Darren Walker

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Darren Walker
Born (1959-08-28) August 28, 1959 (age 64)
EducationUniversity of Texas, Austin (BA, BS, JD)
OccupationPresident of the Ford Foundation
PartnerDavid Beitzel (died 2019)

Darren Walker OBE (born August 28, 1959)[1] currently serves as 10th president of the Ford Foundation, a private foundation dedicated to human welfare. In June 2020, Walker led the Ford Foundation to issue a $1 billion designated social bond to stabilize non-profit organizations in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.[2] Walker is a member of the Reimagining New York Commission and co-chair of 2020 New York City Census.[3][4] In October 2021, Walker announced that the Ford Foundation will divest its investments from "fossil fuels and seek opportunities to invest in alternative and renewable energy in the future"; including investing in "funds that address the threat of climate change, and support the transition to a green economy."[5][6][7]

Before joining the Ford Foundation, Walker was vice president at the Rockefeller Foundation and COO of Harlem's Abyssinian Development Corporation. He co-founded both the US Impact Investing Alliance and the Presidents' Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy. He serves on many boards, including the National Gallery of Art, Carnegie Hall, the High Line, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, Committee to Protect Journalists, Square, PepsiCo,[8] and Ralph Lauren.[9][10][11] Walker chaired the 2013 Gish Prize selection committee.[12][13][14]

Earlier in his career, Walker worked as a lawyer and investment banker.[15] Walker is a fellow of the Institute for Urban Design, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a board member of the Arcus Foundation, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Friends of the High Line, and the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies.[16] He has been a teacher of housing, law and urban development at the New York University School of Law and the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.[17][18][19] He is co-chair of the New York Public Library Council.[20][21][22] He is board of directors vice-chairman at the New York City Ballet.[23] In 2018, Walker joined the board of directors of the Committee to Protect Journalists.[24]

Early life and education[edit]

A 2019 commencement address by Walker

Walker was born in a charity hospital in Lafayette, Louisiana.[25] Walker was raised by a single mother, Beulah Spencer, in Ames and later Goose Creek, Texas; and was one of the country's first children to benefit from the Head Start Program.[26][27] Walker said that his background gave him "an understanding of the need for investment in human capital and the centrality of private philanthropy making a difference in human lives."[28]

University of Texas[edit]

With financial support from a Pell Grant,[29] Walker was admitted to the University of Texas at Austin. In 1982, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and a Bachelor of Science in Speech Communication. Subsequently, in 1986, Walker graduated from the University of Texas School of Law.[30][31]

Career[edit]

Walker began his career in 1986, at the international law firm Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton. In 1988, he joined Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) and spent seven years in its capital markets division.[32]

In 1995, Walker left the corporate world to spend a year volunteering at a school in Harlem.[33] He went on to become the chief operating officer at Abyssinian Development Corporation, a community development organization also located in Harlem.[33][34] There, he was able to draw on his private sector experience to advance redevelopment in Harlem, including the opening of a Pathmark supermarket in 1999 at 125th Street and Lexington Avenue.[35] Also, Walker led the development of the first public school built in New York City by a community organization.[32]

From 2002 to 2010, Walker was vice president for Foundation Initiatives at the Rockefeller Foundation, where he oversaw a wide range of programs in the United States and internationally.[36] Also, at the Rockefeller Foundation, he led recovery program in the South of the US after Hurricane Katrina.[25]

He joined the Ford Foundation in 2010 as vice president for Education, Creativity and Free Expression, one of the foundation's three major program areas.[37] He also oversaw the Ford Foundation's regional programming in four offices based in Africa and the Middle East.[38][39] Amongst other achievements, as the Ford Foundation's vice president for Education, Creativity and Free Expression, Walker was a creative and servant leadership driving force behind initiatives such as JustFilms[40] - one of the largest documentary film funds in the world - with the goal of advancing "social justice worldwide through the talent of emerging and established filmmakers"; as well as championing public-private collaborations such as ArtPlace, which supports cultural development in cities and rural areas in the United States.[41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48] Walker was also instrumental to saving American Folk Art Museum from going under because of the museum's dire financial straits, declaring that the museum is "a powerful showcase of the American spirit and an important public treasure for the people of our city."[49]

