January 10, 2020 | Read Time: 3 minutes
Hillel International
Adam Lehman, interim president and CEO since July, has taken on the role permanently. He previously served as the Jewish youth organization’s chief operating officer for four years.
Nathan Cummings Foundation
Sharon Alpert, president and CEO of the Nathan Cummings Foundation, is stepping down after four years. Read more of the Chronicle’s coverage of her departure. You can also read her Chronicle opinion article on how philanthropy can curb hate.
Rockefeller Foundation
William Asiko, who was most recently executive director of Grow Africa, has joined the $4.1 billion foundation as managing director of its Africa regional office.
VF Corporation
Gloria Schoch, director of community affairs at the Molson Coors Brewing Company, has been appointed director of the VF Foundation, a corporate grant maker in Denver. She will also oversee global impact for this apparel company that owns North Face, Timberland, and Vans, among other brands.
More New CEOs
Richard Burns, interim CEO at Lambda Legal, will step in as interim executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance on March 6. He will replace Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno, who is leaving after two years to join Human Rights Watch as senior legal adviser for the Americas and the United States.
Nicole McKinney, work-based learning director for United Way for Southeastern Michigan, will be the first executive director of the newly established Friends of the Children-Detroit. This will be the mentoring organization’s 21st chapter in the United States; it has opened 16 regional affiliates in the past seven years.
Melissa Monforti, a music educator at Music Together in Denver, has been named executive director of BookGive, a nonprofit group that provides free books throughout metropolitan Denver.
Imani Rupert-Gordon will be the next executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Most recently she was executive director of Affinity Community Services, a social-justice organization serving the needs of black LGBTQ people, particularly women.
Denise Wong, president of the Los Angeles marketing firm Midnight Oil, will now serve as president of One & All, an agency that specializes in nonprofit marketing.
Other Notable Appointments
Phillip Castleberry, vice president for institutional advancement at St. John Fisher College, has been appointed vice president for development and alumni relations at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Jennifer Niyangoda, chief development officer at Higher Achievement, has been appointed vice president of marketing and development at the Prevent Cancer Foundation.
Richard Woo, former CEO at the Russell Family Foundation for more than 20 years, has joined the investment firm Tiedemann Advisors and will serve on its Impact Advisory Council, working with rich families and foundations on strategy.
Scott Zastoupil, associate vice president of finance and controller at the Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation, has been promoted to chief financial officer.
Departures
Earl Dowling, vice president for institutional advancement at College of DuPage, plans to retire on January 31.
Allen Lew, president of the Washington Architectural Foundation, has left the philanthropic arm of the Washington, D.C., chapter of the American Institute of Architects. He is now senior vice chancellor for facilities planning, construction, and management at the City University of New York.
Kyle Stafford, vice president for university advancement at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, has stepped down to become president of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College.
Legacy
Joan Irvine Smith, a philanthropist heiress who gave millions to causes in Orange County, Calif., died December 19 at age 86. Her grandfather founded the Irvine Co., which owns and develops real estate in Southern California, and she joined its Board of Directors when she was 24. Her efforts led the company to donate 1,000 acres of land in 1960 to create the campus for the University of California at Irvine. She also co-founded Children’s Hospital of Orange County. Her grandfather established the James Irvine Foundation with a bequest of $5.6 million in 1947; the foundation reported $2.3 billion in assets in 2018.
Send an email to people@philanthropy.com.
M.J. Prest has been writing about major gifts, grant making, and executive moves for the Chronicle since 2004. Email M.J.
