White House Operative Takes Policy Expertise to Broad Foundation

By many people’s standards, Bruce Reed had a dream job, at the center of power.

But Mr. Reed, who spent many years as a White House aide, most recently as chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, often found himself thinking about other roles.

Then last summer the phone rang, and it was a call from Eli Broad, the billionaire philanthropist and arts patron, offering Mr. Reed the chance to become the first president of the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.

“Eli called out of the blue in August and told me he was looking for some help,” says Mr. Reed, 53, who also served in the Clinton White House. “It was a fortuitous time. I spent 28 years in Washington and 12 years in two administrations and I’ve worked on every imaginable domestic issue, but never had the chance to come out and work on the front lines. I was sorely tempted, and Eli was persistent.”

‘Knowledge and Energy’

Mr. Broad’s persistence paid off, and now Mr. Reed oversees an endowment of approximately $1.6-billion. He hasn’t had to leave policy making behind: Mr. Broad is well known as a major force in reshaping American schools.

The foundation has given millions through its annual Broad Prize for Urban Education, an award that recognizes school districts that significantly improve student performance. It has also established the Broad Superintendents Academy to train education administrators nationwide.

A six-month professional search and the recommendation of John Podesta, President Clinton’s chief of staff and now a top counselor to President Obama, were critical in the decision to hire Mr. Reed, says Mr. Broad.

Mr. Broad says he decided to pick a new leader in part because his philanthropic projects now demand more time than he has available each day.

“I’ve been at this for 14 years. I’m 80 years of age,” Mr. Broad says. “I felt we needed someone with the knowledge and energy and the respect of people throughout the world of education and in public office.” Mr. Broad says he’s known Mr. Reed for many years. “We’re lucky to find him.”

Nonprofit Ties

Although Mr. Reed may be what he calls a “political escapee,” he is not a neophyte to the nonprofit world.

“I have worked with the philanthropic sector for 20 years,” he says. “Both administrations I worked for have relied heavily on the foundation world on a range of issues, from education to fighting poverty to gun safety.”

Mr. Reed was also president of the Democratic Leadership Council, a think tank in Washington. During his tenure, he helped write a 2009 report on the recession’s impact on nonprofits.

His wife, Bonnie LePard, is an environmental lawyer who leads the Tregaron Conservancy, a land and historic-preservation nonprofit in Washington.

Indeed, Mr. Reed says his career in politics ran side by side with philanthropy.

“My time in public life has coincided with the tremendous rise and importance of the philanthropic sector,” he says. “I always felt we were allies pursuing similar goals from different perches.”

School-Policy Focus

Mr. Reed is leading an organization that has been criticized for the amount of power it wields. Foremost among those critics is Diane Ravitch, a New York University education professor and former assistant education secretary under President George H.W. Bush who contends that the foundation harms public schools by supporting “parent trigger” legislation, efforts that allow 51 percent of parents in any school to shut it down or let it be taken over by private management.

Charges claiming that Mr. Broad’s efforts have a negative impact on public education are not true, says Mr. Reed. “This is all about saving and strengthening public schools. Eli Broad cares deeply about public schools—he’s given half a billion dollars over 14 years to help improve them,” Mr. Reed says. “We’re all firm believers in the importance of public schools to the country’s future and the health of not just our economy, but our society. Public education is the heart of the American dream.”

Working in philanthropy, he says, offers the opportunity for bold action he could not have pursued in his political life.

“A foundation with courage can do what politicians are sometimes afraid to do, which is take chances and try new things, double down on what works and walk away from what doesn’t.”

Bruce Reed, president, Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation

Education: Bachelor’s degree, English, Princeton University; Rhodes Scholar and master’s degree, English studies, Oxford University

Career highlights: Chief of staff for Vice President Joe Biden; chief domestic-policy adviser for President Bill Clinton; chief speechwriter for Sen. Al Gore

Salary: He declined to provide it.

What he enjoys reading: “I’m an Orwell and Dickens scholar by training. It comes in handy in this business.”

Bruce Reed, president, Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation

Education: Bachelors degree, English, Princeton University; Rhodes Scholar and master’s degree, English studies, Oxford University

Career highlights: Chief of staff for Vice President Joe Biden; chief domestic-policy adviser for President Bill Clinton; chief speechwriter for Sen. Al Gore

Salary: He declined to provide it.

What he enjoys reading: “I’m an Orwell and Dickens scholar by training. It comes in handy in this business.”