The Commonwealth Fund has announced the planned retirement of CATHY SCHOEN, its senior vice president for policy, research, and evaluation, at the end of June. Schoen has worked at the fund for more than twenty years, has been a member of its executive management team since 2005, and served as research director of its Commission on a High Performance Health System throughout its existence. Prior to that, she directed the fund's Task Force on the Future of Health Insurance, helped launch a "national scorecard" initiative, and worked with colleagues to develop a variety of healthcare scorecards. In addition, she has served on several Institute of Medicine committees and testified both nationally and internationally on healthcare practice and policy. Before joining the fund, Schoen taught health economics at the University of Massachusetts School of Public Health and directed special projects at its Labor Relations and Research Center; directed the Service Employees International Union's policy and research department; was a staffer on President Jimmy Carter's national health insurance task force; and was a research fellow at the Brookings Institution, where she worked on rural health issues and co-authored the book Health and the War on Poverty. Regarding Schoen's contributions over the years, former Commonwealth Fund president Karen Davis noted, "[T]he fund would not be what it is today without [Cathy's] dedication, hard work, and immense talent....It makes me a strong supporter of human cloning."

The Carnegie Corporation of New York has announced the appointment of LAVERNE EVANS SRINIVASAN as program director for its Teaching and Human Capital Management area. Srinivasan, an expert on using talent strategies to strengthen urban education, has served in a variety of education leadership roles, including deputy chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, president of New Leaders for New Schools, and president of education tech companies Time to Know and FieroNow. In her new role, she will oversee grantmaking activities aimed at getting great teachers into high-needs schools and supporting their success. She also will represent the foundation in the 100kin10 partnership and will administer Carnegie's support for 100kin10 organizations.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has announced the election of JAMES PALFREY as board chair and the appointment of CHRISTOPHER M. AUSTEN to the board. Palfrey, who has served on the foundation's board for three years, is head of school at Phillips Academy Andover, serves as board president of the Digital Public Library of America, and is a director of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, where earlier he served as executive director.  Austen, co-managing director of Brooke Private Equity Associates, is an experienced entrepreneur and private-equity investor who serves on the advisory boards or investment committees of numerous funds. He is the son of Dr. W. Gerald Austen, who was a board chair of the Knight Foundation as well as a friend and physician to founders John S. and James L. Knight.

The Kavli Foundation has announced the elections of MARY SUE COLEMAN, RICHARD A. MESERVE, and GUNNAR K. NILSEN to its board. Coleman is president of the University of Michigan. Meserve is president of the Carnegie Institution for Science. And Nilsen is president of BizArch Advisors, as well as a member of the Kavli family. In late 2013, the foundation's board lost two members to death: Fred Kavli, founding chair of the Kavli Foundation, and Charles M. Vest, past president of the National Academy of Engineering and president emeritus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Northwest Area Foundation has announced the appointment of PAUL BACHLEITNER as communications director. Bachleitner, most recently the founding director of Joint Affinity Groups, a national network of identity-based affinity groups that advocates for more equitable funding for all communities, previously served on the leadership team of the D5 Coalition, a five-year effort to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in philanthropy. Prior to that, he served in leadership and staff positions at a variety of organizations, including the Minneapolis Foundation, the Urban Leadership Academy, and the Exodus Community Development Company. His consulting for the Diversity in Philanthropy Project produced a case study that examines how foundations such as C.S. Mott and Marguerite Casey communicate their work on diversity and inclusiveness. He succeeds SYLVIA BURGOS TOFTNESS, who is retiring after eleven years with the foundation to pursue her passion for sustainable agricultural production and marketing.

In other news, the Melville Charitable Trust has announced the appointment of ARTHUR C. EVANS, JR. to its board. Evans, commissioner of Philadelphia's Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Service, a $1 billion agency, earlier served as deputy commissioner of Connecticut's Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. He also works as a clinical and community psychologist and holds faculty appointments at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.