Rockefeller Foundation[edit]

On July 20, 2006, Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation announced that Walker would be the foundation's United States and international initiatives vice president. Rodin said: "Darren Walker's leadership has been critical to the Rockefeller Foundation's program strategy development, to advancing some of the Foundation's flagship programs, and, most recently, to our efforts to help break the planning logjam in New Orleans. We're energized by the opportunity to have Darren play a wider role in leading the Foundation." He took office on August 1, 2006.[50][51]

At the Rockefeller Foundation, Walker led the foundation's work in the United States and globally - in terms of supporting innovations that built economic development, sustainability and assets of poor and disadvantaged people; while creating long-term strategies that addressed increasing global migration, movements and urbanization. He also oversaw the foundation's new strategy and vision for New York City, including directing the Rockefeller Foundation's dedicated service in support of the re-building of New Orleans.[52][53]

Concerning Katrina, Walker reflected that:[54]

The Hurricane Katrina experience provides a teachable moment to examine our expectations of each other as citizens. We believe that Teachers College has the expertise and experience to translate Spike Lee's masterful film into a curriculum for students to explore issues of race, class, poverty and democracy in America.

On his appointment as vice president, Walker remarked:[55]

I deeply appreciate the confidence shown in me by this appointment, and I look forward to extending the exciting work we have under way at the Rockefeller Foundation. Judy Rodin's leadership, the team we are assembling, and the very promising strategic review we're completing convince me that an exciting new era for the Rockefeller Foundation lies just ahead.

Joining Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Walker led the Rockefeller Foundation to fund "a new Conditional Cash Transfer Learning Network which will share New York City's experience designing and implementing Opportunity NYC, the nation's first conditional cash transfer (CCT) program, as well as to continue learning from other countries and US cities about incentive-based poverty reduction programs." About the Network, Walker said: "As a global foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation has a keen interest in finding poverty-fighting models that work in different contexts around the world. The Foundation is proud to be a lead funder of Opportunity NYC, and we see the CCT learning network as an important means to further our investment in this groundbreaking pilot program."[56]

Earlier, from 2002, Walker served as the Rockefeller Foundation's working communities program director; where he oversaw a grant making portfolio, in excess of US$25 million per year, that created anti-poverty strategies focusing on education, employment, sustainable community development, and democracy building in the United States. Bearing his mind on Walker's hiring, Sir Gordon Richard Conway, then president of the Rockefeller Foundation, said:[57]

Darren Walker has proven experience tackling many of the critical needs of low-income communities and families, such as affordable housing, job creation and better schools. As the Foundation strives to foster greater equity and create healthy, working communities globally, we look forward to Darren playing a vital role on our leadership team.

Ford Foundation[edit]

Having been named president of the Ford Foundation in June 2013, Walker later assumed office in September 2013, succeeding Luis Ubiñas.[58][59] In his earliest comments after becoming president of the Ford Foundation, Walker pledged to uphold the longstanding "advancement of human welfare" mission of the foundation, including its social justice and fairer world angle:[60]

Leading this institution is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I am so very honored and humbled. I pledge to work with energy and integrity, to lead while listening and learning, and to give my all in service of our mission: to build a world that is fairer and more just.

Also, at a meeting with Ford Foundation staff titled: "What should we help build next?", Walker said:[61]

Whatever we help the social justice visionaries of this generation to build next—at its foundation will be our staff. Because, like those who came before them and those who will follow, they are passionate about this place and its mission, and the enduring legacy we leave. In this way, one of the most indispensable elements of our culture is stewardship across generations. We're not just stewards of what we've helped build, but of the hard work and intellectual rigor of our predecessors. Together, we are part of an unbroken chain of commitment to social justice that reaches back to our earliest years and stretches far ahead of us. What a thrill to recognize the power inherent in that inter-generational bond.

