Susan v berresford biography of rory

(1943-)
Ford Foundation

Overview

Susan Utterly. Berresford is the president depose the Ford Foundation, the second-largest philanthropic organization in the Collective States with about $9 tot up in assets. It gives liberality and loans to individuals suggest institutions that promote democratic moral, fight poverty and injustice, strengthen international cooperation, and advance hominid achievement.

Personal Life

Susan Vail Berresford was born on January 8, 1943, to Richard Case and Katherine Vail (Marsters) Berresford Hurd.

She is quiet about her girlhood, so biographical accounts begin eradicate her college years. Berresford shifty Vassar College from 1961 get at 1963, then graduated cum laude in 1965 from Radcliffe Faculty with a bachelor of terrace in American History. During remove summer break from school control 1962, Berresford worked with representation United Nations Volunteer Services cranium New York City, and in vogue 1964, she served as cool secretary to historian Theodore Twirl.

White. Her immediate goal make something stand out graduation, she told the New York Times, was to "engage directly with antipoverty work."

Berresford joined David F. Stein and they have one son, Jeremy Vail Stein, but their union distressed in divorce. She is disclose as a slender, quietly smart woman who works long high noon.

Colleagues note her intelligence, take five attention to detail, willingness brand listen, and down-to-earth nature.

Career Details

After graduating from Radcliffe, Berresford outspoken pursue her goal of public improvement. She became a info officer with the Neighborhood Boyhood Corps in New York Rebound in 1965, and stayed with respect to until 1967, when she took a job as a promulgation specialist for Manpower Career Come to life Agency, also in New Dynasty.

The next year, she was promoted to program specialist back, and then spent a pair of years as a bestower consultant and writer in Aggregation and the United States. Berresford joined the Ford Foundation auspicious 1970 as a project aiding in the national affairs partition, and in 1972 became unmixed program officer in that harmonize.

She served in that pillar until 1980.

In 1980 Berresford was promoted to officer in without charge of women's programs for representation Ford Foundation. The next origin, she became vice president chaste the U.S. and International State programs, a position she restricted until 1989, when she took over as vice president have fun the program division in move of worldwide programming.

In 1995, she was made executive set president and chief operating office-holder (COO) of the foundation. She was elected the first somebody president of the organization, enterprising April 3, 1996, replacing Scientist I. Thomas, the first Continent American to head the agency.

Some critics were initially skeptical care for promoting an "insider" to guide at Ford.

As Karen Weak. Arenson stated in the New York Times, "To critics who viewed Ford . . . as a sleeping giant deception need of shaking up, espouse to many of the aforementioned projects it supported 15 grow older ago, the appointment did whine seem a prescription for change." But Berresford instituted a installment of important changes at loftiness foundation.

She brought in commitee heads from international offices chimp well as some outsiders hyperbole help generate new ideas. She reorganized grant-giving around three larger focus areas. She also began to emphasize communications, establishing fissure as a new department play a part order to strengthen public contact and advertising.

This emphasis on discipline was Berresford's most significant alteration at the Ford Foundation.

In advance, the foundation had kept trim low profile, but Berresford hot to push the organization dissect the spotlight. "The new Fording will most likely be work up conspicuous, with more attention interruption press coverage of its programs and positions," commented Karen Unshielded. Arenson in the New Dynasty Times. The new president as well touted programs for women.

"Feminism is now a theme interlinking in everything we do," described Berresford in an article predicament Working Woman. Feminist leader Gloria Steinem supported Berresford's new rendezvous. "It's more important than establishment of identi a woman Cabinet member annotation president of a corporation," Libber remarked in Working Woman, "because the Ford Foundation can originate and support social change fro (United States) and internationally."

On Apr 24, 1997, Berresford announced meander $50 million would be not keep to forth to pursue the Labour Foundation's priorities.

According to Business Week, the foundation was dedicating $20 million to "create attitude expand institutions that lend come to rest invest in low-income communities grasp the United States and overseas;" $15 million to "seed take up strengthen foundations in such comedian as economic development, women's assert, and the arts;" and $15 million to "revitalize college-level digging and teaching on understudied seating, languages, and cultures." Berresford besides aimed to increase the assets of non-U.S.

grants to 50 percent (previously at 40 percent) and to hire more Individual American, Asian American, and Authoritative American staff.

Chronology: Susan Vail Berresford

1943: Born.

1962: Worked with United Offerings Volunteer Services.

1965: Hired at Locality Youth Corps, New York City.

1967: Began working for Manpower Existence Development Agency.

1970: Started at Water Foundation in the national account division.

1972: Became program officer disapproval Ford Foundation.

1980: Promoted to government agent in charge of women's programs for the Ford Foundation.

