For Immediate Release

PHIL GIUDICE ASSUMES CHAIR OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF CENTER FOR EFFECTIVE PHILANTHROPY

Cambridge, MA: Phil Giudice assumed the position of Chair of the Board of Directors of the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) January 1, 2005, succeeding Mark Kramer who, along with co-founder Michael Porter, completed his term at the end of 2004 and was honored by the Board as Founder.

Giudice has been involved in CEP’s founding and early development as a board member, advisor, and volunteer. He led the search for CEP’s first executive director, helped shape CEP’s initial research on foundation performance metrics, co-authored CEP’s case study on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s approach to performance assessment, and has served as Vice Chair since April 2002.

“Phil has earned the deep respect of his Board colleagues and of CEP's staff for his wisdom, insight, dedication, and hard work on behalf of CEP over the past three and a half years,” said CEP Board member and Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation CEO Alexa Cortes Culwell and CEP Executive Director Phil Buchanan in a jointly authored letter sent to CEP’s supporters late last month. “He brings to his new role a wealth of relevant experience in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors.”

“Phil’s contributions to CEP’s development – from concept to an institution that is seen as a key source of comparative data for foundation leaders – cannot be overstated,” said Buchanan. “He has quietly advised on virtually every key strategic decision we have faced and has been a source of great wisdom and constant encouragement to the staff.”

Giudice has 18 years of experience from Mercer Management Consulting, where he was Vice President and leader of the global energy utilities practice. Phil serves on the Board of City Year Boston and Haitian Health Foundation and was the founding Board Chair for Boston Cares. In addition, he is a managing director at EnerNOC and serves on the advisory board of two other energy-related start-up enterprises. He also worked for six years as an exploration geologist for Chevron and for Freeport-McMoRan. He has an MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth College, an MS in Economic Geology from the University of Arizona, and a BS in Geology from the University of New Hampshire.

“I’m honored to have been selected by my board colleagues,” said Giudice. “I feel CEP has made great progress over its first years. I look forward to working with my colleagues to build on our experiences for even greater service in helping leading foundations improve their effectiveness and increase their impact in 2005 and beyond.”

CEP’s 2005 work will include the completion of the Foundation Governance Project, including results from the largest survey of foundation trustees ever conducted; expansion of the Grantee Perception Report® (GPR) from the 65 foundations that have already commissioned it; release of a new report on grantee perceptions of foundations; creation of a new assessment tool called the Staff Perception Report (SPR); a major program focused on foundation impact March 17-18 in San Francisco; and exploration of a new research initiative focused on foundation strategy development.

CEP has been strengthened in the past six months by the addition of two major new funders, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and Skoll Foundation, who join the list of those already providing general operating or project-specific support to CEP, which include The Atlantic Philanthropies, Surdna Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Lumina Foundation for Education, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, and Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation. In addition, CEP’s March 17-18 seminar in San Francisco is sponsored by The California Endowment, The California Wellness Foundation, Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, The James Irvine Foundation, and Stuart Foundation.

ABOUT THE CENTER FOR EFFECTIVE PHILANTHROPY

The Center for Effective Philanthropy is a nonprofit organization focused on providing management and governance tools to define, assess, and improve overall foundation performance. CEP received initial funding in 2001 and is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information on CEP's work, including its research, publications, and assessment tools, see www.effectivephilanthropy.org.