Renee Kaplan named CEO of The Philanthropy Workshop

London/New York/San Francisco—The Philanthropy Workshop’s board of directors announced the appointment of Renee Kaplan as its chief executive officer effective April 2, 2018. She will work from TPW’s San Francisco office.

Kaplan most recently served as chief strategy officer and head of programs at the Skoll Foundation where she oversaw the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, the Skoll World Forum, strategic alliances, and communications.

“The Board unanimously agrees that Renee is uniquely qualified to lead TPW and precisely who our organization needs in this critical role as we enter a new chapter,” said Katherine Lorez, TPW’s board chair and acting CEO. “Renee is a dynamic, innovative, and entrepreneurial leader—a chief executive who brings a healthy combination of business, strategy, and communications skills that will help energize, grow, and sustain TPW.”

“We could not be more pleased about Renee’s appointment—we have chosen a strong, talented individual,” said Lisa Wolverton, TPW’s incoming board chair. “Renee offers a wealth of leadership experience in business, philanthropy, and as an entrepreneur. She has an innate ability to inspire and connect with diverse, innovative audiences and translate vision and strategy into results.”

Kaplan has more than 20 years of business experience in corporate, entrepreneurial, and foundation sectors. Her professional background includes eight years at Microsoft in corporate and international marketing–working directly with executive leadership and spending considerable time in India, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. Following Microsoft, she was founder and CEO of an e-commerce startup, FutureWorkplace, Inc., which was eventually sold. As an entrepreneur, she was active in Young Entrepreneurs Organization (Y.E.O.) and was named to the “40 Under 40” list by the Puget Sound Business Journal recognizing the region’s visionary business leaders. After selling her business, she spent six years as executive vice president of the Casey Family Programs Foundation, focusing on improving outcomes for vulnerable children and families in the U.S. Prior to her role at Skoll, she was the principal of RKaplan Consulting, and partnered with clients including The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Giving Pledge, Trusera Corporation, the Palo Alto Unified School District, Stanford University Center on Philanthropy and Civic Society, and The White House Council on Community Solutions.

“I am incredibly honored to lead such a creative and dedicated team of professionals and to help guide TPW’s dynamic network of committed philanthropists,” said Kaplan. “Given the state of complex, urgent global problems we currently face, there is a strategic opportunity for philanthropy to drive and share solutions that work. Working collectively, I believe we can accelerate innovative new programs to amplify our members’ impact all around the world.”

About The Philanthropy Workshop
With offices in San Francisco, New York, and London, The Philanthropy Workshop (TPW.org) is the leader in strategic philanthropy education, networking, and thought leadership. TPW’s network of 450+ philanthropists is the largest of its kind and unique to the field of philanthropy. TPW members hail from 22 nations, with significant numbers from North America and the United Kingdom.

Within a confidential forum of fellow philanthropists, participants in The Philanthropy Workshop’s TPW Intensive—three weeklong modules in different parts of the world—acquire a roadmap for strategic philanthropy. Cohorts gain the knowledge, skills, and networks necessary to achieve significant impact in financial giving and social investing, and to realize their full potential as philanthropists.

Founded in 1995, several forward-thinking philanthropists, foundations, and advisors are at the heart of the creation and evolution of The Philanthropy Workshop, including the Rockefeller Foundation, leadership from HRH the Prince of Wales’s charities, the TOSA Foundation, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.