April 15, 2009 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Larry Brilliant, the “chief philanthropic evangelist” for Google.org, has announced he is leaving the technology company to lead a new organization formed by philanthropist Jeff Skoll.
On Google.org’s blog, Dr. Brilliant writes that he will work with Mr. Skoll, the former president of eBay, to operate the Skoll Urgent Threats Fund, a grant-making and advocacy organization that will combat climate change, the scarcity of clean water, global diseases, nuclear proliferation, and Middle East conflict.
“This new organization is designed to make serious headway on these issues by identifying and supporting the most innovative initiatives and solutions out there,” Mr. Skoll said in a press release.
Dr. Brilliant will also serve as an adviser to Mr. Skoll’s film-making and investment efforts, which seek to support social causes. He has served on the board of directors of the Skoll Foundation since 2007.
Dr. Brilliant, a physician with an eclectic career, joined Google.org three years ago as executive director. In February, the group said it was rearranging its programs to focus more on causes its engineers could contribute to. At the same time, Dr. Brilliant stepped down as the group’s leader to become “chief philanthropic evangelist.”
While he will officially leave Google.org in May, he writes that the Skoll fund and Google.org will work closely together.
“These two organizations are neither competitors nor strangers, but rather friends and colleagues,” he writes. “I am not ‘leaving Google’ so much as I’m going down the road to work with a friend and colleague, and I hope that in the coming months and years we can expand that relationship even more.”
Read The Chronicle’s article about the changes at Google.org.
What do you think of the Skoll fund? How do you think Dr. Brilliant’s departure will affect Google.org?
