Executive Director

Hidden Leaf Foundation

Full Position Announcement:  https://walkeraac.com/hidden-leaf-foundation-executive-directorbrapply-by-november-8-2024/

Hidden Leaf Foundation seeks a relational, values-aligned, and emotionally intelligent leader to serve as its next Executive Director (ED). The ED will advance Hidden Leaf’s mission, which is to promote inner awareness within liberatory movements in order to advance a more just, ecologically healthy, and compassionate society. As a small and collaborative family foundation, the ED will report to a three- to four-member Board of Directors (which includes both family and independent members), lead a three-person staff team, and work closely with next generation family members as well as movement and institutional partners. The ED will bring understanding of the Foundation’s priorities as well as personal commitment to a path of inner awareness that enhances organizational and societal effectiveness. Openness to ongoing experimentation and learning alongside skills and desire to evolve grants, investments, infrastructure, and storytelling will bolster the ability to thrive in this role.

The Foundation

Hidden Leaf Foundation was inspired by Dave Brown – a humanitarian, businessman, and philanthropist – whose decades-long pursuit of spiritual discipline and awareness led him to an interest in philanthropy. The creation of Hidden Leaf in 1988 was an outcome of Dave’s desire to support organizations doing good work that emanated from and was informed by inner awareness. When he passed in 2013, Dave endowed the Foundation with 90 percent of what he owned. This decision flowed from his commitment to mindfulness and social change; he envisioned a place where his family could come together to be in conscious relationship to wealth and to the world.

Dave’s three children - Tara Brown, Karie Brown, and Kristen Stinnett-Brown - served on the initial board and worked closely with him to shape the Foundation through individual commitment to and professional experience in social justice and environmental work. In 2001, Tara stepped forward as Hidden Leaf’s first Executive Director growing the Foundation and solidifying strategy. Early grants provided crucial support and credibility to social change leaders wanting to bring awareness practices (such as centering, meditation, deep listening, yoga, and mind-body work) into their organizations. Hidden Leaf’s investment enabled them to experiment, learn, and begin to articulate the impact of these practices while helping to build the field now called “Transformative Social Change.”

In 2018, after 17 years at the helm, Tara stepped down from staff leadership while maintaining her commitment to Hidden Leaf as a member of the board. With clear intention and commitment to community, Hidden Leaf embarked on a new era with the hire of its first non-family and woman of color ED, Supriya Lopez Pillai. Under Supriya’s leadership and in partnership with the board, Hidden Leaf further evolved the mission, vision, values, and work:

Centralizing its belief that when organizations, leaders, movements, and philanthropy cultivate inner awareness and personal and group transformation, tending to the spiritual as well as the strategic, the power we build with others and the changes we engender are deeper, more lasting, and more likely to heal the historical injustices that shape our current relationship to the Earth and to each other. Embracing a trust-based approach by providing general operating support grants, ensuring low-barrier access to funds, and making long-term grant commitments. Committing to a five-year grantmaking cycle for core grantees and increasing program payout from a little more than 5% to 8% with overall annual giving going from $1.2 million in grants in 2018 to approximately $4 million in grants and community investments in 2024. Embarking on an exploration of an integrated capital approach that more closely aligns the endowment and giving with the mission by supporting community investments and deep impact investments. Hidden Leaf has a strong track record of relational and respectful partnership at the leading edge of progressive, spirit-centered, and movement-focused philanthropy and the time is ripe to strengthen the Foundation and the field. Transformative practices have taken root, a five-year grantmaking program is in place, and Hidden Leaf has now supported hundreds of critical frontline and intermediary organizations to make radical changes in how they engage with each other, allies, and adversaries. With Supriya’s transition, Hidden Leaf embarks upon a new season and the dedicated board, staff team, and partners are ready to embrace evolution with a dynamic new leader in place.

The Opportunity 
Hidden Leaf is excited to engage an innovative, inspirational, and highly collaborative ED motivated to work as a true partner to a committed and supportive board; a dynamic and dedicated family; and a thoughtful and effective staff. The next ED will honor Hidden Leaf’s spirit and history, building upon strong relationships with grantees and partners. The ED will also bring wisdom, grace, skill, and rigor towards enhancing Hidden Leaf’s grantmaking, investing, convening, evaluation, storytelling, and advocacy for practices that strengthen organizations working toward a just and sustainable world. The ED will lead the Foundation toward increased capacity, visibility, and impact, while holding operational, financial, personnel, and programmatic oversight responsibilities.

The Application Process

Hidden Leaf is partnering with Walker & Associates Consulting (W&A) – a Black- and woman owned strategic management consulting and executive search firm promoting equitable community impact – to facilitate this search. To apply, email a thoughtful cover letter describing your interest in the position; your individual and/or organizational experience with transformative practice; and your aligned values and experiences relative to the role, along with your resume and a list of three references (references will not be contacted without your advance notice) to hiddenleaf@walkeraac.com by Friday, November 8, 2024 at 5:00 pm PT. Use the subject line: ED Application. Please submit PDF or Microsoft Word files only, preferably with all materials in one combined file. Resume review begins immediately, and early applications are encouraged. Questions or Nominations? Contact Jeannine N. Walker at jwalker@walkeraac.com.

Hidden Leaf is an at-will equal opportunity employer that deeply values diversity, inclusivity, and kindness in the workplace. We strongly encourage and seek applications from women, people of color, and bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, medical condition, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law or ordinance. Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application.