Council on Foundations Names Ocean-Conservancy Head as New Leader

Vikki Spruill, president of the nonprofit Ocean Conservancy, has been named the new leader of the Council on Foundations, an association of grant makers.

Ms. Spruill replaces Jeff Clarke, who joined the council on an interim basis in September following the resignation of Steve Gunderson. Mr. Gunderson, a former Republican congressman, led the council for six years. Ms. Spruill will take the helm July 1.

Ms. Spruill, 54, has a background in communications and environmental advocacy. Following a 15-year career in public relations, she started SeaWeb, a nonprofit that uses communications tools to educate people about threats to the world’s oceans.

She also founded FoundationWorks, which is dedicated to improving the communications strategies of philanthropies, and served as director of the Philanthropic Awareness Initiative, a research project that investigated how people perceive foundations.

One of Ms. Spruill’s biggest tasks at the council will be to help the organization retain members and stay relevant. Like many membership groups, the council has struggled to hold onto members ever since the financial crisis caused foundation endowments to slump in value.

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