Posted on August 15, 2007

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Ford Foundation Announces New President

The Ford Foundation has announced it has selected Luis Ubiñas as its ninth president, effective in January, when outgoing president Susan V. Berresford officially retires.

Ubiñas, 44, is a director at McKinsey & Company, where he has worked for the past eighteen years, and leads the management consulting firm's media practice on the West Coast, advising Fortune 100 media, telecommunications, and technology companies on strategic and operational challenges. Raised in the south Bronx, he attended Harvard College and the Harvard Business School. "Access to educational opportunities changed my life," Ubiñas told the New York Times. "I wouldn't be here talking to you had it not been for the work done by foundations in the 1960s and 1970s to increase equal access to education."

Although he does not have a philanthropic background, Ubiñas has devoted much of his career to helping nonprofits accomplish their missions. He has advised senior nonprofit managers and serves on boards of several regional and national nonprofits, including Leadership Education and Development, the United Way of the Bay Area, the Steppingstone Foundation, and the After School for All Partnership.

Ubiñas will be the ninth president in the seventy-year history of the Ford Foundation, which is the second-largest foundation in the United States with $11 billion in assets. His appointment is the result of a national and international search that began when Berresford announced plans to retire after thirty-eight years of service, the last twelve as president.

"We are delighted to have found in Luis a leader who shares our commitment to the mission and values of the Ford Foundation, who will provide bold leadership to our grantmaking, and continue to foster an environment of creativity and innovation for our staff," said board of trustees chair Kathryn S. Fuller. "His life and service in business and nonprofit organizations reflect a deep appreciation of the importance of economic opportunity, access to education, and social justice. He will bring both vision and practical experience to the foundation."

“Ford Foundation Announces New President.” Ford Foundation Press Release 8/14/07.

Strom, Stephanie. “Ford Foundation Selects Its New Leader From Outside the Philanthropic World.” New York Times 8/14/07.

Primary Subject: Philanthropy and Voluntarism
Location(s): Bay Area, Bronx, New York, New York City

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