Last month brought the announcement that William Penn Foundation executive director Laura Sparks has accepted the position of president at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, a college in New York City founded on principles of equity and inclusion. Given Sparks’ longstanding commitment to underserved urban communities and demonstrated leadership capacities, this should bode well for Cooper Union. But what does it mean for the William Penn Foundation, a $2.4 billion family foundation that has been plagued with leadership challenges over the last several years? And, more importantly, what about the residents of Philadelphia?
In 2014, I conducted a Philamplify assessment of the foundation, asking “Is Philadelphia’s Leading Philanthropy Back on Track?” During that time, William Penn had just gone through a tumultuous period. One CEO, Jeremy Nowak, whose leadership style was blunt and whose education stances aroused controversy, departed after only 16 months, having disrupted the quiet, understated style of the Haas family. Helen Davis Picher did her best to limit damage and steady the boat as interim president for more than a year. Meanwhile, the board downgraded the top staff position from “president and CEO” to “managing director,” making it very clear from the job description that the family would maintain control over key hiring and firing decisions and other duties normally entrusted to a chief executive.
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