Boston Foundation moves forward in search for next President and CEO

Boston – The Boston Foundation today announced the public release of the job description for its next President and CEO, and began accepting applications from candidates to lead the 105-year-old foundation into its next chapter.

The document, formally referred to as the “Position and Candidate Specifications”, was developed with continuing input from across the Boston Foundation community of donors, staff, nonprofits and Greater Boston residents. The release marks a significant milestone in the search for a President and CEO to replace Paul S. Grogan, who earlier this year announced his plans to step down from the role.

“This document represents the input of hundreds of people from across Greater Boston and beyond, all of whom have provided valuable insights for the Search Committee to consider in selecting a new President and CEO of the Boston Foundation,” said Elyse Cherry, Boston Foundation Director and co-chair of the Search Committee. “The next President and CEO must represent the values of the Greater Boston community, and the advice and suggestions we have received have helped to shape the job description and given us invaluable guidance for the rest of the search process.”

The Search Committee, working with the support of the executive search firm Spencer Stuart, is conducting a national search for President and CEO. As part of the process, the search team invited the input of more than 10,000 internal and external partners, including staff, nonprofit leaders, donors, and Greater Boston residents. The Committee continues to take advice, as well as fielding suggestions for candidates for the position, via email at TBFCEO@spencerstuart.com.

“As Greater Boston’s community foundation, it is imperative that we embrace voices and candidates from across all aspects of the community as we seek out the next leader of the Foundation,” said Keith Motley, a Boston Foundation Director who is co-chairing the search with Cherry. “The Foundation’s values statement, which reads that ‘in whatever we do, we foster collaboration and heal racial, ethnic and community divisions,’ has never been more relevant, and only through an open, fully inclusive process will we find a leader who will advance those values, engage with the Greater Boston community and ensure that ideas and voices coming from places of genuine need are fully heard and engaged.”

The Foundation has set up a web page, at TBF.org/CEOSearch, to make available the full position and candidate specifications, solicit continued feedback and provide updates on the search as it moves forward. The page also lists the members of the Search Committee. The page will be continually updated to ensure that updates on the search are publicly available.

On the page, the Foundation pledges that it “has committed to providing fair and equitable consideration of all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, ancestry, age, national origin, place of birth, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, genetic information, or status as a member of the armed forces or veteran of the armed forces, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.”