Published On: September 15th, 2017

New board members bring a wide range of expertise, institutional connections  to Cambridge Community Foundation

 For more information contact David Truebood at dtrueblood@cambridgecf.org or 617-576-9966

The Cambridge Community Foundation has announced a significant change in its board of directors with the naming of six new members, including Andus BakerSarah GallopLisa IjiriElizabeth KeatingMike Shires, and Jonathan L. Walton. These appointments brings board membership to 23.

The board serves as the ultimate authority for the 100-plus year-old charitable organization, the only foundation with all of Cambridge in its purview. That includes setting the community impact and civic leadership agenda for the Foundation,  signing off on two annual rounds of grants to local nonprofits organizations,promoting philanthropy, and building the Cambridge Endowment.

New members include:

Andus Baker

Financial Services Executive

Andus recently retired from a 20+ year career at Fidelity Investments where he held marketing, product development, and strategy roles in the firm’s retail and asset management businesses.  Andus managed many high performing teams, and helped grow Fidelity’s DAF business, Fidelity Charitable.  Andus serves as the president of the Cambridge Skating Club, was formerly on the Christ Church Vestry, and for many years served as a volunteer with various Cambridge youth sports organizations.  He and his wife, Rowan, have two sons, Grant and Ross, who are graduates of Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School.

Sarah Gallop

Co-Director, MIT Office of Government and Community Relations

Sarah serves as a liaison to the Cambridge government and community, working with citizens, elected officials, businesses, regulatory bodies, and advocacy organizations on projects and issues of mutual interest. Over the years, Sarah has participated on numerous City task forces and committees on local policy matters including transportation, zoning, land use, personnel searches, and “Town-Gown” topics. Sarah is President of the Kendall Square Association, and also represents MIT on the boards of several local nonprofit and civic organizations.  Earlier, Sarah worked in the Boston city government in a variety of capacities related to housing, construction, and community and economic development.

Lisa Ijiri, PhD

Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Lesley University

Lisa has led key initiatives such as the establishment of the Global Education Center and the 2015 10-year NEASC accreditation process at Lesley. A Fulbright scholar, Lisa is a seasoned academic administrator with extensive international program experience. Prior to joining Lesley, she was associate dean at Curry College directing the Program for  Advancement of Learning, a renowned comprehensive program for college students with learning disabilities.  Lisa is a member of the Massachusetts American Council for Education (ACE) Women’s Network Executive Board, an organization dedicated to advancing women’s leadership in higher education.

Elizabeth Keating

Finance Manager

After 20 years of teaching and consulting with nonprofits, Liz has returned to the field, becoming the Finance Manager at Campus Child Care Inc., the recent merger of the six Harvard-affiliated childcare centers.   She actively consults and conducts research on nonprofit organizations, and co-authored Passion and Purpose, and Passion and Purpose Revisited with Geeta Pradhan at The Boston Foundation.  Liz has taught accounting and finance courses for twenty-five years at Boston College, BU, Harvard, Northwestern, and NYU.  She is an active board member of several nonprofits, including Microfinance Opportunities, Carry Me Home, Cambridge Cambodia School Project, Cambodian Living Arts, and Friends of Tilonia.  She has two sons, Andrew and William, and is passionate about CRLS.

Mike Shires

Head of Corporate Services, Shire Pharmaceuticals 

Mike is responsible for a number of functions at Shire including- Financial and HR Shared Services, Travel, Meetings & Events, Real Estate, Facilities and Security.  Shire is a global leader in rare disease therapies and Mike’s teams ensures efficient infrastructure as an enabler for Shire’s mission – deliver lifesaving treatments to patients whose lives depend on those therapies.  Prior to this current role, Mike co-led the integration of Shire/Baxalta.  In addition, he was Vice President, Program and Portfolio Management at Baxalta and Baxter.   Other roles included – working in divisions of Motorola and 3Com.  He started his career in the aerospace industry with the US government and Lockheed-Martin.

 

Jonathan L. Walton, PhD

Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister, Harvard University

Social ethicist and scholar of American religions Jonathan L. Walton joined the faculty of Harvard Divinity School in July 2010 and President Drew Faust appointed him Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in 2012. Formerly an assistant professor of religious studies at the University of California, Riverside, Professor Walton’s research addresses the intersections of religion, politics, and media culture. He is the author of Watch This! The Ethics and Aesthetics of Black Televangelism. He has also published widely in scholarly journals such as Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation and Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies. His work and insights have also been featured in several national and international news outlets including the New York Times, CNN, and the BBC.   He serves on several professional boards and committees, including the Board of Trustees at Princeton Theological Seminary, and the National Advisory Board of the John C. Danforth Center on Religion & Politics at Washington University in St. Louis.