BENTONVILLE -- A leader in a nonprofit consulting firm will join the Walton Family Foundation in September as its third executive director.
Kyle Peterson, a managing partner and board member of Boston-based FSG, formerly Foundation Strategy Group, will succeed Buddy Philpot, who has been the foundation's executive director since 2001, according to the foundation.
Kyle Peterson
• Named new executive director of Walton Family Foundation
• Managing director for FSG consulting firm since 2002
• Prior experience as strategy consultant for the Monitor Group, country director in Zimbabwe and Rwanda for Population Services International, account executive at Hill & Knowlton in Dallas, analyst for Consumers Union in Austin and Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone
• Bachelor’s degree in international studies from American University, master’s of business administration and a master’s of public affairs from the University of Texas
• Board member for FSG, vice chairman and board member for Global Health Council and past member of the Global Philanthropy Committee of the Council on Foundations
Source: Kyle Peterson resume
Philpot announced in August he would step down as executive director, but has remained with the foundation during its search for a new director. Philpot is going to work with the family's Walton Enterprises, according to the foundation.
Peterson will bring "global nonprofit and private sector" expertise to the foundation, Carrie Walton Penner, chairwoman of the foundation's board of directors, wrote in a letter announcing him as the new executive director.
"Kyle shares the principles that have guided our work for nearly 30 years -- a focus on individual empowerment and delivering long-lasting results," wrote Penner, a granddaughter of the late Wal-Mart founders, Sam and Helen Walton. "His fresh thinking and cross sector experience will lead the foundation as we further our scope and impact."
FSG, a nonprofit consulting firm founded in 2000 with a focus on large-scale, long-lasting social change, lists 287 clients on its website, including the Walton Family Foundation and at least 14 other organizations the Foundation Center ranked among the top 50 foundations awarding grants in 2012.
The Walton Family Foundation ranked third in the amount of money given in 2012 with 614 awards totaling $417.7 million, according to the Foundation Center.
Since 2002, Peterson has managed more than 100 consulting projects for FSG, including for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, according to his biography. He has worked in corporate philanthropy, such as with GE and Chevron.
"Ambitious, rigorous and system-oriented thinking is part of the Walton Family Foundation DNA," Peterson stated in a news release. "When that ethos combines with a dedication to addressing some of the most urgent challenges of our time, the results can transform our natural world and the lives of millions and their communities."
Peterson was once a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone and before joining FSG worked as a strategy consultant for the Monitor Group, where he led a project for Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his cabinet on the country's economic strategy.
Family foundations look for candidates who align with the values of the family, said Vikki Spruill, president and chief executive officer of the Council on Foundations, of which the Walton Family Foundation is a member.
A foundation moving from leadership by the first and second generations to leadership by the third and fourth generations needs someone who can relate to the diverse needs of the family and translate the family's passions and visions into programs, Spruill said.
"You are interpreting and stewarding the family legacy," Spruill said.
Spruill doesn't know Peterson personally, but she is familiar with the work of FSG and the work it does to bring businesses, nonprofit groups and governments together around issues of common concern, such as the environment, health care and education, she said.
It's a trend that's a significant part of the vision for the Council of Foundations, she said.
"We're all recognizing alone none of us has the resources to solve the problems our society is facing," Spruill said.
Peterson was chosen to lead the Walton foundation after a nationwide search, foundation spokeswoman Daphne Moore said. The executive director works closely with the foundation's board on the direction of the foundation and provides guidance to senior management.
Grants awarded each year by the foundation have grown from $58 million in 2000 to nearly $375 million in 2015. The foundation plans to give more than $2 billion through 2020.
Endeavor Foundation, a nonprofit group awarding grants to organizations in Northwest Arkansas, stays in touch with the Walton Family Foundation to bounce off ideas and see if the organizations can work together, said Anita Scism, Endeavor's chief executive officer.
The Walton foundation's two executive directors, Philpot and Stewart Springfield, did an "incredible job," Scism said.
"I'm sure the new CEO will become involved as well," she said. "I'm sure he'll bring a lot of great ideas and new ways of thinking. We look forward to embracing him and working for everyone in Northwest Arkansas."
NW News on 06/16/2016