Ex-Obama Official to Lead Environmental Group; 2 Foundations Hire CEOs (Transitions)

Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe/Getty Images

Former Obama Official to Head Natural Resources Defense Council

Gina McCarthy will become president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council on January 6.

She served under President Obama as administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 2013 until 2017.

McCarthy succeeds Rhea Suh, who departed from the environmental organization over the summer. Suh announced in February she would leave after a successor was appointed. Suh was an assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of the Interior during the Obama administration.

Democracy Fund VP Heads to Humanity United

Srik Gopal, vice president for strategy and program at the Democracy Fund, will become managing partner of Humanity United in January.

He succeeds Randy Newcomb, who departed this year to become a senior adviser at the Omidyar Group.

Both the Democracy Fund and Humanity United are grant makers established by the Omidyar Group.

H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation Has New CEO

Christopher McGuire, who was previously vice president for programs, is now president of the $481 million family foundation in Palm Desert, Calif.

He succeeds Ronald Auen, who recently stepped down after leading the foundation for more than 30 years. Auen died on November 7 at age 87.

He became president in 1988 following the death of the organization’s founder, H.N. (Norwood) Berger, who made his fortune in real estate and banking.

Buell Foundation Promotes Senior Leader to CEO Role

Susan Steele, executive director of the Buell Foundation, a $409 million grant maker in Colorado, has been promoted to president and CEO.

She began working at the foundation in 1998.

Waitt Foundation Attracts Nature Conservancy Executive

Heather Zichal has joined the $154 million Waitt Foundation as executive director of the Blue Prosperity Coalition.

Most recently she was vice president for corporate engagement at the Nature Conservancy.

The foundation recently pledged $150 million over 10 years to the Blue Prosperity Coalition to protect a million square miles of ocean.

World Food Program USA Will Be Led by Unicef Fundraiser

Barron Segar, executive vice president and chief development officer at Unicef USA, has been tapped as president and CEO of the World Food Program’s USA affiliate.

Under Segar’s fundraising leadership, Unicef ranked No. 36 on the Chronicle’s America’s Favorite Charities list because it pulled in $446 million in cash gifts.

New Leader Appointed to Head Nonprofit Scholars’ Association

Lynnette Cook, director of bliss at Rootstrike Labs, has been named executive director of the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action.

She succeeds Shariq Siddiqui, who departed over the summer to head the new Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at Indiana’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

Brinson Foundation Makes Personnel Changes

Christy Uchida, a senior program officer at the $108 million Brinson Foundation, has been promoted to president. She succeeds James Parsons, who is stepping down after 15 years.

Janice Lombardo has also joined the foundation as program officer. She previously was director of member engagement at Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement.

The Harlem Children’s Zone

Harlem Children’s Zone Taps Its COO as New Leader

Kwame Owusu-Kesse, chief operating officer, will be the next CEO. He joined the youth group in 2008 as a fellow. He will succeed Anne Williams-Isom, who is stepping down effective July 1 after six years as CEO and 11 years total at this group, which offers services for needy children and families in New York.

Tipping Point Community Names Founder’s Successor

Sam Cobbs, president of the Tipping Point Foundation, which made $54 million in grants last year to programs that combat poverty in the San Francisco Bay Area, will become its next CEO in January. He follows Daniel Lurie, the organization’s founder, who is stepping down after 15 years. Lurie will now serve as chair of the board.

Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Museums Names New Leadership

Steven Knapp, professor of English and president emeritus of George Washington University, has been named president of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh.

Separately, the organization announced that Yvonne Maher, executive vice president of the Pittsburgh Foundation, is the new vice president for advancement and community engagement at the museums.

More New CEOs

Valerie Conn, executive director, will become president of the Science Philanthropy Alliance on January 1. She follows Marc Kastner, who was appointed its first president in 2015; he is retiring from his leadership role but will remain a consultant to the organization.

Danielle Ripperton, director of development at the Peter Paul Development Center, has been appointed president and CEO of the Children’s Museum of Richmond, in Virginia. She succeeds Shannon Venable, who is retiring after three years leading the museum.

Lauren Yarmuth, director of circular economy at IDEO, is the new executive director of the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture.

Christine Sow has been appointed president and CEO of Humentum, a global network of organizations working in development, humanitarian, civil society, and other international social-sector groups. Most recently she was senior director for country programs in health at Palladium.

New Program Officers at Gund and Kellogg Funds

Alesha Washington, vice president for government advocacy at the Greater Cleveland Partnership, will join the George Gund Foundation as its senior program officer for economic development and community revitalization. She will begin her new job at the $563 million grant maker in January.

Sarida Scott, executive director of Community Development Advocates of Detroit, has joined the W.K. Kellogg Foundation as a program officer and leader of its Detroit team.

Other Notable Appointments

Lauren Stanich has been appointed chief marketing officer at Consumer Reports. Most recently she was president and CEO of Swirled, a company that creates digital content for millennial women.

Danielle Maged, executive vice president for global solutions at Fox Networks Group, has been appointed chief growth officer at Global Citizen, a new role at the international poverty organization.

Patrick Murphy has joined Arnold Ventures as vice president for public finance. Most recently he was policy director of fiscal and governance reform at the Public Policy Institute of California.

Derek Tynes, chief human resources officer at the Glide Foundation, has joined the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund as director of talent and culture.

Departures

Pamela Shifman will leave after 12 years as executive director of the NoVo Foundation at the end of December.

Cheryl Taylor, president and CEO of the Foellinger Foundation since 2001, will step down on May 31. She has worked at the $182 million grant maker in Indiana since 1990.

Legacy

Marion Kaplan, one of the founders of the New York Women’s Foundation, died last month at age 80. A lawyer who worked with labor unions, she was one of a team of women philanthropists who established the foundation in 1988.

M.J. Prest has been writing about major gifts, grant making, and nonprofit executive moves for the Chronicle since 2004. Email M.J.