Hilary Pennington
Executive Vice President, The Ford Foundation
Hilary Pennington serves as Executive Vice President for Program at the Ford Foundation. In this capacity, she oversees all of the foundation’s programs globally, working closely across programs and offices to ensure strategic, meaningful, and well-aligned global grant making. Before assuming her current role, she served as the foundation’s Vice President for Education, Creativity, and Free Expression. Prior to joining Ford in 2013, Hilary served as director of education, postsecondary success and special initiatives at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and president and CEO of Jobs for the Future (JFF), a research and policy development organization she co-founded. Hilary also served on President Bill Clinton’s transition team and as co-chair of his administration’s presidential advisory committee on technology. She is a graduate of the Yale School of Management and Yale College and holds a graduate degree in social anthropology from Oxford University and a master’s degree in theological studies from the Episcopal Divinity School.
Related Sessions
Can Funder Collaboration Drive Greater Value?
Alison Powell
Antony Bugg-Levine
Hilary Pennington
Fay Twersky
Increasingly, foundations and wealthy donors form collaboratives that they hope will produce results beyond the reach and capacity of any single funder. But do collaboratives really deliver? If so, under what circumstances? This discussion will bring a range of perspectives, including findings from new Bridgespan research that assesses the impact a set of collaboratives had on funders, grantees, and fields — and identifies guidance for funders based on the findings. The panel will highlight experiences from funder collaboratives and community-led nonprofits, offering attendees an interactive opportunity to assess potential or existing collaborations.
Finding Purpose and Relevance in Times of Transition
Bringing together the skills and experiences of a seasoned consultant with the needs of a legacy organization facing generational transitions in leadership and values can be a fruitful endeavor for all involved. For one year, consultant Jill Blair served as senior fellow for strategy and organizational effectiveness with the Peninsula Jewish Community Center (PJCC) in Foster City, California, an organization that was at the time entering its 70th year and facing a number of high-level questions about its identity and purpose. Drawing from Blair’s experiences, which are shared in the article “A Year in Legacy,” this session will explore a […]