Melissa Bradley To Step Down As Tides CEO

Melissa Bradley, who has served Tides for more than seven years, first as a member of the board and most recently as the CEO, embodies the organization’s long-term commitment to racial and social justice and has opened new doors of opportunity as evident in new constituencies and new entrepreneurs joining Tides. Bradley is stepping down as CEO and will continue to serve as a special advisor to the organization.
 
“I am honored that as CEO I was able to help transition Tides from a founder-led organization to one that is now strongly positioned to deliver its mission farther and faster,” said Bradley. “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the progressive community in this way, and look forward to seeing all the important work Tides will accomplish in the future.”
 
For nearly 40 years, Tides has been a leader in the social sector and has strived to find new ways to create positive social change. As a pioneer in fiscal sponsorship and through its leadership in philanthropic consulting and grantmaking services, Tides has been at the forefront of some of the most groundbreaking work in the social sector. Under Bradley’s leadership, Tides innovations have reached new heights. Recent examples include Tides’ expanded work in impact investing, notably its large investment in The Years of Living Dangerously, an upcoming TV series that raises the visibility of threats facing the environment; the new Tides project Accelerated Market-Drive Partnerships, a bold new public-private partnership with the U.S. State Department and Department of Housing and Urban Development in Brazil, focused on building a new pipeline of sustainable social entrepreneurial leaders in Brazil; and celebrating new methods of issue advocacy campaign strategies via crowdsourcing and funding in the women and girls arena through projects such as 10X10 “Girl Rising” and the Games for Change: Half the Sky Movement Facebook game.
 
Board Chair Stephanie Clohesy shared, “Tides has been a force of change for decades. We are grateful to Melissa’s leadership and success in bringing considerable visibility to social impact investing, the role of the new majority in philanthropy and Tides’ role in bringing in expertise and resources in these areas and beyond.”
 
Vice President of Philanthropic Consulting Gary Schwartz will serve as interim CEO for Tides and will work closely with the Board and senior management team to keep Tides and its innovations at the forefront of social justice. Schwartz is well respected in philanthropic circles and holds a solid understanding of the intricacies of Tides business, having served in many leadership roles of the organization, including President of the Foundation during his 14-year tenure. The board will conduct a formal search following in the months to come.
 
“Gary is one of Tides most experienced and trusted leaders, and we are fortunate to be able to reach into the organization for an interim CEO," said Clohesy. "Gary understands all of Tides services, the Tides vision and how we serve the social sector. He is held in high regard both internally and in sector as a whole.”