Elise Westhoff is the president and CEO of the Philanthropy Roundtable, a community of donors committed to advancing the values of liberty, opportunity and personal responsibility through effective charitable giving.
Under Elise’s leadership, the Roundtable firmly established itself as a bold champion for philanthropic freedom, which enables donors to strengthen and support a diversity of communities and causes. As an advocate for the ways that the Roundtable’s values improve lives, Elise’s commentary has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Associated Press, and hundreds of other publications around the country. By bringing together philanthropists, policy experts, community organizations and other local leaders, the Roundtable continues to be the ultimate collaborator that helps our donors address some of our nation’s most challenging social problems.
Before joining the Roundtable, Elise was the executive director of The Snider Foundation, a family foundation founded by the late Philadelphia business executive and sports legend Ed Snider. As the first non-family staff member of The Snider Foundation, Elise worked closely with the board to build a professional team and refine governance and operations. With Ed Snider’s donor intent at the forefront, the foundation defined program areas and developed a cohesive grantmaking strategy during her tenure. After Ed Snider’s passing in 2016, Elise oversaw the transition from a founder-led foundation to an engaged, multi-generational family board.
In previous roles, Elise directed major gifts fundraising for neuroscience programs at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Her work with donors helped more than double the funding available for the program. She also worked in planned giving and major gifts at the New York Public Library (NYPL). Elise developed NYPL’s campaign strategy for all Library Trustees during a $500 million capital campaign, which resulted in a $100 million commitment to name the landmark building.
Elise is a member of the board of directors of the State Policy Network. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University.