December 11, 2020 | Read Time: 5 minutes
Open Society Foundations
Mark Malloch-Brown, former United Nations deputy secretary-general and minister of state in the United Kingdom, will become president of the foundations on January 1.
He succeeds Patrick Gaspard, who is departing after three years of leading the $18 billion foundations established by the billionaire investor George Soros.
Meyer Memorial Trust
D’Artagnan Bernard Caliman, executive director at Building Changes, has been named director of Justice Oregon for Black Lives, the foundation’s five-year, $25 million program to boost Black leadership at Black-serving organizations and address the causes of systemic racism in the state.
Obama Foundation
Wally Adeyemo, president of the Obama Foundation, will depart next year, pending his confirmation as deputy secretary of the Treasury Department under President-elect Joe Biden.
Valerie Jarrett, who served as a senior adviser to President Barack Obama throughout his presidency, will lead the foundation until a permanent replacement is chosen.
WHO Foundation
Anil Soni, head of global infectious diseases at the health care company Viatris, will be its inaugural CEO.
The World Health Organization created its foundation in May to work alongside the global health community to address the world’s most urgent health challenges, beginning with the Covid-19 pandemic.
More New CEOs
Larissa Harris, curator at the Queens Museum, will be the first executive director of the Teiger Foundation, a grant maker that was established in 2008 by the art collector David Teiger. After his death in 2014, he bequeathed his $100 million collection of contemporary artworks to his foundation, which then sold the majority of the collection at auction to support its grant making to benefit the arts, cultural institutions, and scholarship in contemporary art.
Gabriela Lemus will be the first executive director of Maryland Latinos Unidos. She is the founding partner and CEO of Revolution Strategy, a management and communications strategy consulting firm.
Benjamin Perkins, vice president of health strategies at the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association, will now be CEO of Wholesome Wave, a charity that makes healthy produce available and affordable for people in need.
Annie Polland is returning to the Tenement Museum as president. She previously served as executive vice president of programs and interpretation at the museum from 2009 until 2018 and more recently was executive director of the American Jewish Historical Society. She succeeds Kevin Jennings, who departed in 2019 after two years.
Gloria Reuben, an adviser at the Climate Reality Project, an environmental organization founded by former Vice President Al Gore, has been named president of the Waterkeeper Alliance.
Deeply Rooted Productions
Jacquelyn Smiley Robinson has resigned as managing director of this organization that operates the Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, in Chicago.
In addition, Dominique Atwood, operations and development manager, has been promoted to development director. She has also danced with the company since 2014.
Other Notable Appointments
Lynnea Atlas-Ingebretson, advancement and communications officer at Youthprise, has joined World Savvy as chief of staff.
Mark Baumgartner is joining the Carnegie Corporation of New York as its chief investment officer, overseeing the foundation’s $3.4 billion endowment. Most recently he was chief investment officer at the Institute for Advanced Study, in Princeton, N.J.
Mamadou Biteye, vice president of social impact for Central Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa at Visa, has been promoted to vice president of inclusive growth and global social impact. In addition, Visa has hired Worku Gachou as vice president of social impact for North America and global functions. Most recently he was a senior political appointee at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.
LaTese Briggs has been appointed vice president and chief philanthropy officer at the Executive Leadership Council. Most recently she worked at the Milken Institute as senior director of the Center for Strategic Philanthropy.
Sarah Christiansen, program director at the Solidago Foundation, was hired as program director of the McKnight Foundation’s Midwest Climate and Energy program.
Alyia Gaskins joined the Melville Charitable Trust as senior program officer, focusing on housing affordability and housing stability to prevent homelessness among Black, Indigenous, and people of color. Most recently she was assistant director for networks and programs and health at the Center for Community Investment.
Darcy Lowell, founder of Child First, will now serve as chief Child First and mental health officer at the national service office of the Nurse-Family Partnership, which has merged with Child First.
Ariela Moscowitz, director of community relations at Americans for Immigrant Justice, is joining Decriminalize Sex Work as its director of communications.
Gabriela Salvador has been promoted to senior vice president of global operations at Americares. She has worked at the humanitarian group since 2018 as director of Latin America and Caribbean programs.
Jon Schemmel, senior associate athletic director and assistant vice president of development at Miami University, has appointed vice president for advancement at Dakota State University.
Tracy Staines, head of audit and acting inspector general at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria since August, has accepted the promotion on a permanent basis.
Departures
Paul Gionfriddo intends to retire after seven years as president and CEO of Mental Health America in July 2021.
Jeff Ulmer, vice president for development and alumni engagement at Stetson University since 2014, is retiring. Amy Gipson, associate vice president for development strategy and communications, will replace him on an interim basis.
Legacy
Elizabeth McCormack died December 4 at age 98. A former Catholic nun who later became president of Manhattanville College, she was a philanthropic adviser to some of the largest foundations in the United States, playing an instrumental role in guiding the giving strategies of the Rockefeller family and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. She also served on the boards of the Atlantic Philanthropies, the Asian Cultural Council, the Juilliard School, the Population Council, and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
McCormack spoke to the Chronicle in this 2004 interview about her advice to foundations in setting goals.
Send an email to people@philanthropy.com.
