October 15, 2021 | Read Time: 5 minutes
DataKind
Lauren Woodman, CEO of NetHope, has been named CEO of this international nonprofit group that uses data science and artificial intelligence for the public good.
Until 2014, she was general manager of education programs at Microsoft.
Vanguard Charitable
Rebecca Moffett, chief strategic planning officer, has been promoted to president of this nonprofit group started by the Vanguard investment company to manage donor-advised funds. The organization made $1.7 billion in grants through its donor-advised funds last year.
She succeeds Jane Greenfield, who has led the organization since 2015.
Heritage Foundation
Kevin Roberts, CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, will become the next president of this conservative think tank later this year.
He will succeed Kay James, who has led the organization since 2018.
University of Southern California Shoah Foundation, Institute for Visual History and Education
Stephen Smith will step down after 12 years as executive director at the end of the year.
Kori Street, senior director of programs and operations, will become interim executive director until a permanent successor is named.
More New CEOs
Vafa Akhavan, president and senior adviser at NueBridge, has been appointed CEO of the World Pediatric Project. He succeeds Brian Shaw, who has served as interim CEO since April 2020 and will now retire.
Aaron Berger, executive director of the Breman Museum, has started as the Neon Museum’s executive director. In addition, Jennifer Kleven has been promoted from grants manager to senior development officer.
Judy Cara, who previously was manager of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum, will be the first executive director of Friends of the Children’s new Colorado Springs chapter. In addition, Ben Davis will serve as executive director of the Western Montana region at the organization’s Montana chapter. Most recently he was co-founder and chief research officer at Kharon, a research and data-analytics company.
Tom Egan, president and CEO of the Foundation for Senior Living, will next serve as the executive director of the Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation.
Khanh Le, state director at Main Street Alliance of Oregon, has been hired as executive director of Unite Oregon, an organization for immigrants, refugees, people of color, and low-income residents of Oregon. He succeeds Kayse Jama, its founder, who led the group from 2002 through 2020.
Jake Lemon has been tapped as president and CEO of the UConn Foundation. Lemon has worked there since 2016, most recently as senior vice president for development for the University of Connecticut’s campuses, Division of Athletics, and UConn Health.
Paul Scott, national vice president of engagement at Vivent Health, is now CEO of the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians.
Adam Walsh, a licensed clinical social worker and adjunct professor in the Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology at the Uniformed Service University, has joined the American Association of Suicidology as its interim executive director.
Fenton Communications
The communications firm for nonprofit groups and foundations has named four new vice presidents.
Katherine Brandon, communications director at Together for Girls, will be based in Washington.
Kimberly Davis-Wells will be based in San Francisco. Previously she was lead consultant for the City of Oakland’s Human Services Department, in California.
Ambar Mentor-Truppa, who was most recently vice president of communications at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, will be based in Chicago.
Tania Mercado, a vice president at SKDK, will be based in Los Angeles.
Other Notable Appointments
Anusha Alikhan has been promoted from senior director of communications to vice president of communications at the Wikimedia Foundation. In addition, Margeigh Novotny, senior director of product design and strategy, is now vice president of product design.
Kyle Anderson, executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus, has been named senior vice president at America250, the nonprofit wing of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission. Matt Schatzle, a managing director at the Zodiac Group, has also joined the organization as chief development officer.
Casey Box, executive director of Land Is Life, is now director of global strategy at the Christensen Fund. Shawn Watts will also join the foundation as director of U.S. strategy, starting on January 5. Currently he is director of the Tribal Law and Government Center, Tribal Judicial Support Clinic, and Mediation Clinic at Kansas University.
Liz Dunn, chief development officer, has been tapped as interim chief operating officer at Raices, a migrant-justice organization. Mayra Jimenez, vice president of legal services, will now serve as interim chief programs officer.
Zack Flores, national philanthropic program manager at Tito’s Handmade Vodka, is now senior director and head of marketing at Save the Music. In addition, Chiho Okuizumi Feindler has been promoted from senior director of programs and policy to chief program officer, and Danielle Zalaznick, senior director of growth and partnerships, has been promoted to chief development officer.
Kate Heusner will now be executive director of development for the University of California at Irvine’s Institute and Museum of California Art. Most recently she was managing director of development at the University of California at San Diego’s Rady School of Management.
Charleon Jeffries has been tapped as assistant vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion for the Advancement Division at Virginia Tech, a new position within the university’s fundraising department. Most recently she was director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for Penn State University’s Division of Development and Alumni Relations.
Alan Lieber has joined the Rippel Foundation as executive vice president. He is the former president of Overlook Medical Center. Rebecca Payne, associate director for policy, communication, and strategy for the Division of Adolescent and School Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also joined the foundation as executive vice president.
Jim Miller, interim senior vice president for university advancement at Duquesne University since July, will continue in the role permanently. Previously he was associate vice president and senior adviser to the president for leadership giving.
Travis Nichols, who most recently led communications for the Arctic, oceans, and climate programs at Greenpeace USA and Greenpeace International, has been appointed communications director at Stand.earth.
Departure
Neil Barsky, founder of the Marshall Project, is departing the journalism group after seven years. He will remain an adviser to the organization.
Legacy
Peter O’Donnell Jr., a securities investor in Texas, died on October 10 at age 97. He and his wife, Edith, who died in 2020, established the O’Donnell Foundation in 1957. The couple made many anonymous gifts, among them more than $300 million to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center that the organization has now announced publicly.
Send an email to people@philanthropy.com.
