The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation in Pittsburgh has announced the planned retirement of MARY HUNT, program director for community and economic development. During her time at Benedum, Hunt championed community-led strategies and brought new thinking to the foundation about how to shape greater impact. In the last decade, Benedum has helped leverage more federal dollars into her home state of West Virginia by embracing agencies such as the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) as trusted colleagues. In 2019, Hunt was recognized in 2019 by West Virginia Living Magazine as West Virginian of the Year.

The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation has appointed SHERRIE MAZUR as managing director of foundation communications, effective February 14. She joins the foundation from the V Foundation for Cancer Research, where she most recently served as senior vice president of communications and public affairs. At the Blank Family Foundation, Mazur will lead all internal and external communication initiatives and will serve as a member of both the greater communications leadership team across the Blank family of businesses and the foundation’s leadership team.

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has announced that JONATHAN PERSHING will return to the foundation as director of its Environment Program, effective March 1, after serving a year as deputy special envoy for climate at the U.S. Department of State. From 2017 to 2021, Pershing served as director to Hewlett’s Environment Program. 

GISH JEN has joined the board of directors for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. A prolific writer, Jen is the author of The Resisters, Typical American, and Thank You, Mr. Nixon, among other books. Formerly a professor at Brandeis University, she previously represented the U.S. Department of State in Turkey, Armenia, Japan, China, Egypt, Serbia, and Israel. A graduate of Harvard University, she also received an MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and holds honorary doctorates from Williams College and Emerson College.

The McKnight Foundation has announced the appointment of MARCQ SUNG as its new senior program officer with the Vibrant & Equitable Communities program. Sung will oversee and develop innovative grant portfolios to build a vibrant and equitable future for all Minnesotans and focus on shared power, prosperity, and participation. Prior to joining the foundation, he served as director of program strategy and development for the Community Reinvestment Fund, USA.

The Woods Fund Chicago has announced the election of L. ANTON SEALS as its board chair. Anton is the lead steward (executive director) of Grow Greater Englewood, a social enterprise established in 2014 that works with residents and developers to create sustainable food economies and green businesses to empower residents to create wellness and wealth, and the founder of OURS, a vertical cannabis and hemp company he started in 2019.

ClimateWorks Foundation has named HELEN MOUNTFORD as its new president and CEO. Mountford, who previously served as World Resources Institute’s vice president for climate and economics, brings more than 25 years of global experience at the intersection of environmental action, economic development, and climate policy to her new role. 

The National Council of Nonprofits has announced the election of four new members of its board: SHEILA BRAVO, president and CEO of Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement; CALVIN J. CROSSLIN, chief diversity officer of Lenovo and president of the Lenovo Foundation; ELAINE NG, chief executive of TSNE MissionWorks; and CAROLINE ALTMAN SMITH, deputy director of education at the Kresge Foundation. In addition, LAURIE WOLF, president and CEO of  the Foraker Group, was re-elected to the board.

Philanthropy West Virginia has announced the addition of two team members. ABIGAIL E. MILLER is the new program and engagement manager, and ISABELLA A. STAMM is a new communications fellow. Miller has been working in nonprofit, higher education, and research spaces for the past 13 years, most recently as the director of education at the Holocaust Museum & Center for Tolerance and Education in Suffern, New York. Stamm is a sophomore attending West Virginia University’s College of Creative Arts, where she is working toward a Bachelor of Arts with a major emphasis in multi-instrumental music industry and a minor in public relations. 

The Arbor Day Foundation has named Dan Lambe as CEO. He is only the third CEO in the foundation’s 50-year history. 

GLSEN has announced the appointment of MELANIE WILLINGHAM-JAGGERS as its new executive director. Since its creation in 1990, GLSEN has advocated for our nation’s K-12 schools to be safer, more affirming, and inclusive environments for all youth. Willingham-Jaggers will be the first person of color, first nonbinary person, and first Black woman to lead the organization.

Heifer International has announced that its president and CEO PIERRE FERRARI will retire after 12 years leading the international development organization. A business innovator, investor, and entrepreneur, Ferrari will retire at the end of September, with recruitment of a new leader underway. Under his leadership, Heifer has expanded its animal gifting model to focus on community transformation through scale, permanence of impact, and partnerships. 

The National Audubon Society has appointed MARSHALL JOHNSON as chief conservation officer and JUSTIN STOKES as deputy chief conservation officer to lead conservation strategy of the 116-year-old organization. In addition, ALLISON VOGT has been named chief of staff and will be responsible for running the Office of the CEO and managing Audubon’s next strategic planning process in partnership with staff and the board of directors.

Boston University has announced the addition of YANIQUE REDWOOD as executive director of its Center for Antiracist Research, which was established in 2020 by IBRAM X. KENDI. Redwood, who holds a doctorate in health behavior and health education from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, will serve as the center’s first executive director and is charged with providing holistic, high-level oversight and leadership to the entire center staff, while providing strategic and fiduciary advice to Kendi, the director, to foster alignment and fidelity across the center’s growing work.