Heron Foundation Announces Leadership Transition
June 20, 2017 — New York: Clara Miller will assume the role of President Emerita at Heron as of December 31, 2017, the Heron Foundation announced today. Miller will step down from a managerial role, continuing to write, speak, and undertake research on behalf of Heron’s mission.
Arthur “Buzz” Schmidt, chair of Heron’s board, said, “Clara is singularly responsible for establishing the program and profile Heron enjoys today. She has been a stimulating pleasure to work with over the past several years. Clara has built a crackerjack team to carry Heron’s operations forward, and we are so fortunate that she has agreed to remain centrally involved in developing and advancing Heron’s knowledge agenda in the future.”
Miller said, “It has been a real privilege to serve as President of this remarkable enterprise for nearly seven years. My tenure is just one of several stages in Heron’s long tradition of seeking excellence, inventing practices, and reinventing philanthropy that is our hallmark. We are a deeply non-institutional institution, with a long-time culture of questioning standard practice, pushing to deploy every kind of capital for mission — social, moral, intellectual, reputational and financial — and calling the question when our field is not measuring up. I am happy to be part of that tradition, and I look forward to contributing to Heron’s further evolution. This transition will give me the opportunity to dedicate time and attention to the wide range of issues that have been the focus of my professional career. I deeply appreciate the inspiration and encouragement that I have received and continue to receive from our board, staff, and friends and colleagues in the field.”
The board is engaged in a strategic and business planning process, led internally by senior management, which is expected to wrap up by year end. At that time, Heron will be unveiling plans going forward.