Calaneet Balas has been promoted from executive vice president for strategy at the ALS Association to president and CEO.
ALS Association
Calaneet Balas, executive vice president for strategy since joining the charity in 2016, has been promoted to president and chief executive officer. She previously served as CEO of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance.
The ALS Association, which raises money for research into a progressive neurodegenerative ailment that is commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, became a social-media sensation in 2014 with its “ice-bucket challenge,” which raised $115 million for the cause.
Central Park Conservancy
Elizabeth Weinberg Smith has been appointed president and chief executive officer, effective March 1. She has been on the conservancy’s board since 2014 and previously served as assistant commissioner of New York City Parks under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
FocusMaine
Kimberly Hamilton has been tapped as the first president of this nonprofit group, which aims to create more and better-quality jobs in Maine. She was previously chief impact officer at Feeding America.
More New CEOs
Fred Brown, president and CEO of the Homewood Children’s Village, in Pittsburgh, will lead the Forbes Fund, an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Foundation that advises area nonprofit groups on management. He will succeed Kate Dewey, who is retiring after leading the group for four years.
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Liliana Polo-McKenna, interim chief executive officer and former chief program officer of Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow, an economic-development charity in New York, has been permanently appointed to the top post. She succeeds Randy Peers, who left earlier this year to lead the newly formed Greater Reading Chamber and Economic Development Corporation, in Pa.
Philipp Rösler has been named the first chief executive of the Hainan Cihang Charity Foundation, in New York, established by the founders of HNA Group in 2016. He previously served in several roles in Germany’s government, including as vice chancellor, federal minister of economics and technology, and chairman of Germany’s Free Democratic Party from 2011 to 2013.
Other Notable Appointments
Derek Ferguson has joined the anti-poverty organization Robin Hood as chief operating officer. Most recently, he held the same position at Revolt Media & TV.
Allison Gearing-Kalill, vice president for fund development at Sisters of Providence Health System/Mercy Medical Center, has been named vice president for development and planned giving at Bay Path University.
Adriana Griñó, arts program associate at the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, has been promoted to arts program officer.
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Margaret Ryan, co-founder and CEO of WonderWorks Consulting, has joined the philanthropic consulting firm Hirsch & Associates as senior managing director and chief operating officer.
Vanessa Wise has been named vice president for development at WNET, the parent organization for New York’s PBS stations Thirteen and WLIW21, and also the operator of NJTV, in New Jersey. She was previously vice president for development at New York City Center.
Departures
Leah Hunt-Hendrix, co-founder and executive director of Solidaire, plans to step down in the spring, pending the appointment of a successor. The San Francisco organization brings together wealthy people to make direct donations to progressive social causes.
Legacies
Macon Brock Jr., a philanthropist in Virginia and one of the co-founders of Dollar Tree, died on December 9. He was 75. He and his wife, Joan, were major supporters of many nonprofit groups in their home state. In 2013, they provided a leadership gift to build the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach and gave a lifetime total of $32.8 million to Randolph-Macon College, where Mr. Brock served as the chairman of the Board of Trustees.
M.J. Prest is senior editor for solutions at the Chronicle of Philanthropy, where she highlights how nonprofit leaders navigate and overcome major challenges. She has covered stories on big gifts, grant making, and executive moves for the Chronicle since 2004. Her work has also appeared in the Washington Post, Slate.com, and the Huffington Post, and she wrote the young-adult novel Immersion. M.J. graduated from Williams College and after living in many different places, she settled in New England with her husband, two kids, and two rescue dogs.
