Business
Darren Walker named new president of The Ford Foundation
Darren Walker is a 1982 graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, and a 1986 graduate of its School of Law. He has taught housing, law and urban development at the New York University School of Law and Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and is a fellow of the Institute for Urban Design.
Deeply engaged in community affairs and widely respected for his gifts of both substance and style, he is a member of the boards of the Arcus Foundation, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Friends of the High Line, the New York City Ballet, and the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Walker began his career in 1986 at the international law firm of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton. In 1988 he joined the Union Bank of Switzerland, where he spent seven years in its capital markets division. After leaving UBS, he worked for a year as a full-time volunteer at The Children’s Storefront, an elementary school serving low-income families in Harlem.
Luis Ubinas has served as Ford Foundation president since 2008, when he succeeded Susan Berresford.
“Mr. Ubinas leaves behind an institution that is even more focused in pursuit of its mission, operationally efficient and strong, and filled with remarkable people and purpose,” Ms. Hirano Inouye said. “Thanks to Luis, we’re well-positioned for a new generation of accomplishment, and Darren Walker is the ideal leader to guide us into that future.”
Ubinas led the foundation through the global economic crisis and the overhaul of its investment strategy to protect the institution’s long-term financial health. He also shaped a strategic and focused set of programs, and played a key role in launching new work on climate change, child marriage and a re-imagining of the school day. During his tenure, the foundation also supported major new initiatives in global human rights, the arts, market-based approaches to overcoming poverty, and the deepening of democracy around the world.
“I am delighted that the Board has selected Darren Walker as my successor,” said Ubinas. “He will lead the foundation with thoughtfulness, style and energy. I know that under his leadership the core social justice values this organizations stands for will continue to be strong.”
