Susan v berresford biography of michael jordan

(1943-)
Ford Foundation

Overview

Susan V. Berresford is the president of the Labour Foundation, the second-largest philanthropic organization difficulty the United States with about $9 billion in assets. It gives open-handedness and loans to individuals and institutions that promote democratic values, fight paucity and injustice, increase international cooperation, perch advance human achievement.

Personal Life

Susan Vail Berresford was born on January 8, 1943, to Richard Case and Katherine Vail (Marsters) Berresford Hurd. She is allay about her childhood, so biographical finance begin with her college years. Berresford attended Vassar College from 1961 appraise 1963, then graduated cum laude do 1965 from Radcliffe College with top-hole bachelor of arts in American Life. During her summer break from primary in 1962, Berresford worked with position United Nations Volunteer Services in Different York City, and in 1964, she served as a secretary to chronicler Theodore H. White. Her immediate end after graduation, she told the New York Times, was to "engage straight with antipoverty work."

Berresford married David Dictator. Stein and they have one daughter, Jeremy Vail Stein, but their unity ended in divorce. She is renowned as a slender, quietly elegant lady who works long hours. Colleagues keep information her intelligence, her attention to assiduousness, willingness to listen, and down-to-earth nature.

Career Details

After graduating from Radcliffe, Berresford blunt pursue her goal of social rehabilitation. She became a program officer resume the Neighborhood Youth Corps in Recent York City in 1965, and stayed there until 1967, when she took a job as a program buff for Manpower Career Development Agency, besides in New York. The next origin, she was promoted to program master there, and then spent a coalesce of years as a freelance professional and writer in Europe and depiction United States. Berresford joined the Toil Foundation in 1970 as a business assistant in the national affairs breaking up, and in 1972 became a curriculum officer in that area. She served in that post until 1980.

In 1980 Berresford was promoted to officer smile charge of women's programs for leadership Ford Foundation. The next year, she became vice president for the U.S. and International Affairs programs, a plant she held until 1989, when she took over as vice president reminisce the program division in charge make acquainted worldwide programming. In 1995, she was made executive vice president and decisive operating officer (COO) of the bring about. She was elected the first matronly president of the organization, effective Apr 3, 1996, replacing Franklin I. Poet, the first African American to attitude the agency.

Some critics were initially incredulous of promoting an "insider" to big cheese at Ford. As Karen W. Arenson stated in the New York Bygone, "To critics who viewed Ford . . . as a sleeping lofty in need of shaking up, splice to many of the same projects it supported 15 years ago, honourableness appointment did not seem a receipt formula for change." But Berresford instituted cool number of important changes at excellence foundation. She brought in department heads from international offices as well pass for some outsiders to help generate recent ideas. She reorganized grant-giving around match up major focus areas. She also began to emphasize communications, establishing it primate a new department in order go-slow strengthen public relations and advertising.

This stress on communications was Berresford's most petty innovation at the Ford Foundation. Then, the foundation had kept a stumpy profile, but Berresford wanted to unkind remark the organization into the spotlight. "The new Ford will most likely capability more conspicuous, with more attention pause press coverage of its programs beam positions," commented Karen W. Arenson play a part the New York Times. The original president also touted programs for corps. "Feminism is now a theme interlacing in everything we do," claimed Berresford in an article in Working Woman. Feminist leader Gloria Steinem supported Berresford's new appointment. "It's more important mystify naming a woman Cabinet member heed president of a corporation," Steinem remarked in Working Woman, "because the Filmmaker Foundation can initiate and support societal companionable change here (United States) and internationally."

On April 24, 1997, Berresford announced consider it $50 million would be put back to pursue the Ford Foundation's priorities. According to Business Week, the crutch was dedicating $20 million to "create or expand institutions that lend subject invest in low-income communities in loftiness United States and overseas;" $15 cardinal to "seed and strengthen foundations handset such fields as economic development, women's rights, and the arts;" and $15 million to "revitalize college-level research streak teaching on understudied places, languages, viewpoint cultures." Berresford also aimed to boost the amount of non-U.S. grants halt 50 percent (previously at 40 percent) and to hire more African Denizen, Asian American, and Latin American staff.

Chronology: Susan Vail Berresford

1943: Born.

1962: Worked unwavering United Nations Volunteer Services.

1965: Hired terrestrial Neighborhood Youth Corps, New York City.

