Shale D. Stiller, the next president of The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, one of the 25 largest foundations in the United States, is confident about the foundation’s future, because the founders made their intent perfectly clear. “Mr. Weinberg was concerned about the elderly who are poor. The charter specifies that 25 percent of grants go to Jewish poor, 25 percent to non-Jewish poor, and the balance” to other programs that assist the needy, Stiller tells Philanthropy . Another reason for Stiller’s confidence is the way the foundation has kept expenses low. “The percentage of income used for expenses is probably the smallest of the largest 25 foundations,” he says.
Stiller will be replacing Bernard Siegel, the current president and CEO, whose term ends in February 2005. In addition to having served on the board of trustees for the past 10 years, Stiller was well-acquainted with both Harry and Jeanette Weinberg, serving as their legal counsel in the latter years of their lives. Stiller is looking forward to the challenge posed by distributing the foundation’s funds to the poor in the most intelligent way.
As a partner with Piper Rudnick LLP, one of America’s largest law firms, Stiller practices tax, corporate, estate planning, and nonprofit law, something he will continue to do on a limited basis. He will also stay on as an adjunct faculty member of the University of Maryland, where he has taught for 42 years, and as vice chairman of Johns Hopkins Hospitals.
The foundation’s endowment is approximately $2 billion, and it gives some $100 million a year in grants in the United States, the former Soviet Union, and Israel.
The Philanthropy Roundtable has added two persons to its growing staff. Sarah Harper is the new director of finance and technology. Her primary responsibilities include assisting the COO in managing finances, updating the office’s technological capabilities, developing the website, and producing comprehensive reports of grant usage for the Roundtable’s donors and board, and helping to control costs. She most recently worked with Geronimo Funds, an Atlanta nonprofit that facilitates international funding, where she was a project coordinator. A 2000 graduate of Florida State University, Harper enjoys playing the guitar and piano, and traveling. She has visited Europe, India, and Taiwan.
As the new office and development coordinator, Sharon K. Wood will be responsible for upgrading The Roundtable’s database and for staying in touch with associates to ensure they maintain active status and are fully informed of the Roundtable’s offerings. A graduate of Oklahoma State University, Wood moved to Washington with her husband who is in the Navy and stationed here as a nuclear engineer. She, too, has experience in the nonprofit world. In Oklahoma she worked as a project coordinator with Replenishing the Caregiver, an organization offering support groups and training for family members who serve as caregivers to the sick or elderly. When not busy at work, Wood and her husband are active in their church, and they enjoy hiking, bike riding, and camping.
