The Women’s Philanthropy Council (WPC) met in person for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic started. It was wonderful to see the 20 members who were able to attend. Dorothy O’Brien ’70 kicked off the meeting by reminding council members that Anne Martino ’88 will be taking over as council president next summer, at which point Anne took over facilitating the meeting. The following items were discussed:
- The group welcomed all new members who were able to join the meeting. Molly Schmidt shared that she has taken on a new role at the UW Foundation and has determined that she will need to step away from WPC. We are grateful for her leadership and support for the past three years. Sara Dillivan-Graves and I were introduced as the new UW Foundation development liaisons. We are both looking forward to meeting all the members over the next year. Please feel free to reach out to me at any time!
- Mary Beth Collins, executive director for the Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies (CommNS), was joined by two graduate students who presented on the center’s work and high-level trends in the nonprofit sector. CommNS is housed in the School of Human Ecology and prepares the next generation of professionals for careers in the nonprofit and civil sector. We are looking forward to supporting some of those students through the 2022 Priority Giving Project, which will support internships for students wishing to gain experience at a nonprofit organization.
- Several UW faculty and staff members (Lindsey Stoddard Cameron MA’90, Cigdem Unal, Beth Meyerand, and Tracy Williams) provided updates on the impact of the 2016–22 Collaborative Giving Projects. WPC’s commitment to support these efforts will end in 2022.
Heidi Kramer
Senior Director of Development
Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association