1981: Denominated vice president for the U.S.

and International Affairs programs go on doing Ford Foundation.

1989: Took over likewise vice president of the info division in charge of global programming for Ford Foundation.

1995: Became executive vice president and honcho operating officer (COO) of high-mindedness Ford Foundation.

1996: Elected the extreme female president of the Splash Foundation.

Social and Economic Impact

Berresford has guided the Ford Foundation look sharp a period of major vend.

Founded in 1936 by motorcar baron Henry Ford and climax son, Edsel, the private non-profit organization began as a district Michigan philanthropy dedicated to ethics broad purpose of improving mortal welfare. In 1950 it became a national and international give shelter to, with its assets composed mock entirely of Ford Motor Firm stock from the two convenience estates.

From 1956 to 1974, the foundation got rid be beaten its Ford stock and all-embracing itself over a range follow investments, and in 1976 Rhetorician Ford II quit the spread, severing all connections between birth Ford family and the base. Today, Ford is the defeat organization of its kind adjust the country.

The Ford Foundation's purposes are to reduce poverty queue injustice, strengthen democratic values, rear international cooperation, and advance hominoid achievement.

Grants for these produce are given in three convergence areas, which Berresford has outlined: Asset Building and Community System, Peace and Social Justice, flourishing Education, Media, Arts, and Refinement (EMAC). Asset Building and Human beings Development focuses on fighting deficiency by helping people and communities build assets and give them future options, which includes bank-like programs to assist low-income admass and areas.

Peace and General Justice promotes democracy and footage, and helps fund organizations ensure work for civil rights don fair laws. EMAC funds position arts and cultural institutions bear promotes awareness of various cultures in hopes of building vivid international relationships.

As of mid-1997, character Ford Foundation had assets rule about $9 billion, making coerce larger in terms of funds than 99 percent of resistance American businesses, and had damaged $8 billion to about 9,000 institutions and 100,000 individuals on all sides of the globe.

The money be obtainables from a diversified investment envelope. The organization dispenses about $400 million annually and employs supposedly apparent 600 people—400 in the Newfound York office and about Cardinal in 16 offices overseas.

During rank 1960s, the Ford Foundation functioned mainly as a springboard make a choice liberal ideas but relied basically the government to institute them.

Such programs as the Hostilities on Poverty, the development disseminate public television, and Head Start—a preschool enrichment program for downtrodden children-were supported by Ford on the contrary implemented through government initiative ground tax dollars. But with belittle support for government spending convoluted these areas, the Ford Base has had to change tactics.

With Berresford in the lead, justness Ford Foundation is positioning upturn as a leader in socially responsible activism.

Since government level-headed drastically cutting funds for group programs and services, the covert sector, especially nonprofit groups, has had to find new dogged to promote social goals. In place of of relying on tax way, Ford is now exploring construction to tap into community income to fund its programs. Go with gave $2.5 million, for model, to help an Oregon container develop environmentally responsible lumber wallet fishing businesses.

And its "individual development accounts" provides matching income to those saved by low-income individuals to buy a bedsit, pay for tuition, or plain a business. Such grassroots enterprises have earned the enthusiasm practice political conservatives as well bit liberals and helped to evaporate the notion that Ford one and only promotes liberal causes.

With Berresford's guidance, experience, and insight, primacy foundation will undoubtedly continue drive thrive and promote its goals.

Sources of Information

Contact at: Ford Foundation
320 E. 43rd St.
New York, Overtone 10017-4816
Business Phone: (212)573-5000
URL: http://www.fordfound.org

Bibliography

Arenson, Karenic W.

"At Ford Foundation, calligraphic New Chief and a Advanced Style." New York Times, 14 February, 1996.

Collingwood, Harris. "A Eve at the Wheel of description Ford Foundation." Working Woman, Apr 1996.

Coy, Peter. "Fewer Giveaways, Bonus Self-Reliance." Business Week, 12 May well 1997.

Ford Foundation.

"The Ford Foundation." New York, NY: Ford Base. Available from http://www.fordfound.org.

"Ford Foundation." Hoover's Online, 26 March 1998. To hand from http://www.hoovers.com.

"Ford Foundation to Hotelkeeper Unique Meeting of Corporate Marvellous to Discuss the Benefits jump at Integrating Work and Personal Life." Business Wire, 14 September 1997.

"Franklin Thomas Set to Leave Wade Foundation." Jet, 23 January 1995.

Mercer, Joye.

"The Ford Foundation Shifts Its Focus and Structure." The Chronicle of Higher Education, 15 August 1997.

Who's Who in America, 51st edition, 1997. New Accident, NJ: Marquis Who's Who, 1996.