April 19, 2017 | Read Time: 2 minutes
After 16 years at the helm, Sally Osberg has announced that she plans to step down as the chief executive of the Skoll Foundation. The only other person who has held that position is Jeff Skoll, the former president of eBay, who created the fund.
“There’s really never a good time to turn over the reins of an organization that you’ve helped to build and you care so passionately about,” Ms. Osberg says. “But the foundation is in such a strong place that it just feels like the right moment to pass the torch.”
The centerpiece of the foundation’s work is the Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship, $1.25 million grants to help nonprofits that have developed innovative approaches to difficult problems expand their work. The foundation also holds an annual gathering, the Skoll World Forum, to bring social entrepreneurs together to make connections and share ideas.
A New Role
Ms. Osberg plans to stay on at the foundation until her replacement is on the job. She will then start a new role as senior adviser to Mr. Skoll and the Jeff Skoll Group. Among the entities in the group: Participant Media, which makes movies and television programs designed to both entertain and spur social change, and the Capricorn Investment Group, a socially conscious investment firm.
While she will “clear the space” for her successor, Ms. Osberg says, she doesn’t plan to sever ties with the foundation.
“I’ll continue to be the biggest and most dedicated delegate at the Skoll World Forum,” she says. “When called upon, I will also provide input, carry out research, and bring my network and knowledge to bear wherever it’s needed most.”
