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Hewlett Foundation Promotes Program Officer to Chief of Equity and Culture

By  M.J. Prest
March 12, 2021
Charmaine Jackson Mercer, Chief of Equity and Culture at William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Nancy Rothstein
Charmaine Jackson Mercer, a program officer in the Hewlett Foundation’s education program, has been promoted to chief of equity and culture.

William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

Charmaine Jackson Mercer, a program officer in the foundation’s education program, has been promoted to chief of equity and culture. In this newly created position at the $11 billion foundation, she will oversee its 10-year, $150 million racial-justice grant program.

(The Hewlett Foundation is a financial supporter of the Chronicle of Philanthropy.)

Bezos Earth Fund

Andrew Steer, president and CEO of the World Resources Institute, will be the first president of the environmental grant maker that Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos established last year with a gift of

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William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

Charmaine Jackson Mercer, a program officer in the foundation’s education program, has been promoted to chief of equity and culture. In this newly created position at the $11 billion foundation, she will oversee its 10-year, $150 million racial-justice grant program.

(The Hewlett Foundation is a financial supporter of the Chronicle of Philanthropy.)

Bezos Earth Fund

Andrew Steer, president and CEO of the World Resources Institute, will be the first president of the environmental grant maker that Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos established last year with a gift of $10 billion.

Read more of the Chronicle’s coverage of Steer’s new role.

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Deana Haggag will join the $7 billion foundation as program officer in its Arts and Culture program area on May 17. Currently she is the president and CEO of United States Artists.

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Unicef USA

The humanitarian-aid group has announced three new senior leaders.

V. Renée Cutting has been hired as chief philanthropy officer. She was previously chief development officer at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Muna Idow, senior adviser for equity and inclusion at CARE USA, is now managing director of diversity, racial equity, and belonging.

Darla Silva has been promoted from vice president of global programs to chief global programs officer.

More New CEOs

Manish Bapna, executive vice president and managing director at the World Resources Institute, will serve as its interim president and CEO following the departure of Andrew Steer.

Katy Clark, president of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, has been named executive director of the Emily Davie and Joseph S. Kornfeld Foundation.

Valarie De La Garza, managing director of its West Coast offices, has been promoted to CEO of Fenton Communications. She will be the first woman and person of color to lead the public-interest communications firm.

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Elizabeth Lindsey, CEO of Byte Back, will be the next CEO of Urban Alliance.

McCrae Martino, vice president for human services at Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania, will next serve as executive director of the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County, an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Foundation.

Kym Hardy Watson, chief operating officer, has been promoted to president and CEO of Graham Windham, a foster-care agency in New York that Eliza Hamilton founded 215 years ago as an orphanage.

Other Notable Appointments

Thania Diaz Clevenger, chief operations director at the Florida affiliate of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, has been named national chief operating officer at its headquarters in Washington.

MaryEllen Dickey, senior vice president of advancement at Diakon, is now chief philanthropy officer at the Da Vinci Science Center. In addition, Caroline Scutt has been hired as director of communications and donor relations. Most recently she was communications and community impact director at United Way of Hunterdon County.

Anthony Edwards, chief financial officer and senior vice president at Sheltering Arms, has been tapped as chief financial officer at the Urban Resource Institute. He follows Donovan Murray, who has retired.

Jeannette Fournier, who most recently led Caring for Friends, is now director of global development at OneSight.

Willie Jude II, vice president for student affairs and associate vice president for institutional advancement at Fisk University, has been appointed vice chancellor for advancement at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, effective May 1. He succeeds Tom Krimmel, who has retired.

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Rick Kearney, chief logistics and engagement officer at Rise Against Hunger, has been promoted to chief operating officer. In addition, Edna Ogwangi was promoted from chief impact officer to chief programs officer.

Marcie Klein has joined the Colorectal Cancer Alliance as vice president of prevention. Most recently she was chief communications officer at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Phil Koch is now vice president for policy and community impact at the Pittsburgh Foundation. Most recently he was executive director of the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County, an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Foundation.

Rachel Krausman has been appointed vice president of national strategy and partnerships at ProMedica. She most recently led the national 2-1-1 network for United Way Worldwide.

Karren Lane has been hired as a program director at the California Wellness Foundation and will manage its Leading for Power and Change racial-justice portfolio. Previously she was a program officer and program director at the Weingart Foundation.

Andrea Lawrence will be the head of philanthropy at Rockefeller Capital Management’s Global Family Office, where she will advise high net-worth individuals on their charitable giving. She founded Tapestry Advisors, an independent family office and philanthropy consulting firm.

Casey Noel, assistant vice president at Community Preservation Corporation, has been named vice president of the Nonprofit Practice Group at Transwestern Real Estate Services, based in its New York office.

Krissy Sudano has joined the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts as its executive vice president and chief development officer. Most recently she spent 15 years as the Robin Hood Foundation, most recently as chief development officer.

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Jimar Wilson, vice president and Community Reinvestment Act officer at the American Business Bank, has been named vice president and Southern California market leader at Enterprise Community Partners.

Departures

Angela Timashenka Geiger will depart Autism Speaks later this year. She has been its president and CEO for five years.

Joseph Peri, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of New York, plans to retire after 10 years there. His last day will be June 30.

Shari Silberstein will step down on July 31 after 12 years as executive director of Equal Justice USA, with the intention that a person of color should be the group’s next leader.

Legacy

Wilhelmina Cole Holladay, an art collector who founded the National Museum of Women in the Arts, died on March 6. She was 98. When establishing the museum in 1987, she and her late husband, Wallace, donated their private collection of artworks by female artists dating back to the Renaissance, including works by Mary Cassatt, Frida Kahlo, and Georgia O’Keeffe. She was later awarded the 2006 National Medal of Arts from President George W. Bush.

Send an email to people@philanthropy.com.

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Executive LeadershipWork and Careers
M.J. Prest
M.J. Prest has been writing about major gifts, grant making, and executive moves for the Chronicle since 2004.
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