Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Greer Leaving Post as President and CEO of Nathan Cummings Foundation
Reported first yesterday by the Jewish Daily Forward, the Nathan Cummings Foundation confirmed today that Simon Greer, president and CEO since January 2012, is leaving later this month. According to Greer, his departure is due to differences with the board over the organization's future directions.
In an email, Adam N. Cummings, board chair, wrote:
"Simon was hired to build on the great work the Foundation has been doing and to help lead in some new directions. Most significantly, Simon oversaw a strategic planning process through which the Board chose to shift our grantmaking priorities to focus on combatting climate change and inequality, two seemingly intractable challenges that threaten our collective future. He also helped to conceive and launch the Nathan Cummings Foundation Fellowship, which provides visionary leaders with an opportunity to bring to fruition their game changing innovations."
In his own email, Greer wrote:
"In recent months, it became clear that my vision and the Board’s vision for the Foundation had diverged. Despite our agreement around much of the substance of the Foundation’s new direction, we were increasingly unaligned around the hard choices that are inevitably part of implementation. I was ready to continue my work on these and other Foundation priorities, but the Board has decided it wants new leadership."
According to Cummings, after Greer departs, Senior Vice Presidents Maurine Knighton and Bill Dempsey will take over day to day responsibilities and interim leadership will follow shortly as a formal search is established...