The Next Generation of Place-Based Philanthropy

How are the disparities that are in such stark relief at this moment manifesting geographically? What is the importance of place-based strategies in the current historical moment? And how is the field of place-based or “place conscious” philanthropic initiatives evolving to be more effective than it has been before.

Terri Ludwig
President of Philanthropy,
The Ballmer Group

Dr. Robert K. Ross
President & CEO,
The California Endowment

Jim Shelton
Chief Investment and Impact Officer,
Blue Meridian Partners

Upcoming Discussion:

Corporations, Philanthropy
& Inclusive Markets

Wednesday, May 19, 10:30 am Pacific

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Terri Ludwig

Terri Ludwig leads Ballmer Group Philanthropy, directing resources and civic activism to improve economic mobility for children and families in the United States, especially those who have been pushed furthest from opportunity. During Terri’s tenure as President, Ballmer Group has become a leading national funder for strong community partnerships among public, private, and nonprofit organizations that use data to better support American families. Ballmer Group has also made significant investments to catalyze change in areas that affect economic mobility – such as early learning, youth justice, and supporting communities of color.

Terri has three decades of experience leading cross-sector solutions that tackle some of society’s toughest challenges. In her previous role as chief executive officer of Enterprise Community Partners, Terri focused on increasing Enterprise’s impact exponentially through the development of critical cross-sector partnerships, integrating housing services with health care, transit, education, and other areas that can improve lives. Terri also served as Chair of the Board of Enterprise Community Investments, which is a national leader in impact investing, and she held global executive positions at Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse. Terri was also the CEO of ACCION New York.

Terri is recognized nationally as a visionary leader, included in Forbes Magazine’s Impact 30 List of the world’s top social entrepreneurs, named as a David Rockefeller Fellow, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Terri has served on numerous executive and advisory boards, including as a presidential appointee to the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s CDFI Advisory Board. Terri holds a Bachelor of Science in industrial psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Robert K. Ross

Robert K. Ross, M.D., is president and chief executive officer for The California Endowment, a health foundation established in 1996 to address the health needs of Californians. Prior to his appointment in July 2000, Dr. Ross served as director of the Health and Human Services Agency for the County of San Diego from 1993 to 2000, and Commissioner of Public Health for the City of Philadelphia from 1990 to 1993. Dr. Ross has an extensive background in health philanthropy, as a public health executive, and as a clinician.

Dr. Ross received his undergraduate, Masters in Public Administration and medical degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Dr. Ross was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar from 1988 to 1990, focusing on urban child health issues. Dr. Ross has been actively involved in community and professional activities at both the regional and national level.

During his tenure at The California Endowment, the foundation has focused on the health needs of underserved Californians by championing the cause of health coverage for all children, reducing childhood obesity, strengthening the capacity of community health centers, improving health services for farm worker and ex offender populations, and strengthening the pipeline for bringing racial and ethnic diversity to the health professions. In the Los Angeles region, he has provided leadership to support the re opening of the Martin Luther King Jr. Medical Center and the revitalization of Charles Drew University.

Jim Shelton

James “Jim” Shelton is Chief Investment and Impact Officer at Blue Meridian Partners. In this role, Jim leads Blue Meridian’s efforts to continuously increase the impact, reach, and influence of our investees and investments. This includes driving the evolution, expansion, and ongoing implementation of Blue Meridian’s regional investment strategy — integrating the work of expanding effective solutions nationwide with developing regional and local strategies that capture the compounding benefits of continuums of services — to produce the strongest possible outcomes for children and families and achieve community-wide impact.

Jim also oversees Blue Meridian’s efforts to investigate new areas where significant focused capital can help solve problems at scale. Areas Jim will explore include new approaches to economic and social mobility and racial equity; supporting comprehensive place-based and regional strategies; the roles of for-profits, policy and advocacy; and the potential to leverage targeted universalism to have broad impacts.

Before becoming Chief Investment and Impact Officer, he was Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the organization, bringing to Blue Meridian deep multi-sector experience and expertise on the intersection of innovation, entrepreneurship, and systems change. Jim is currently a Senior Social Impact Advisor to KKR and Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute. Prior to joining Blue Meridian, he founded Amandla Enterprises, an impact investment and advisory firm, and was President of Education for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, President and Chief Impact Officer at 2U, and Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Education.