on leave from his position as director of development for computer and data-science initiatives as a result of his involvement with Epstein during Cohen’s time working at MIT.
Council on Foundations Hires Government Affairs Official
David Kass has joined the grant-makers group as vice president of government affairs and strategic communications.
He most recently served as president of the Council for a Strong America.
AT&T Social Responsibility Leader to Also Head Foundation
Charlene Lake, senior vice president for corporate social responsibility and chief sustainability officer at AT&T, will now also lead the company’s foundation.
College President to Head St. David’s Foundation
Edward Burger, a professor of mathematics and president of Southwestern University, will become CEO of the $822 million health foundation in January.
He succeeds Earl Maxwell, who intends to retire in December after 12 years at the helm.
More New CEOs
Robert Boyd, founding executive director of the Secure Schools Alliance, will be the next president and CEO of the School-Based Health Alliance. He succeeds John Schlitt, who has stepped down after 22 years.
Anna Gosline, senior director of strategic initiatives in the executive office of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, will also serve as executive director of the Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care. Gosline succeeds Richard Averbuch, who has retired.
Alison Moore, chief business officer for the Beauty Collection at Condé Nast, has been hired as CEO of Comic Relief USA.
Suzanne Anarde will become CEO of the Rural Community Assistance Corporation in November. Currently she is a vice president at Local Initiatives Support Corporation and the director of Rural LISC.
Gail Christopher, former vice president for food, health, and well-being and senior adviser at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, will begin serving as executive director of the National Collaborative for Health Equity on November 1. She succeeds Brian Smedley, who has led the group since co-founding it in 2014.
Ellen Buchman, vice president for strategy and program impact, has been promoted to president of Opportunity Agenda. She succeeds Alan Jenkins, who has departed the organization he co-founded after 13 years to become a professor of practice at Harvard Law School.
Niranjali Amerasinghe, senior associate in the Sustainable Finance Center at the World Resources Institute, has been named executive director of ActionAid USA, which works to find solutions to climate, economic, and human-rights injustices.
Museum of the Bible Hires Two New Executives
Joe Foster, vice president for advancement at Marymount University, has been appointed chief development officer.
Steve Schildwachter, chief marketing officer at BrightStar Franchising, has also been hired as chief marketing officer.
Other Notable Appointments
Sarah Margon, Washington director at Human Rights Watch, will now serve as director of foreign-policy advocacy for Open Society-U.S.
Ethan Perlstein, founder of Perlara PBC, a biotech company, has joined the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation as chief scientific officer, a new position at the group that raises money for research on spinal-cord injuries.
Allison Allen has been appointed chief people officer at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Most recently she was a consultant focusing on diversity, inclusion, and talent-management programs at Gerson Lehrman Group.
Sterrin Bird, former chief development officer at the United Way Bay Area, will now serve as chief advancement officer at the Children’s Health Council.
Rihab Babiker, associate director of finance and operations at Harvard University’s Center for International Development, has been named vice president of finance and operations at the Center for Effective Philanthropy.
Mandy Van Deven, communications officer at the Foundation for a Just Society, will join the Nathan Cummings Foundation as director of communications.
Nathaniel Wallace, vice president of operations and co-owner of Communications Professionals, has joined the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as its new Detroit director.
David Wachtel has been named senior vice president of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. He was most recently senior vice president of marketing, communications, and partnerships at Endeavor.
Departures
Nuala O’Connor, president and CEO of the Center for Democracy & Technology, is stepping down. Chris Calabrese, vice president of policy, and Lisa Hayes, vice president of strategy, will serve as interim co-CEOs until a permanent replacement is hired.
Robert Ottenhoff, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s first president and CEO, will step down on April 1. He has led the grant maker since 2012. A successor has not yet been named.
Lee Sherman, president and CEO of the National Human Services Assembly, will retire on November 30.
MayKao Hang, president and CEO of the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, is leaving to become vice president and inaugural dean of the College of Health at St. Thomas University.
Bruce McNamer, president and CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation since 2015, will depart this year. Tonia Wellons, vice president of community investment, will step in as interim leader while the foundation searches for a permanent replacement.
Simon Woods has resigned as CEO of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He was appointed to the top role in January 2018.
Legacies
T. Boone Pickens, a billionaire oil tycoon and philanthropist, died on September 11 at age 91. A regular fixture on the Philanthropy 50 list of biggest donors, Pickens gave more than $790 million to nonprofit groups over the past 16 years, including a total of $500 million to Oklahoma State University and $160 million to establish his own foundation in 2006.
Steven Minter, former CEO of the Cleveland Foundation, died last month at age 80. He was widely believed to be the first African American to head a community foundation.
When he retired in 2003, the Council on Foundations honored him with the Distinguished Grantmaker Award for his lifetime achievement in philanthropy.
M.J. Prest has been writing about major gifts, grant making, and nonprofit executive moves for the Chronicle since 2004. Email M.J.
