Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation
John Lumpkin has been named president of the $101 million grant maker, starting April 22. A medical doctor by training, Lumpkin most recently served as senior vice president for programs at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
John Lumpkin, a physician and former senior vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has been named president of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Cheikh Oumar Seydi, regional director for sub-Saharan Africa at the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation, based in Nairobi, will now direct the $51 billion foundation’s programs in Africa.
Gill Foundation
Karen Wick has been named vice president for programs at the Gill Foundation, the philanthropy started by technology entrepreneur Tim Gill to fight bias against gay people. For the past 11 years, Wick has served as political director and lobbyist for the Colorado Education Association, an affiliate of the National Education Association.
Karen Wick will become vice president for programs at the Gill Foundation, the philanthropy started by technology entrepreneur Tim Gill to fight bias against LGBTQ people.
Open Society Institute-Baltimore
Diana Morris will step down as director of the billionaire financier George Soros’s philanthropy this summer after more than 20 years in the top role. She is taking a previously planned four-month sabbatical beginning in March and will officially depart the foundation in June. Tracy Brown, deputy director, will serve as acting director until a permanent successor is named.
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More New CEOs
Diana Abouali, project manager at Tiraz: Widad Kawar Home for Arab Dress, has been named director of the Arab American National Museum. She succeeds Lina Hourani-Harajli, interim director of the museum and COO of its parent organization, Access.
Tracy Elliott, executive director of the Asheville Humane Society, has become president of the Anti-Cruelty Society, an animal-welfare organization in Chicago. He replaces Robyn Barbiers, who retired in December after 10 years as president.
Richard Fontaine, acting CEO of the Center for a New American Security, has taken the position permanently. He succeeds Victoria Nuland, who left last month. Fontaine is also a former foreign policy adviser to Sen. John McCain.
Arnie Herz, a lawyer in Port Washington, N.Y., has been named president of the American Jewish Committee’s Long Island Region.
Robert Massey, former head of the Jacksonville Symphony, has been named CEO of the Louisville Orchestra. He succeeds Andrew Kipe, who left in August to become director of concert and ensemble operations for the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University.
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Debbie McKeon will become president and CEO of San Diego Grantmakers on April 8. She comes from the Council of Michigan Foundations where she served as executive vice president and chief operating officer. McKeon succeeds Nancy Jamison, who has stepped aside after 13 years.
Megan Metz, executive director of the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association, has become executive director of the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Education Foundation.
Maggey Oplinger, director of community partnerships at the Milwaukee Symphony, is the new general director of the Florentine Opera, the first woman to lead the performing-arts group in its 85-year history. She succeeds William Florescu, who resigned last May.
Paul Hepfer, senior vice president of programs at the Health Trust, has been appointed CEO of Project Open Hand, which provides meals to critically ill and vulnerable people in San Francisco and Oakland, Calif.
March of Dimes
The maternity- and childhood-health charity has made two senior hires.
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Cindy Rahman, senior vice president at BRG Communication, will now be senior vice president and chief marketing officer at March of Dimes.
Darlene Slaughter, vice president and chief diversity officer at United Way Worldwide, has been named chief people officer.
New Top Fundraisers
Neil Batiancila, executive director for campaign operations at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Foundation, has become chief development officer at the Philadelphia Zoo.
Alyssa Herman, vice president of institutional advancement at Yeshiva University, has become chief development officer at the New Jewish Home.
Kimberly Hokanson has joined Regis College as vice president of institutional advancement. Most recently she was associate vice president and interim co-vice president for resources at Wellesley College.
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Other Notable Appointments
Mustafa Santiago Ali has been tapped as vice president for environmental justice, climate, and community revitalization at the National Wildlife Federation. He was most recently senior vice president of climate, environmental justice, and community revitalization at the Hip Hop Caucus and a senior adviser at the Environmental Protection Agency.
Matthew Brandon has been appointed chief advancement officer for inclusion and diversity at Virginia Tech, overseeing fundraising communications with alumni and other donors in a way that aligns with the university’s broader diversity efforts. He was previously executive director of the Ridley Scholarship Fund at the University of Virginia Alumni Association.
Melissa Daar Carvajal, a communications consultant and founder of MDC Network, has joined the Silicon Valley Community Foundation as executive vice president for marketing and communications.
Shanna Cleveland, senior counsel at Free Speech For People, has been hired as program officer for clean energy at the Barr Foundation.
Kate Kammeyer, general manager of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, will now also serve as artistic administrator.
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Joel Wallman, senior program officer at the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, has been promoted to director of research.
Departures
Margot James Copeland, director of philanthropy and civic engagement at KeyBank and CEO of the KeyBank Foundation, plans to retire in June after 20 years at the bank. Elizabeth Gurney, executive director of the First Niagara Foundation, will succeed her as head of the KeyBank Foundation.
K. Sujata is stepping down as president and CEO of the Chicago Foundation for Women. Sunny Fischer, the foundation’s co-founder, will lead the organization on an interim basis during its executive search.
Legacies
Susan Ellis, a Philadelphia consultant who advised charities on volunteer management, died on February 24 of cancer. She was 70. Ellis wrote opinion pieces for the Chronicle and was the author of 14 books, including From the Top Down: The Executive Role in Successful Volunteer Involvement and By the People: A History of Americans as Volunteers.
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.
