Today is Dennis McMillian’s last day as Foraker’s CEO. We are so grateful for his leadership. Dennis’ 100+ President’s Letters to the sector are a small glimpse of the insight and impact he has had over the years. Thank you Dennis, for sharing your passion and inspiring us all…. Read more »

Giving USA’s annual report on philanthropy is a publication on the sources and uses of charitable giving in the United States. The report finds that philanthropy in America has experienced one of the most significant jumps in recent history, at an estimated 7.1 percent. To view the report highlights, click here. To purchase the full report, visit the Giving USA website.    … Read more »

Few nonprofit organizations in Alaska have the resources to employ enough people to meet all their management needs. The Foraker Group’s shared services can fill those gaps. We are now accepting new clients for financial management. If you are in need of accounting assistance, contact Raju Shankar, Foraker’s CFO, at 907-743-1247 to set up an appointment…. Read more »

The Foraker Group announced today that Laurie Wolf has been named the organization’s new President/CEO. Wolf will replace Dennis McMillian who is stepping down from the position. Wolf will take over leadership of Foraker on July 1, 2015. In making the announcement, Foraker Governance Board Chair Elizabeth Ripley called Wolf “a competent, accomplished, and thoughtful leader. We are extremely pleased she will lead Foraker in the coming years. The board looks forward to working with her.” McMillian announced his planned departure as President/CEO in January. The Foraker Governance Board conducted a national search for his replacement. Wolf joined Foraker in 2001, shortly after it was founded. She has served as Director of Programs, and most recently as Vice President and COO. Wolf holds a Masters in Nonprofit Leadership from Seattle… Read more »

“How do leaders deal with the new reality of constant challenges and frequent crises while not losing direction, focus or enthusiasm? How do they lead in a way that inspires people to contribute, to act responsively and intelligently, to maintain motivation and good relationships? How do they persevere?” Join us at the Leadership Summit on April 20 -21 to hear from Dr. Margaret Wheatley on the topic “Leadership in Uncertainty: From Hero to Host”. Margaret Wheatley writes, speaks, and teaches how we can accomplish our work, sustain our relationships, and willingly step forward to serve in this troubled time. She is co-founder and President emerita of The Berkana Institute, an organizational consultant since 1973, a global citizen since her youth, and a prolific writer. She has authored eight books, including… Read more »

We are excited to host Steve Patty, Founder of Dialogues in Action, at the 2015 Leadership Summit. Steve will be presenting how to develop and grow our organizations with better evaluation. Steve Patty has over 20 years of experience working in the field of evaluation and leadership development. He holds a Ph.D. from Trinity in Chicago and has beentrained at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He is a former department chair at Multnomah University and visiting professor in the doctoral departments of business at the International University of Monaco. Steve has trained hundreds of leaders in evaluation strategy and design and has consulted with organizations and foundations throughout North America and internationally in evaluation, including the YMCA of the USA, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Canadian Evaluation… Read more »

Tim Delaney, CEO of National Council of Nonprofits will be engaging us in a discussion at the 2015 Leadership Summit on April 20 – 21 about public policy and creating a voice as a sector. Since 2008 Tim Delaney has applied his diverse leadership experiences in law, government, and nonprofits to serve nonprofits and communities across America as leader of the National Council of Nonprofits, a trusted resource and advocate for America’s charitable nonprofits that connects more than 25,000 nonprofits – including Partners of The Foraker Group – as the nation’s largest network of nonprofits. His former roles as partner at a large law firm (where he focused on litigation, media law, and government relations), then Arizona’s Solicitor General (guiding his state to win four out of four cases in… Read more »

We are excited to welcome Richard Evans, President of EmcArts Inc. to this year’s Leadership Summit. Richard will engage us in the topic “Adaptive Mindsets for Individual Leaders”, how to build adaptive muscle for change. To learn more about EmcArts’ collaboration with Alaska’s arts and cultural organizations, read about New Pathways here. Richard Evans directs, designs and facilitates EmcArts’ programs and strategic partnerships, which support individuals, organizations and communities on their journey to becoming highly adaptive. Richard is a lead facilitator for current EmcArts’ programs, which include national Innovation Labs, a series of community-based innovation programs for nonprofits called New Pathways for the Arts, and ArtsFwd.org, an online presence for learning and exchange around “next practices” for arts leaders. A frequent speaker on the relationship between cultural policy and emerging… Read more »

Zaid Hassain, author of The Social Labs Revolution: A New Approach To Solving Our Most Complex Challenges, will be presenting at this year’s Leadership Summit on the failure of planning based strategies and how we can be part of a new approach. Join us on April 20 -21 at the Hotel Captain Cook to explore his teachings! Zaid Hassan is currently Acting Director of the Youth Solutions Lab, a start-up social lab looking for new solutions to the challenges of youth unemployment, mental health and justice. He also is the co-founder of Reos Partners, where he served as Managing Partner of the Oxford office from 2007-2014. Reos Partners is a social innovation consultancy that addresses complex, high-stakes challenges around the world. Zaid has over a decade of experience in developing… Read more »

Happy April! We are excited to bring speakers from around the world to the 2015 Leadership Summit on April 20 -21. Betham Ohia and Kate Cherrington will join us from New Zealand and will be speaking about transformation through indigenous values and community centered solutions. Bentham Ohia is currently completing a Ph.D. with Te Whare WÄnanga o AwanuiÄrangi after a long career at Te WÄ?nanga o Aotearoa, seven years as CEO. He works with community groups facilitating transformational leadership practice. His work in strategy development includes directorships on tribal and organization boards both in New Zealand and internationally, including Big Fish Group, Deputy Chair of the Waikato Tainui Endowment College, Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO) and Advancement of MÄori Opportunity (AMO). He has chaired international conferences in education and transformational… Read more »