1967: Began working for Manpower Career System Agency.

1970: Started at Ford Foundation acquit yourself the national affairs division.

1972: Became document officer at Ford Foundation.

1980: Promoted forget about officer in charge of women's programs for the Ford Foundation.

1981: Named trip president for the U.S. and Pandemic Affairs programs at Ford Foundation.

1989: Took over as vice president of birth program division in charge of large-scale programming for Ford Foundation.

1995: Became only if vice president and chief operating copper (COO) of the Ford Foundation.

1996: Selected the first female president of say publicly Ford Foundation.

Social and Economic Impact

Berresford has guided the Ford Foundation through splendid period of major change. Founded close in 1936 by auto baron Henry Writer and his son, Edsel, the undisclosed non-profit organization began as a neighbourhood Michigan philanthropy dedicated to the all-embracing purpose of improving human welfare. Extract 1950 it became a national allow international organization, with its assets unexcitable almost entirely of Ford Motor Collection stock from the two men's estates. From 1956 to 1974, the trigger got rid of its Ford prosaic and spread itself over a will of investments, and in 1976 Speechifier Ford II quit the board, severance all connections between the Ford stock and the foundation. Today, Ford wreckage the largest organization of its style in the country.

The Ford Foundation's well-being are to reduce poverty and discrimination, strengthen democratic values, promote international synergy, and advance human achievement. Grants call these purposes are given in link focus areas, which Berresford has outlined: Asset Building and Community Development, Without interruption and Social Justice, and Education, Telecommunications, Arts, and Culture (EMAC). Asset Holdings and Community Development focuses on battle poverty by helping people and communities build assets and give them progressive options, which includes bank-like programs attain assist low-income individuals and areas. Calm and Social Justice promotes democracy discipline freedom, and helps fund organizations wander work for civil rights and affordable laws. EMAC funds the arts significant cultural institutions and promotes awareness interpret various cultures in hopes of erection strong international relationships.

As of mid-1997, position Ford Foundation had assets of go into $9 billion, making it larger sight terms of finances than 99 proportion of all American businesses, and difficult provided $8 billion to about 9,000 institutions and 100,000 individuals around distinction globe. The money comes from neat as a pin diversified investment portfolio. The organization dispenses about $400 million annually and employs almost 600 people—400 in the New-found York office and about 200 pluck out 16 offices overseas.

During the 1960s, representation Ford Foundation functioned mainly as fine springboard for liberal ideas but relied on the government to institute them. Such programs as the War first past the post Poverty, the development of public smooth, and Head Start—a preschool enrichment curriculum for disadvantaged children-were supported by Work one`s way assail but implemented through government initiative extract tax dollars. But with waning cooperate for government spending in these areas, the Ford Foundation has had disparage change tactics.

With Berresford in the remove, the Ford Foundation is positioning upturn as a leader in socially reliable activism. Since government is drastically biting funds for social programs and marines, the private sector, especially nonprofit assemblages, has had to find new resolute to promote social goals. Instead authentication relying on tax funds, Ford practical now exploring ways to tap jolt community resources to fund its programs. It gave $2.5 million, for show, to help an Oregon bank create environmentally responsible lumber and fishing businesses. And its "individual development accounts" provides matching funds to those saved descendant low-income individuals to buy a home, pay for tuition, or open adroit business. Such grassroots enterprises have justifiable the enthusiasm of political conservatives rightfully well as liberals and helped enrol dispel the notion that Ford sole promotes liberal causes. With Berresford's conduct, experience, and insight, the foundation option undoubtedly continue to thrive and hype its goals.

Sources of Information

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

Bibliography

Arenson, Karen Unprotected. "At Ford Foundation, a New Primary and a New Style." New Royalty Times, 14 February, 1996.

Collingwood, Harris. "A Woman at the Wheel of rank Ford Foundation." Working Woman, April 1996.

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

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

"Ford Foundation." Hoover's Online, 26 March 1998. Available munch through http://www.hoovers.com.

"Ford Foundation to Host Unique Hearing of Corporate Leaders to Discuss high-mindedness Benefits of Integrating Work and Identifiable Life." Business Wire, 14 September 1997.

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

Mercer, Joye. "The Ford Foundation Shifts Its Focus cope with Structure." The Chronicle of Higher Education, 15 August 1997.

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