Council on Foundations President and CEO Vikki Spruill Named to Top Women in Philanthropy List

Two senior leaders of the Council on Foundations were named to a list of America’s Top 20 Women in Philanthropy, Social Innovation, and Civic Engagement. Vikki Spruill, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations, was honored today along with Melinda Gates and Oprah Winfrey. Carol Larson, the president and CEO of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and a board member at the Council on Foundations, also received recognition for her work.

Several members of the Council on Foundations also had leaders who got recognized:

The list was compiled by popular radio host and philanthropy thought leader Michael Chatman. He received more than 350 nominations while looking for the most impactful women in the field.

“These women were selected for their philanthropic impact through the art of collaboration and their ability to facilitate, to the highest degree, the free flow of information and innovation across sector networks to advance social change,” writes Chatman.

“I am truly honored to be named among such incredible women,” said Spruill. “Obviously this list speaks to the amazing accomplishments of women in our field, but it also demonstrates the power of philanthropy to engage individuals as leaders of strategy, innovation, and change.”

Spruill joined the Council on Foundations in the summer of 2012, having previously led the Ocean Conservancy. The Council is one of the nation’s largest associations of philanthropic organizations, and under her leadership it looks to build a thriving philanthropic network that empowers grantmakers to work on shared social challenges across geographies, constituencies, and topics.

Full List:

  1. Melinda Gates, Co-Founder, Gates Foundation
  2. Oprah Winfrey, Founder, Oprah Angel Network
  3. Melissa Berman, CEO and President, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
  4. Vikki Spruill, CEO and President, Council on Foundations
  5. Claire Diaz-Ortiz, Head of Corporate Social Innovation, Twitter
  6. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, CEO and President, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  7. Stacy Palmer, Editor, Chronicle of Philanthropy
  8. Amanda Rose, Founder, Twestival
  9. Diane Aviv, CEO and President, Independent Sector
  10. Anna Cunningham, Senior Manager, Global Responsibility, Starbucks Coffee Company
  11. Carol Larson, CEO and President, The David & Lucile Packard Foundation
  12. Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, Founder, Giving 2.0
  13. Myrlia Purcell, Co-Founder, Look to the Stars
  14. Sylvia Mathews Burwell, CEO and President, Walmart Foundation
  15. Jane Wales, President, Global Philanthropy Forum
  16. Kerry Sullivan, President, Bank of America Charitable Foundation
  17. Cathy Clark, Board Chair at Investors Circle and Associate Professor at Duke School of Social Entrepreneurship
  18. Bette Midler, Singer, Actress and Humanitarian
  19. Mary Wong, President, Office Depot Foundation
  20. Sheena Wright, CEO and President, United Way of New York City

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    The Council on Foundations (www.cof.org), formed in 1949, is a nonprofit membership association of grantmaking foundations and corporations. Members of the Council include more than 1,700 independent, operating, community, public and company-sponsored foundations, and corporate giving programs in the United States and abroad. The Council’s mission is to provide the opportunity, leadership, and tools needed by philanthropic organizations to expand, enhance, and sustain their ability to advance the common good.

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