In a December 2013 interview by New America Media, Walker talked about his opportunity to make the United States a better country for Americans and humankind, globally through his servant leadership at the Ford Foundation:[62]

I have a chance to make a difference by leading a remarkable institution committed to human welfare and social justice when the very notion of social justice is being contested. Our country's policies and discourse sometimes feel retrograde, taking us back to when justice was more rationed; particularly for low-income people and people of color. I have a huge opportunity to fortify those voices. We made great progress in poverty reduction, employment for low income and low skill workers, in increased participation in higher education and high school graduate rates. When I hear, 'Oh, the War on Poverty was a waste of time,' I don't accept that. You have a hard time convincing me that investments in human capacity and in the potential of people like me to advance in society have somehow been for naught.

To support climate action, earth's health, green economy plus renewable energy; and "to harness the full power of Ford Foundation's assets in the fight for a more just and fair world", Walker stated, in October 2021, that the Ford Foundation will divest investments from fossil fuels. Notably, Walker announced, as follows:[63][64][65][66]

Going forward, Ford Foundation's endowment will not invest in any fossil-fuel-related industries. With our endowment, our strategy is twofold: First, we commit to not doing harm. Consequences are too great to justify any additional investments in fossil-fuel industries. Second, no less important, we will look for opportunities to invest in enterprises and funds that are fueling new technologies and capabilities, contributing to a renewable sector that is strong, diverse, and varied enough to sustain a green-energy economy.

Under Walker's leadership, the Ford Foundation became the first non-profit organization to issue a $1 billion earmarked social bond in US capital markets for proceeds to strengthen and stabilize non-profit organizations affected by COVID-19.[67]

Operation Detroit[edit]

Walker led efforts to save the Detroit Institute of Arts and city workers' pensions in the Detroit bankruptcy process.[68][69] Walker stated that it was "unprecedented and monumental for philanthropies to undertake this kind of initiative, but if there was ever a time when philanthropy should step up, this is it."[70] Of Detroit's $18 billion in debts, Walker's Ford Foundation pledged to provide $125 million, and either other foundations contributed a sum of $205 million. The contribution would relieve the city-owned Detroit Institute of the Arts from having to sell some of its collection.[71][72]

The foundations explained their investments as an attempt to "bolster the spirit of positive engagement and creativity in Detroit."[73]

Expanded learning time[edit]

With the National Center on Time & Learning and the governors of Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Tennessee, Walker and the Ford Foundation contribute to a public education initiative called TIME Collaborative. The initiative invests in expanded learning time.[74][75]

Recognition[edit]

Walker at the LBJ Presidential Library in 2020

In July 2022, he was awarded as Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), for "services to US/UK relations".[83]

Commencement speeches[edit]

Walker has given commencement addresses for:

Personal life[edit]

Walker is openly gay.[106][107][108] His partner of 26 years, David Beitzel, died in 2019 from heart failure.[109]

Works by Darren Walker[edit]

  • By the People: Designing a Better America by Cynthia Smith (2016, introduction by Walker), published by Cooper Hewitt, ISBN 9781942303145
  • Giving Done Right: Effective Philanthropy and Making Every Dollar Count by Phil Buchanan (2019, foreword by Walker), published by PublicAffairs, ISBN 9781541742253
  • The Living Legacy of W. McNeil Lowry; Vision and Voice edited by Frank Kessel (2020, foreword by Walker), published by Peter Lang Us, ISBN 9781433169656
  • Power to the Public: The Promise of Public Interest Technology by Tara Dawson McGuinness and Hana Schank (2021, afterword by Walker), published by Princeton University Press, ISBN 9780691207759
  • Designing Peace: Building a Better Future Now edited by Cynthia Smith (2022, preface by Walker), published by Cooper Hewitt, ISBN 9781942303329
  • From Generosity to Justice: A New Gospel of Wealth (2023), published by Disruption Books, ISBN 9781633310773

