The Council on Foundations Announces Working Groups for its 2015 Annual Meeting in San Francisco

Today, the Council on Foundations (Council) announced the issue-related working groups for its 2015 Annual Meeting in San Francisco scheduled for April 26 – 28. These working groups will be partnering with the Council’s staff and leadership to develop world-class programming for its annual gathering of more than 1,000 philanthropic leaders.

Drawing its members from foundations, research institutions, and the nonprofit sector, this diverse group of leaders and experts will ensure that the Council’s annual meeting is highlighting the most important ideas and issues driving the future of the philanthropic field. These groups will advise on programming and help create content that addresses the critical issues facing the philanthropy.

“This year’s working groups will shape programming that prepares philanthropy for the challenges of today, while positioning the entire field to bring hope and opportunity for a brighter tomorrow,” said Council President and CEO Vikki Spruill. “While the views in these working groups may vary, they all share extensive expertise and deep knowledge of the issues confronting philanthropy and the communities it serves. With this veteran group leading our programming, I am confident that the Council’s Annual Meeting will remain the premier event for the discussion of strategic ideas driving the field of philanthropy.”

Next week, the Council will announce the Community Foundation, Family Foundation, and Corporate Grantmaking working groups for its constituent-related programming.

The three issue related focus areas at the Annual Meeting, as well as working group participants, are as follows:

Issue-Related Focus Areas

Natural Resources and Energy

Leads

  • Larry Kramer - President, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
  • Carol Larson - President & CEO, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Content Co-Chairs

  • Susan Bell - Principal, Susan Bell and Associates
  • Lauren Dachs - President, S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation
  • Chris DeCardy - Vice President and Director of Programs, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
  • Linda Perryman Evans - President and CEO, The Meadows Foundation
  • Kevin Jennings - Executive Director, Arcus Foundation
  • Molly McUsic - President, The Wyss Foundation
  • Rashad Morris - Program Officer, Bullitt Foundation
  • Michael Northrop - Program Director, Rockefeller Brothers Fund
  • Javier Alberto Soto - President and CEO, The Miami Foundation
  • Mark Tercek - President and CEO, The Nature Conservancy
  • Kate Wolford - President, The McKnight Foundation

Civil Society

Lead

  • Emmett Carson - President & CEO, Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Content Co-chairs

  • Pamela David - Executive Director, The Walter & Elise Haas Fund
  • Nick Deychakiwsky - Program Officer, The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
  • Amy Dominguez-Arms - Vice President for Programs, The James Irvine Foundation
  • Chris Gates - President & CEO, Sunlight Foundation
  • Franklin Gilliam, Jr. - Dean, School of Public Affairs, Professor of Public Policy and Political Science, UCLA
  • Geri Mannion - Program Director, Carnegie Corporation of New York
  • Brad Rourke - Program Officer, Kettering Foundation
  • Daniel Stid - Director of the Madison Initiative, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
  • Erica Wood - Chief Community Impact Officer, Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Economy and Finance

Leads

  • Wendy Guillies - President & CEO, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
  • Rip Rapson - President, Kresge Foundation

Content Co-chairs

  • Stephanie Bell-Rose - Senior Managing Director, TIAA-CREF
  • Wendy Hawkins - Executive Director, Intel Foundation
  • Douglas Sabo - Head of Global Corporate Philanthropy & Responsibility,Visa
  • Kerry Sullivan - President, Bank of America Charitable Foundation

Additional members may be added to working groups to ensure the meeting includes various aspects of thought-leadership.

The 2015 Annual Meeting will be held at the Marriott Marquis San Francisco Hotel on April 26 – 28. The theme of the gathering is “Leading Together: Hope and Opportunity in a Destabilized World.” The meeting will focus on ways that foundation leaders can collaborate more effectively in order to meet some of today’s toughest and most complex challenges.

Participation will include over 1,000 leaders in the philanthropic field, including chief executive officers, executive directors, board members, trustees, and senior program and management staff of foundations from across the globe.

To learn more, please visit the meeting website.

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About the Council on Foundations

An active philanthropic network, the Council on Foundations (www.cof.org), founded in 1949, is a nonprofit leadership association of grantmaking foundations and corporations. It provides the opportunity, leadership, and tools needed by philanthropic organizations to expand, enhance and sustain their ability to advance the common good. With members from all foundation types and sizes, the Council empowers professionals in philanthropy to meet today’s toughest challenges and advances a culture of charitable giving in the U.S. and globally.

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