Marieke van Schaik and Melissa Berman Join Foundation Center Board of Trustees
New York, NY — December 3, 2014. Foundation Center, the leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide, has elected Marieke van Schaik and Melissa Berman to its Board of Trustees. Their three-year terms of service will commence in April 2015.
"Ms. van Schaik and Ms. Berman are both at the forefront of new ways to mobilize the resources needed for social, economic, and environmental progress," said Foundation Center President Bradford K. Smith. "Their wisdom and innovative thinking will benefit Foundation Center in its growing role serving the global philanthropic community."
Marieke van Schaik is a managing director at the Dutch Charity Lotteries where she is responsible for the strategic direction of this growing and influential social enterprise in the Netherlands. The Dutch Charity Lotteries, which includes the Dutch Postcode Lottery, BankGiro Lottery, and Friends Lottery, gives 50 percent of its proceeds to charities in the fields of nature conservation, poverty eradication, human rights and social cohesion, cultural heritage, and health and welfare.
"In an increasingly globalized social sector, the lines between traditional and emerging forms of philanthropy are continually blurring," said Ms. van Schaik. "I look forward to supporting Foundation Center's work in this landscape where social enterprise can be a force for positive change."
Ms. van Schaik joined the Dutch Charity Lotteries in 2000. After rising through various positions within the company, she assumed her current role in which she manages relations with hundreds of charities, monitors and evaluates the funding process, and organizes communications and events. She has also led international initiatives that include the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge, the largest annual worldwide competition for sustainable start-ups, and the Dream Fund, which enables courageous, groundbreaking new projects with potentially high impact. Prior to her work at the Dutch Charity Lotteries, Ms. van Schaik was a project manager at the DOEN Foundation. She received a degree in International Relations from the University of Amsterdam.
Melissa Berman is the president and CEO of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA), Inc., a nonprofit organization that helps donors create thoughtful, effective philanthropy throughout the world. Since 2001, she has led RPA in advising on and managing more than $200 million in annual giving by individuals, families, corporations, and major foundations. With experience providing guidance to a broad spectrum of donors, Ms. Berman brings valuable insight that will strengthen Foundation Center's role as a knowledge services provider.
"Donors need information and tools that will enable them to give strategically and assess their impact," said Ms. Berman. "Foundation Center is uniquely equipped to empower funders with these resources."
Prior to joining RPA, Ms. Berman served as senior vice president, Research and Program Development, at the Conference Board where she oversaw all research and publications on management practices, including global corporate citizenship and governance. She previously served on Foundation Center's Board of Trustees from 2004 to 2013. She is a member of the International Council of the New Israel Fund and an adjunct professor at Columbia University's Business School where she also serves on the advisory board for its Social Enterprise Program. Ms. Berman received her B.A. from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.
For more than 50 years, Foundation Center has used data and research to provide crucial information on philanthropy to donors, nonprofits, and the entire social sector. Guided by its Foundation Center 2020 strategic plan, the organization delivers an increasingly wide range of knowledge services, capacity-building resources, transparency tools, news and information platforms, and on-the-ground access.
View the complete list of Foundation Center's Board of Trustees.
Cheryl Loe
Communications Project Manager
Foundation Center
(888) 356-0354 ext. 701
communications@foundationcenter.org
About Foundation Center
Established in 1956, Foundation Center is the leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide. Through data, analysis, and training, it connects people who want to change the world to the resources they need to succeed. Foundation Center maintains the most comprehensive database on U.S. and, increasingly, global grantmakers and their grants — a robust, accessible knowledge bank for the sector. It also operates research, education, and training programs designed to advance knowledge of philanthropy at every level. Thousands of people visit Foundation Center's website each day and are served in its five regional library/learning centers and at more than 470 Funding Information Network locations nationwide and around the world. For more information, please visit foundationcenter.org or call (212) 620-4230.
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