Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
The hazy smoke<\/a> above Philadelphia may not emanate from the Pew Charitable Trusts offices, but the organization has chosen its new leader.<\/p>\n William Foster, a nonprofit consultant who grew up in the Philadelphia area, will be Pew\u2019s next president and CEO, the organization announced Thursday<\/a>.<\/p>\n Foster\u2019s tenure will begin in March, and Pew\u2019s current president and CEO, Susan K. Urahn, will remain in position through the end of February. Urahn announced her coming retirement<\/a> from the research, policy, and grant giving nonprofit in October.<\/p>\n Foster is currently a Boston-based managing partner with the Bridgespan Group, a powerful<\/a> nonprofit consulting firm affiliated with Bain & Co. He has been with the firm since 2002, and is \u201can active thought leader on issues of philanthropy and social change,\u201d according to his Bridgespan bio. He is from Lower Merion<\/a>, and attended Friends Central High School.<\/p>\n \u201cWilliam brings a deep understanding of the nonprofit sector and a strong commitment to nonpartisan, evidence-based work, and he is a thoughtful leader who builds strong teams and invests in people,\u201d Christopher Jones, chair of Pew\u2019s board of directors, said in a statement.<\/p>\n Though Pew has a strong Philadelphia presence, Foster will work from the organization\u2019s office in Washington, D.C., like Urahn. Bridgespan has worked with Pew in recent years on Philly matters, including a four-year strategic learning initiative funded by $4 million from Pew and Harris Philanthropies, which included 80 Philadelphia-area organizations.<\/p>\n \u201cI am inspired by what Pew has accomplished and by what makes it distinctive, and I am energized by the possibilities ahead,\u201d Foster said in a statement. <\/p>\n \u201cI believe that Pew\u2019s commitment to rigorous nonpartisan work, and its inherent optimism, is more important than ever, and I am honored by the opportunity to build on that foundation and to work alongside Pew\u2019s talented staff and partners,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n