Leadership Matters Features Highlights of Discussion with Patti Stonesifer, Former CEO, Gates Found.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) February 23, 2009 --

Patty Stonesifer, the former CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, presented the challenges and lessons learned from building one of the world’s largest and most influential charitable organizations at a packed event hosted by the Bridgespan Group to commemorate the launch of its executive search capabilities in the Bay Area. The current issue of “Leadership Matters,” published by the Bridgespan Group’s Bridgestar initiative, which is dedicated to attracting, connecting, and supporting leadership for the nonprofit sector, captures the insights Stonesifer presented during her conversation with Thomas J. Tierney, the chairman and co-founder of the Bridgespan Group.

Stonesifer, now a senior advisor to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s trustees, was the foundation’s CEO from its inception in 1997 until August 2008, and recently became chair of the Board of Regents for the Smithsonian Institution. Previously, Stonesifer’s career spanned two-decades in technology, including eight years in senior executive roles at Microsoft Corp. Although the Gates Foundation is an atypical nonprofit, Stonesifer’s experience in moving from a corporation to a nonprofit start-up, captured in the feature article “Building a New Foundation: Patty Stonesifer Shares Her Experiences as CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,” (https://www.bridgestar.org/Resources/Library/Lead/BuildingNewFoundationStonesifer.aspx) provides insights for leaders considering moving to the sector, as well as insights for building an effective nonprofit and philanthropy organization.

A companion video of Tierney’s interview with Stonesifer explores her transition from for-profit to nonprofit work, sharing why she felt compelled to reinvent her career, and how evaluating her assets and values helped her make the decision to move into the nonprofit sector. The video is available at: https://www.bridgestar.org/Resources/Library/Explore/CareerReinventionStonesifer.aspx.

“Even the most successful business leaders have a lot to learn when they transition to the sector,” said David Simms, partner and head of Bridgestar. “While their capabilities may be very transferable, the leadership and management styles they need for each sector can be very different. Patty Stonesifer’s first-hand experiences, insights and lessons learned presented in this article shed important light on how corporate executives can make the successful transition to the public sector and build effective foundations from the ground up.”

About Bridgestar
Bridgestar (www.bridgestar.org), an initiative of the Bridgespan Group, provides a free nonprofit management job board, content, and tools designed to help organizations build strong leadership teams and individuals pursue career paths as nonprofit leaders. Bridgestar’s goal is to attract, connect, and support senior talent, leading to greater organizational effectiveness and social impact.

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