Rob Waldron, Aixa Beauchamp and Dwight Poler to Co-Chair 2020-2021 Annual Campaign for Civic Leadership

Boston – Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates, and Aixa Beauchamp, President of Beauchamp & Associates and co-founder of the Latino Legacy Fund at the Boston Foundation will join Boston Foundation Director Dwight Poler of Bain Capital, as co-chairs of the Boston Foundation’s Annual Campaign for Civic Leadership for 2020-2021, the Foundation announced today.

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The Campaign seeks to raise $3,300,000 during the fiscal year, which runs through June 2021.

The Annual Campaign for Civic Leadership fuels the Boston Foundation’s unique role as Boston’s community foundation. The Annual Campaign supports the Foundation’s research into key issues, its nonpartisan efforts to inform and educate policymakers and civic leaders, and its role as a convener for discussion of important local and national issues. More than 5,000 people attended Boston Foundation-sponsored forums and events at the Edgerley Center for Civic Leadership and in virtual formats in the 2019-2020 season. 

The 2020–2021 Campaign marks the first time that the effort will include three co-chairs, working together to raise awareness and funds for the Foundation’s signature civic leadership efforts. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Rob Waldron and Aixa Beauchamp as co-chairs of the annual campaign, joining Dwight Poler in his second year in the position,” said Linda Mason, Chair of the Boston Foundation Board of Directors. “As accomplished business leaders and philanthropists in Greater Boston, both Rob and Aixa bring the knowledge and understanding to make a significant impact for the Annual Campaign for Civic Leadership.” 

“Having worked with the Boston Foundation since the inception of the Latino Legacy Fund, I have been able to see the power of the Foundation’s research and convening power to raise critical issues and elevate actionable solutions,” said Aixa Beauchamp. “It’s why I contribute to the Annual Campaign for Civic Leadership, and look forward to taking a leadership role for this year’s Campaign.

Each year, The Foundation works with dozens of partners—from grassroots leaders to government officials—to collectively surface and develop innovative solutions to Greater Boston’s most challenging problems. In 2019-2020, the Foundation and its partners published 6 new research reports and hosted 10 dynamic forums on issues ranging from racial equity and the impacts of COVID-19, to housing, immigration, the workforce development and more. 

And later, as COVID-19 spread through the region and the nation, the Annual Campaign for Civic Leadership provided crucial support for Boston Indicators, the research arm of the Foundation, to establish the COVID Community Data Lab, and for the creation of dozens of stories that captured the ways nonprofits and donors were working to address inequities and racial injustice in the wake of the pandemic.

“The pandemic demonstrated the importance of local community foundations in times of crisis, and by supporting the Annual Campaign for Civic Leadership, we can ensure the work of the Boston Foundation can continue to have impact,” said Rob Waldron. “The Foundation’s deep roots in and knowledge of the community makes it uniquely able to respond to both short- and long-term issues facing the city and region.” 

Dwight Poler, who founded Bain Capital’s European Private Equity Business, joined the Boston Foundation board in 2018 and served as a co-chair of last year’s Annual Campaign. “The Annual Campaign for Civic Leadership is the smartest investment you can make in the future of Boston. It brings research and capital, alongside local community knowledge, to ensure progress in areas where it is more impactful,” he said. 

To learn more about the Annual Campaign for Civic Leadership and how to support the Boston Foundation, contact Taylor Garry, Senior Associate of the Annual Campaign.