Cathy Cha Leads Haas Fund: Ford Foundation Hires Head of U.S. Programs (Transitions)

Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund

HAAS FUND APPOINTS CEO

Cathy Cha has been promoted to president after serving for two years as the foundation’s vice president for programs. She succeeds Jennie Watson, who has stepped down after two years as president and 18 years total at the foundation. The San Francisco grant maker reported $470 million in assets in 2017.

FORD FOUNDATION TAPS NEW YORK CITY OFFICIAL

Maria Torres-Springer, commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, will be the grant maker’s new vice president for U.S. programs, beginning in May.

Ford Foundation

She succeeds Xavier de Souza Briggs, who plans to depart at the end of 2019.

HENRY TIMMS WILL TAKE TOP JOB AT LINCOLN CENTER

Henry Timms, who has led the 92nd Street Y for the last five years, will become the new chief executive of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Timms is co-author, with Jeremy Heimans, of New Power: How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World and How to Make It Work for You. He also helped found Giving Tuesday and was named to the Chronicle’s 2016 40 Under 40 list of people likely to transform the nonprofit world.

TEMPLETON OFFICIAL WILL LEAD THE DAVIS FUND

Michael Murray will become the next president of the $277 million Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, effective April 1.

He was most recently senior vice president for programs at the John Templeton Foundation.

Murray succeeds Nancy Cable, who is leaving after seven years.

BRAD SMITH TO HEAD MERGED INFORMATION GIANT

The Foundation Center and GuideStar announced this month that they plan to merge to become a new organization called Candid.

Brad Smith, head of the Foundation Center, will be the CEO, while Jacob Harold, who was in the top role at GuideStar, will become executive vice president. The organization says the merger will help provide new data and other information about grant makers and nonprofits to the public.

CEO TO DEPART FROM ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP

Rhea Suh, head of the Natural Resources Defense Council, has announced that she plans to step down in June.

Suh, who was the first Asian- American to head the organization, joined the nonprofit in 2015.

Suh had served as assistant U.S. secretary of the interior under President Obama.

BEZOS ASKS FORMER AMAZON EXEC TO HEAD DAY ONE FUND

Mike George, former vice president of Echo, Alexa, and the Appstore at Amazon, will now become president of a key component of the Bezos Day One Fund, a $2 billion effort announced in September by Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder and CEO of Amazon.

Bezos said he wanted his philanthropy to focus in part on improving education, which is the mission of the Academies Fund. (His other priority is homelessness.)

Before his retirement in July 2017, George worked at Amazon for almost 20 years.

HUMANE SOCIETY NAMES PERMANENT NEW LEADER

Kitty Block has been permanently installed as CEO after leading the animal-rights organization on an interim basis for nearly a year.

A lawyer who previously served as president of the Humane Society’s international arm, she was promoted to acting chief after Wayne Pacelle stepped down a year ago following allegations of sexual misconduct.

CO-FOUNDER OF CITY YEAR GETS READY TO STEP ASIDE

Michael Brown, who co-founded the national-service organization 30 years ago, will step down as CEO in June.

A successor has not yet been named.

Brown founded the organization with Alan Khazei, who now heads Be the Change, an effort to promote social mobility.

GLOBAL FUND FOR WOMEN APPOINTS CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Latanya Mapp Frett, executive director of Planned Parenthood Global, the international arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, will become president and CEO of the Global Fund for Women on July 1.

She succeeds Musimbi Kanyoro, who is retiring after eight years running the human-rights group.

WALTON FOUNDATION LEADER WILL LEAVE IN SUMMER

Kyle Peterson will leave the Walton Family Foundation this summer after three years as executive director of the $3.8 billion grant maker.

CHANGES AT SCHUSTERMAN FOUNDATION

Sandy Cardin is stepping down as president after 25 years at the helm of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, which reported assets of $2.2 billion in 2016, according to the most recent data available.