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Roads to Midtown". New York Social Diary. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  2. ^ "Ford Foundation announces 'historic' $1bn Social Bond". Pioneers Post. London Fields Publishing Limited: UK. June 12, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  3. ^ "Ford Names Darren Walker as New CEO". Humanitarian News. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  4. ^ "Pelosi to speak at commencement". Daily Freeman. April 16, 2014. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  5. ^ "Ford Foundation Announces Plan to End Investments in Fossil Fuels". Ford Foundation. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  6. ^ "Ford Foundation to Divest Millions From Fossil Fuels". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  7. ^ "Darren Walker: Ford Foundation to Divest Millions From Fossil Fuels". The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  8. ^ "PepsiCo Elects Darren Walker to Company's Board of Directors". PepsiCo, Inc. Official Website.
  9. ^ "Ford Foundation Announces New President". MIT Office of Foundation Relations. Archived from the original on October 30, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  10. ^ "Building A GradNation Summit To Be Held April 27–29 In Washington, DC". Reuters. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  11. ^ "Darren Walker, President, the Ford Foundation". Princeton University: Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  12. ^ "The 20th Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize Selection Committee". Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  13. ^ "Spike Lee awarded $300,000 Gish Prize". USA Today. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  14. ^ "Spike Lee Received the 20th Annual Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize". New York University. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  15. ^ Barron, James (July 24, 2013). "At Ford Foundation, Vice President Rises to Top Job". The New York Times. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  16. ^ "Darren Walker Promoted To President at Ford Foundation". The NonProfit Times. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  17. ^ Lowe, Frederick H. (July 26, 2013). "Darren Walker Named President of the Ford Foundation". The Northstar News & Analysis. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  18. ^ "Ford Foundation Announces Darren Walker as New President". Philanthropy News Digest. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  19. ^ "Schomburg Forum: Darren Walker & Khalil Muhammad Audio". The New York Public Library. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  20. ^ "Biography of Darren Walker". All American Speakers Bureau. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  21. ^ "Search Committee Bios" (PDF). The New York Public Library. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  22. ^ "Next Director of the Schomburg Center". Humanities and Social Sciences Online. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  23. ^ "Board of Directors". New York City Ballet. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  24. ^ "Darren Walker of the Ford Foundation joins CPJ's board of directors". Committee to Protect Journalists. February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  25. ^ a b Barron, James (July 25, 2013). "At Ford Foundation, Vice President Rises to Top Job". The New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  26. ^ "From Poverty to Giving Away Millions: Darren Walker Shares His American Dream". Philanthropy New York. November 11, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  27. ^ "BGC Head Start NewsLetter: From Poverty to Giving Away Millions: Darren Walker Shares 'My American Dream'" (PDF). Boys and Girls Club of North Central Florida. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  28. ^ "Darren Walker gets back to his roots in a new post". Crain's New York Business. October 18, 2013. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  29. ^ "About Darren Walker: Honoring a Longhorn Leader". Division of Diversity and Community Engagement: Longhorn Center for Academic Equity: University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  30. ^ "Dean's Alumni Newsletter". Public Affairs in The College of Liberal Arts at UT Austin. October 2009. Archived from the original on April 28, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  31. ^ "Rockefeller names new vice president". Philanthropy Journal. NC State University. Archived from the original on April 28, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  32. ^ a b "Darren Walker Promoted To President at Ford Foundation". The NonProfit Times. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  33. ^ a b "Ford Foundation Names Darren Walker as its new CEO". The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  34. ^ "NY Library Names New Head For Black Culture". Black Radio Network. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  35. ^ West, Melanie Grayce (August 9, 2013). "Talking Optimism and Opportunity with New Ford Foundation Head". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  36. ^ "The Promising Choice for Ford's Presidency: Darren Walker". Nonprofit Quarterly. July 25, 2013. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  37. ^ "Meet Darren Walker, VP of Ford Foundation". Paʻi Foundation Hawaii. Archived from the original on June 1, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  38. ^ "Ford Foundation Names Darren Walker as Next Vice President of Education, Creativity and Free Expression Program". Press Release Point. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  39. ^ "The Promising Choice for Ford's Presidency: Darren Walker". Nonprofit Quarterly. July 25, 2013. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  40. ^ JustFilms
