Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Names Two New Board Members

Educator and foundation leader bring global and hands-on experience to solving pressing education issues

NEW YORK, September 5, 2003 — Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors today announced that it has elected Valerie Rockefeller Carnegie and Rien van Gendt, an educator and internationally known foundation leader, respectively, to its Board of Directors.

Ms. Carnegie’s experience includes teaching middle school students – primarily those with learning and emotional disabilities – in both Australia and the United States, including the East Harlem neighborhood of New York City. She has also served as an assistant to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Education in Washington, DC during the Clinton administration. Dr. van Gendt is executive director of the Van Leer Group Foundation in Amstelveen, The Netherlands. A well-known expert on international philanthropy, he is also a lecturer and author of several books and articles.

Ms. Carnegie and Dr. van Gendt bring to their new positions many years of experience in education, global philanthropy, educational policy, and in directly addressing the obstacles facing “at risk” children worldwide. The appointments underscore Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ commitment to maintaining a global perspective as it extends the philanthropic knowledge, capabilities and network built by the Rockefeller family over the course of five successive generations.

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors is an independent, nonprofit service that develops and manages giving programs for individuals, families, foundations and trusts. The organization serves approximately 100 clients, and over the past decade has advised on and managed more than $850 million in giving to over 40 countries. The Rockefeller Philanthropy staff has extensive experience in a broad range of global philanthropic issues, and offers specialized and sophisticated guidance usually available only at major foundations.

“The appointment of Valerie and Rien to our Board is an important step toward supporting donors’ growing interest in the crossroads of family and international philanthropy,” said Melissa A. Berman, president and CEO of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. “Their complementary backgrounds give them unparalleled insights into issues, including the needs of children, and their perspectives will prove invaluable to shaping how we help donors identify and assist beneficiaries as part of effective giving programs.”

As a special education teacher in Australia, Ms. Carnegie taught children considered by their regular public schools to be at risk of failure. She also designed a curriculum for Harlem’s Central Park East Secondary School, and managed a Resource Room for junior high students with learning disabilities. She is currently involved in the charter school movement. In her Department of Education post, Ms. Carnegie worked closely with the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Education to coordinate a federal initiative on teachers’ professional development, and represented the Department at political events and policy conferences. Ms. Carnegie holds Masters’ degrees in Special Education from the Bank Street College of Education, and in Secondary Social Studies from Columbia University Teachers College; she earned her bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Stanford University. Ms. Carnegie is a Trustee of Spelman College, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the Asian Cultural Council; she also held a post on the Management Advisory Board of Oasis Homeless Youth Shelter and was a Mentor for Social Ventures Australia.

Prior to his current position, Dr. van Gendt was for many years the Executive Director of the Bernard van Leer Foundation, which falls under the aegis of the Van Leer Group Foundation, a leader in global philanthropy. In that post, Dr. van Gendt played a key role in sustaining and extending the mission of the Foundation, which concentrates its resources on promoting the optimum development of disadvantaged children up to the age of eight – the period when interventions yield lasting benefits to children and society. He has been recognized internationally for his work in addressing global social issues, and has held leadership positions throughout his career, including Chairman of the Parliamentary Forum of Amnesty International; a consultant to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Unesco, the International Institute for Educational Planning and the European Commission; Chairman of the International Committee of the U.S. Council on Foundations; Editor of the magazine The European Community; and is a well respected lecturer on Economics.

Dr. van Gendt currently serves on the Board of the European Foundation Center and chairs its International Committee; several boards related to real estate investment; and is a member of the Advisory Board for the Jewish Humanitarian Fund, among others. He received Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Economics from the University of Amsterdam, and holds honorary doctorate degrees from the University del Norte in Colombia and Newcastle University in Australia.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 5th, 2003 at 1:06 pm.