The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has announced the appointments of PATRICK SIMPSON as director of programming for its Food, Health & Well-being portfolio, DIANE SMITH and ALANA WHITE as program officers for its Michigan portfolio, and KIMBERLY HOWARD ROBINSON as planning, evaluation, and research officer. Simpson previously served as executive director of CityMatCH at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Smith joined the foundation in 1994 as a program assistant and most recently was a program manager supporting the Michigan team. White joined the foundation in 2013 as a program manager after working with Living Cities in Detroit. And Robinson previously worked as an independent education consultant with school districts and nonprofits to help implement system-wide accountability and performance measurement systems.

The Flinn Foundation has announced the retirement of its executive director, CATHY McGONIGLE, after ten years on the job, and three related leadership changes. Two of the latter are promotions; BRAD HALVORSEN has been named executive vice president and MATT ELLSWORTH fills Halvorsen's previous role of vice president, communications. The third hire is ANNE LASSEN, who will succeed Ellsworth in the role of Flinn Scholars Program assistant vice president. Before joining the foundation, Lassen was associate director of national recruitment at the University of Arizona. Post-retirement, McGonigle will consult part-time for the foundation, primarily on projects intended to advance the biosciences in Arizona. "Cathy's forty-six-year career...including distinguished tenure in state and local government...testifies to how one person's talent, commitment, and smart decisions can benefit the whole community," said Jack B. Jewett, the foundation's president and CEO.

The Colorado Trust has announced the hires of NOELLE MELCHIZEDEK as community partnerships and grants administrative partner and MARILYN WILLIAMS as manager of research, evaluation, and strategic learning. Melchizedek joins the trust from LiveWell Colorado, where she provided managerial support to an effort focused on healthy eating, physical activity, and leadership development for North Denver youth. Earlier, she served as a local community coalition LiveWell coordinator, consulted for TransitPlus in Denver, and worked for the Redwood Community Action Agency's Natural Resource Services in Eureka, California. Since 2008, she has been a lecturer and researcher at the University of Denver. Williams previously served as an environmental scientist for consulting firms in Florida and Illinois and most recently served as data and evaluation manager at Mile High United Way in Denver. 

New York Life has announced the appointment of MICHAEL BURKE as chief operating officer of the New York Life Foundation and corporate vice president of the company's corporate responsibility department. Burke previously served as chief operating officer of the Brooklyn Community Foundation and helped establish and was chief operating officer of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership.

The Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation has announced the appointment of BRIAN RUSCH as executive director. Rusch previously served as deputy director of the Dalai Lama Foundation and was COO of Project Happiness, a Palo Alto-based nonprofit focused on social and emotional learning for young adults. In his new role, Rusch will be tasked with launching Peace³, a three-year campaign to build a network of one million "peace builders" between the ages of 17 and 22.

The Blandin Foundation has announced the elections of GUY CLAIRMONT, MARK HAWKINSON, and ALICE MOREN to its board, as well as the appointment of THOMAS BADEN to its Broadband Initiative Strategy advisory board. Clairmont, a graduate of the Blandin Community Leadership Program, is founder of Guy Clairmont Financial and previously taught high school business classes in the Twin Cities. Hawkinson, longtime president and CEO of Hawkinson Construction, has served in community leadership roles at various organizations, including Itasca County Family YMCA, the MacRostie Arts Center, and the Northland Counseling Center. Moren, a licensed social worker, currently manages Circles of Support and PCs for People and is a national trainer for the Circles of Support philosophy. She also is a commissioner on the Human Rights Commission for the City of Grand Rapids and a graduate of the Blandin Community Leadership Program. Baden, Minnesota's chief information officer, has thirty-two years of experience in the state's public sector, including stints with the Department of Human Services, the Department of Employment and Economic Development, and the Office of Enterprise Technology.

The Ms. Foundation for Women has announced the appointments of JENNA BUSSMAN-WISE, LYNN MALERBA, SIMONE SNEED, GAIL WASSERMAN, and TOM WATSON to its board. Bussman-Wise is vice president of alternative investments, equity, and external mandates at AIG investments. Malerba is chief of the Mohegan Tribe, chair of the Tribal Self-Governance Advisory Committee of the federal Indian Health Service, and sits on the boards of the Justice Department's Tribal Nations Leadership Council and the Center for National Policy. Sneed is chief relationship officer of Dream Corps and founding CEO of Catching Brilliance, a social enterprise that supports the success of women and girls. Wasserman is senior vice president of public affairs at American Express and an active volunteer for immigrant communities in Brooklyn. And Watson is founding president of consulting firm CauseWired.

In other news, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health has announced the appointments of JUDY LANSING KOVLER and RUSSELL STEENBERG to its board. Kovler, a psychotherapist in private practice for over thirty years, is a director of the Kovler Foundation and vice chair of Sasha Bruce, Inc., a D.C.-based organization that works to help neglected youth and their families. Steenberg, global head of BlackRock Private Equity Partners, has over thirty-two years of experience in private equity investment. He currently serves on the boards of several organizations, including the Tuck Center for Private Equity and Entrepreneurship and the Lasker Foundation.