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William Penn Foundation Begins Searching for New Leadership, Plans New Structure

September 11, 2013 Category: ResultsUncategorized

The William Penn Foundation announced that its searching for new leadership, following a high-profile break with former president Jeremy Nowak last November.

But the transition is not just a matter of replacing Nowak. In fact, William Penn is creating a new position called “managing director” that represents a change in the foundation’s leadership structure.

The Managing Director will oversee three other positions, chief investment officer, chief philanthropy officer, and director of finance & administration.

The reason for this change in structure, according to David Haas, chairman of William Penn’s board of directors, is to better equip the foundation for a complex range of organizational functions, such as investment, strategic grant-making, knowledge-building, and community engagement.

“This change reflects a significant expansion of our institutional capacity; we are focusing on strengthening the organization at every level, which will position the William Penn Foundation to best deliver on our goals,” said Haas in a press release. “We need all facets of our organization to work together seamlessly in order to support long-term solutions rather than short-term stop-gap assistance.”

This increase in capacity was in part due to an infusion of funds after the Philadelphia-based chemical company, Rohm & Haas, was sold to Dow Chemical Co. in 2009.  The company was owned by the Haas family, which founded William Penn in 1945 and has representatives on the board to this day. Soon after the sale, the foundation received a $747 million donation form John C. Haas, son of founders Otto and Phoebe Haas.

William Penn has hired ZGA Partners, Inc. to search for candidates within the city and region. Helen Davis Picher, interim president and longtime foundation employee, will not be considered for the position.

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