McKnight Foundation Selects Leader of Skillman Foundation as Next President

McKnight Foundation

Tonya Allen is leaving the Skillman Foundation to become president of the McKnight Foundation, effective March 1. Allen has worked at the Skillman Foundation since 2004, becoming its president and CEO in 2013.

She replaces Kate Wolford, who stepped down as president a year ago.

Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art

Alyssa Nitchun will become executive director of the museum in New York on February 15. Most recently she was acting executive director at Creative Time, where she was previously deputy director and director of external affairs.

She will succeed Laura Raicovich, who served as interim director during the museum’s temporary closure this year.

Natural Resources Defense Council

Gina McCarthy, who has been president of the environmental advocacy group since January, will depart now that President-elect Joe Biden has named her as his national climate adviser, where she will lead the newly formed White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy. McCarthy was previously administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from 2013 to 2017 under President Barack Obama.
Mitch Bernard, NRDC’s executive director, will serve as interim president and CEO following her departure on January 8.

Greater Washington Community Foundation

The community foundation that serves Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington, D.C., has made several changes to its senior staff.

Marcus Braxton, chief operating officer at Capital Partners for Education, has been named managing director for operations.

Ronnie Galvin, vice president for racial equity and the democratic economy at the Democracy Collaborative, will now be managing director for community investment.

Melen Hagos was promoted to senior manager for external affairs from manager of strategic initiatives and partnerships.

Kathy Matthews, staff accountant, was promoted to director of grants management.

Benton Murphy, associate vice president for community investment, has been promoted to senior adviser for impact.

Other Notable Appointments

Dan Cleveland, assistant dean of advancement at Virginia Tech’s College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, was promoted to assistant vice president for advancement for colleges and units.

Lauren Cosentino, vice president for campus operations and human resources at Pepperdine University, has been named vice president for advancement and chief development officer.

Josem Diaz, assistant vice president of institutional advancement and business operations at Yeshiva University, has been named vice president of advancement at Eureka College.

Lauren Hadi, senior director of strategic partnerships at Room to Read, has joined the Schott Foundation for Public Education as senior vice president of advancement.

Angel Harris, executive director of Dress for Success in Columbus, Ohio, will now be vice president and chief advancement officer at the United Way of Greater Houston.

Shirley Kelly, former human-resources manager at Stantec, has been appointed director of operations at the Mat-Su Health Foundation.

Kat Maudru, a radio host on KSEG 96.9 FM in Sacramento and news and public-affairs director at Entercom Sacramento, has joined Pride Industries as its public-relations and social-media manager.

Viviann Schorle, director of Project HOPE at Family Services of Montgomery County, has been hired as a program officer at the Phoenixville Community Health Foundation.

Departures

Dale Albright, deputy director of the Theatre Bay Area, intends to step down in February after 20 years with the theater company.

Brian Bridges, vice president for research and member engagement at the United Negro College Fund, has departed following his nomination to be New Jersey’s secretary of higher education.

Brian Kennedy will resign as director and CEO of the Peabody Essex Museum on December 31. He has led the museum since July 2019.

Maria Mottola plans to leave the New York Foundation in the spring. She started as a program officer at the $64 million foundation in 1994 and was promoted to executive director in 2003.

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