He will continue to serve as a senior adviser to the Schusterman family.

The foundation also announced several changes to its senior leadership:

Lisa Eisen, vice president, has been promoted to president of its Jewish portfolio in the United States.

Julie Mikuta will become president of its U.S. education portfolio after serving as vice president for education.

IMA WORLD HEALTH, IN A MERGER, NAMES CHIEF

Daniel Speckhard is now president and CEO of this global health group. He has been and will remain president and CEO of Lutheran World Relief as the two organizations merge.

IMA World Health/Lisa Nipp

He succeeds Rick Santos at IMA, who has led the organization for nine years and will now serve as a senior adviser during the merger and CEO of IMA Innovations, a subsidiary of IMA World Health. The new group is currently known as Lutheran World Relief and IMA World Health.

NONPROFIT CEO DEPARTURES

Paul Rieckhoff, founder and CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, is stepping down after 14 years.

David Torchiana will retire in April as president and CEO of Partners Healthcare. He has led the charity since 2015.

David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World since 1991, intends to retire in June 2020.

Dan Duffy is stepping down as CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America after three years to start a government-affairs consulting firm that aims to strengthen American families.

Virginia Esposito, founder and president of the National Center for Family Philanthropy, will retire at the end of this year. She will remain as a senior fellow at the organization she has led since 1997. (See an interview with her on Page 24.)

Jim McGreevey, former governor of New Jersey who has led the nonprofit Jersey City Employment and Training Program for the past six years, has been dismissed.

THINK TANK HAS A NEW CEO

Robert Doar, a fellow in poverty studies at the American Enterprise Institute, will become the organization’s next president. He succeeds Arthur Brooks, who is stepping down after a decade.

SMITHSONIAN FOUNDATION CEO TAKES A NEW ROLE

David Skorton, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution for four years, will become CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges on July 15.

He has led the Smithsonian for four years and will conclude his term in June.

During his tenure, he led a fundraising drive that attracted $1.9 billion.

SKILLMAN FOUNDATION UNVEILS PERSONNEL SHIFTS

David McGhee has been promoted to associate vice president for organizational excellence and impact, a new role at the $478 million foundation.

Previously, he was a program director who oversaw its economy and equity impact grant-making areas.

In addition, Robert Thornton retired on December 31 after 17 years leading the foundation’s safety and My Brother’s Keeper grant-making programs.

ENERGY FOUNDATION PROMOTES LEADER

Jason Mark, senior vice president for U.S. programs at the $77 million clean-energy grant maker, has been promoted to CEO. He joined the foundation in 2007.

He replaces Eric Heitz, a co- founder of the organization, who left after 28 years to start a new conservation-issues firm called Tapeats Partners.

INDEPENDENT SECTOR NAMES PARTNERSHIPS OFFICER

Beth Fenger, founder of Community Impact Solutions, has been hired as chief partnerships officer, at Independent Sector.

OTHER NOTABLE APPOINTMENTS

Melissa Boteach has become vice president for income security and child care and early learning at the National Women’s Law Center. Previously, she founded and led the Poverty to Prosperity program at the Center for American Progress.

Karen Chance Mercurius, director of alumni relations at Harvard Law School, has been appointed associate vice president for alumni relations and constituent engagement at the University of Rochester.

Elena Quevedo, senior vice president for advancement at the New Jewish Home, has joined the Miami City Ballet as chief development officer.

Christopher Thompson, vice president for product marketing and communications at Plantronics, has joined the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as its San Jose program director.

Legacy

Raymond Perelman, who made a fortune in finance, manufacturing, and mining businesses and later gave hundreds of millions to education and health causes, died on January 14. He was 101.

His $225 million gift to endow the University of Pennsylvania’s medical school earned him the No. 6 spot on the Chronicle’s Philanthropy 50 list in 2011, and he appeared again in 2014 after he donated $50 million to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and $6 million to Drexel University.