(CHICAGO, October 31, 2011) — Independent Sector members elected three new board members and re-elected four directors to the IS Board. The elections were part of the annual business meeting held in conjunction with the 2011 Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois. Additionally, four officers began one-year terms:

• Chair: Stephen B. Heintz, president of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund
• Vice Chair: Ralph Everett, president and CEO of Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
• Secretary: Lorie Slutsky, president of The New York Community Trust
• Treasurer: Kelvin H. Taketa, president and CEO of Hawai’i Community Foundation

Irene Hirano Inouye, president of the U.S.-Japan Council became the At-Large Executive Committee Member.

New directors include Barbara R. Arnwine, executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Steven J. McCormick, president and a trustee of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; and Neil Nicoll, president and CEO of YMCA of the USA.

“It is with great admiration that I welcome our newest members of the Board of Directors,” said Stephen B. Heintz. “These remarkable leaders will bring a fresh perspective on some of the most challenging issues facing the nonprofit and philanthropic community. As the voice of this community, Independent Sector plays a critical role in working with government and business to advance key social and policy goals for our common good.”

Stephen will serve as the Board Chair for the second year.

“I am eager to work with this dynamic group of thinkers in the upcoming year,” said Diana Aviv, president and CEO of Independent Sector. “Their vision, perspective, and commitment to the nonprofit and philanthropic community will enable Independent Sector to continue its important work of improving lives and strengthening communities. We also recognize and appreciate the service and stewardship of our three members who are retiring.”

Biographies of new members are as follows:

Barbara R. Arnwine is executive director, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Since 1989, she has become internationally renowned for contributions on critical justice issues, including the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1991. A graduate of Scripps College and Duke University School of Law, she continues to champion civil rights issues nationally and internationally in the areas of housing, fair lending, community development, employment, voting, education, environmental justice and more. A prominent leader in the civil rights community, Barbara also continues to fight for the preservation of affirmative action and diversity programs. Under her leadership, the Lawyers' Committee continues to participate in monitoring treaty compliance and responding to reports written by the United States regarding the requirements of both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination following the United Nations Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review, which last occurred in November 2010.

Steven J. McCormick is president and a trustee, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Steve was previously the president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy, where he served in that capacity from 2001-2007. As president, he led the organization into becoming a truly global enterprise, operating in 30 countries as well as every state in the U.S. During his tenure, he oversaw an operating budget of more than $500 million, and a highly distributed staff of more than 3,000. Under Steve’s leadership, revenues from all sources increased significantly, hitting an all-time high of $1.2 billion in 2006. Steve serves on the Advisory Board of the Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Initiative, the Board of Sustainable Conservation, and the Board of the California Game Wardens Association Foundation. He has also served on the U.C. Berkeley College of Natural Resources Advisory Board. Steve is the recipient of the Chevron Conservation Award, the Edmund G. Brown Award for Environmental and Economic Balance, the John Pritzker Conservation Award, and the California League of Conservation Voter's Conservation Leadership Award. Steve has a B.S. in Agricultural Economics from the University of California at Berkeley (1973), where he graduated with honors, and a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of Law (1976).

Neil Nicoll is president and CEO, YMCA of the USA.  In May 2006 he became the thirteenth person to lead the 165 year old Y movement in the United States following 14 years as president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Seattle.  He previously was the president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Worcester (Mass.) for 12 years. The nation’s 2,686 Ys respond to critical social needs by drawing on their collective strength as one of the country’s largest nonprofit community service organizations. Today’s Ys serve 10,000 communities and 21 million children and adults. Neil earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Eastern Nazarene College, a master’s degree in education from Springfield College, and management certificates from Clark University, and the Harvard Business School. Neil currently serves as a Trustee of Springfield College, Trustee of America’s Promise Alliance and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he is a member of Independent Sector and the Leadership 18. He is a past board member of the National Assembly.

The following board members were re-elected:

• Ralph Everett, president and CEO, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
• Stephen B. Heintz, president, Rockefeller Brothers Fund
• Mariam C. Noland, president, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
• Wendy Puriefoy, president, Public Education Network

The board also acknowledged the service of its retiring members:

• Luz A. Vega-Marquis, president and CEO of the Marguerite Casey Foundation
• Ruth Wooden
• Gary L. Yates, president and CEO of The California Wellness Foundation
  

To read the biographies of our current board members, visit IndependentSector.org/board_bios

Independent Sector is a leadership network of 600 nonprofits, foundations, and corporate philanthropy programs, collectively representing tens of thousands of charitable groups in every state across the nation. Its mission is to advance the common good by leading, strengthening, and mobilizing the nonprofit and philanthropic community. To learn more about Independent Sector, please visit: IndependentSector.org