Darren Walker

Darren Walker
Born (1959-08-28) August 28, 1959 (age 65)
Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Texas, Austin (BA, BS, JD)
OccupationPresident of the Ford Foundation
PartnerDavid Beitzel (died 2019)

Darren Walker (born August 28, 1959)[1] is the 10th president of the Ford Foundation, a private foundation dedicated to human welfare, and President of the National Gallery of Art. [2]

In June 2020, Walker led the Ford Foundation to issue a $1 billion designated social bond to stabilize non-profit organizations in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.[3] Walker is a member of the Reimagining New York Commission and co-chair of 2020 New York City Census.[4][5] In October 2021, Walker announced that the Ford Foundation will divest its investments from "fossil fuels and seek opportunities to invest in alternative and renewable energy in the future"; including investing in "funds that address the threat of climate change, and support the transition to a green economy."[6][7][8]

Before joining the Ford Foundation, Walker was vice president at the Rockefeller Foundation and COO of Harlem's Abyssinian Development Corporation. He co-founded both the US Impact Investing Alliance and the Presidents' Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy. He is on many boards, including the National Gallery of Art, Carnegie Hall, the High Line, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, Committee to Protect Journalists, Square, PepsiCo,[9] and Ralph Lauren.[10][11][12] Walker chaired the 2013 Gish Prize selection committee.[13][14][15]

Earlier in his career, Walker worked as a lawyer and investment banker.[16] Walker is a fellow of the Institute for Urban Design, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a board member of the Arcus Foundation, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Friends of the High Line, and the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies.[17] He has been a teacher of housing, law and urban development at the New York University School of Law and the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.[18][19][20] He is co-chair of the New York Public Library Council.[21][22][23] He is board of directors vice-chairman at the New York City Ballet.[24] In 2018, Walker joined the board of directors of the Committee to Protect Journalists.[25]

  1. ^ "Roads to Midtown". New York Social Diary. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  2. ^ "Leadership". www.nga.gov. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  3. ^ "Ford Foundation announces 'historic' $1bn Social Bond". Pioneers Post. London Fields Publishing Limited: UK. June 12, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  4. ^ "Ford Names Darren Walker as New CEO". Humanitarian News. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  5. ^ "Pelosi to speak at commencement". Daily Freeman. April 16, 2014. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  6. ^ "Ford Foundation Announces Plan to End Investments in Fossil Fuels". Ford Foundation. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  7. ^ "Ford Foundation to Divest Millions From Fossil Fuels". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  8. ^ "Darren Walker: Ford Foundation to Divest Millions From Fossil Fuels". The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  9. ^ "PepsiCo Elects Darren Walker to Company's Board of Directors". PepsiCo, Inc. Official Website.
  10. ^ "Ford Foundation Announces New President". MIT Office of Foundation Relations. Archived from the original on October 30, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  11. ^ "Building A GradNation Summit To Be Held April 27–29 In Washington, DC". Reuters. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  12. ^ "Darren Walker, President, the Ford Foundation". Princeton University: Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  13. ^ "The 20th Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize Selection Committee". Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  14. ^ "Spike Lee awarded $300,000 Gish Prize". USA Today. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  15. ^ "Spike Lee Received the 20th Annual Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize". New York University. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  16. ^ Barron, James (July 24, 2013). "At Ford Foundation, Vice President Rises to Top Job". The New York Times. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  17. ^ "Darren Walker Promoted To President at Ford Foundation". The NonProfit Times. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  18. ^ Lowe, Frederick H. (July 26, 2013). "Darren Walker Named President of the Ford Foundation". The Northstar News & Analysis. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  19. ^ "Ford Foundation Announces Darren Walker as New President". Philanthropy News Digest. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  20. ^ "Schomburg Forum: Darren Walker & Khalil Muhammad Audio". The New York Public Library. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  21. ^ "Biography of Darren Walker". All American Speakers Bureau. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  22. ^ "Search Committee Bios" (PDF). The New York Public Library. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  23. ^ "Next Director of the Schomburg Center". Humanities and Social Sciences Online. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  24. ^ "Board of Directors". New York City Ballet. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  25. ^ "Darren Walker of the Ford Foundation joins CPJ's board of directors". Committee to Protect Journalists. February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2018.