  41. ^ "A Starlit Evening Honorees". The New York Women's Foundation. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  42. ^ "Ford Foundation Announces Social Issue Film Funding Initiative". Bullitt Foundation. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  43. ^ "Ford Foundation JustFilms Supports Eight Films Set for World Premiere at Sundance Film Festival". Movie City News. Archived from the original on May 1, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  44. ^ "Ford Foundation's 'JustFilms' Supports 5 Sundance Premieres". We Are Movie Geeks. January 20, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  45. ^ "Ford Foundation Names Cara Mertes to Succeed Bagwell as Director of JustFilms". Inside Philanthropy. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  46. ^ "Five Ford Foundation JustFilms-Supported Projects Premiere at Sundance Film Festival". PR Newswire. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  47. ^ "Ford Foundation's New President Is a Longtime Urban Champion". Next City. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  48. ^ "Creative placemaking-where arts and economy mix". Rasmuson Foundation. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  49. ^ "American Folk Art Museum Saved Through Last Minute Donation". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  50. ^ "Teaching the Levees". Teachers College, Columbia University. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  51. ^ "Philanthropy Annual - Foundation Center" (PDF). Foundation Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 31, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  52. ^ "New Orleans: Planning for a Better Future" (PDF). Rockefeller Foundation. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 1, 2010. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  53. ^ "Darren Walker, Vice President of Foundation Initiatives, Rockefeller Foundation". Philanthropy News Digest. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  54. ^ "Rockefeller Foundation, Teachers College to Distribute Curriculum on Spike Lee's 'Levees' Free to 30,000 Classrooms". Rockefeller Foundation. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  55. ^ "Darren Walker Named Vice President of the Rockefeller Foundation". Rockefeller Foundation. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  56. ^ "Mayor Bloomberg And The Rockefeller Foundation Announce Launch Of A Learning Network". New York City. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  57. ^ "The Rockefeller Foundation Appoints Darren Walker To Head Its Working Communities Division". PR Newswire. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  58. ^ "ABFE Celebrates Darren Walker as President of the Ford Foundation". Harlem World Magazine. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  59. ^ "ABFE Salutes". ABFE. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  60. ^ "Darren Walker named new president of The Ford Foundation". The Habari Network. July 26, 2013. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  61. ^ "Spotlight: Darren Walker Named Foundation's President". Life After the Ford Foundation Society. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  62. ^ "Nonprofit Whisperer Takes Helm at Ford Foundation". New America Media. Archived from the original on April 28, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  63. ^ "Just Matters: Aligning our investments and our values". Ford Foundation. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  64. ^ "Ford Foundation Announces Plan to Divest From Fossil Fuel". Philanthropy News Digest. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  65. ^ "Ford Foundation Will No Longer Invest in Fossil Fuels". CBS News. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  66. ^ "Ford Foundation to Divest Millions From Fossil Fuels". Fox17 News. October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  67. ^ Stewart, James B.; Kulish, Nicholas (June 10, 2020). "Ford Foundation: Leading Foundations Pledge to Give More, Hoping to Upend Philanthropy". The New York Times. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  68. ^ "A Statement to the People of Detroit". Ford Foundation Newsroom. January 13, 2014. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  69. ^ "Is The Ford Foundation's Darren Walker The Savior Of Detroit?". Deadline Detroit. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  70. ^ "Detroit Bankruptcy: Struggling city ready for comeback". Point of View. Archived from the original on April 29, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  71. ^ Lee, Jena (February 7, 2014). "To save Detroit Institute of Arts, no cost too great?". Createquity. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  72. ^ Stryker, Mark (January 28, 2014). "Foundation adds $40M to Detroit deal". USA Today. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  73. ^ Ibargüen, Alberto; Noland, Mariam; Rapson, Rip; Walker, Darren (January 17, 2014). "Why Our Foundations Are Investing in Detroit". The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  74. ^ "Gov. Malloy: 3,000 More Connecticut Students Will Benefit from Extended School Time". Hartford, Connecticut: State of Connecticut. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  75. ^ "Meriden schools share national spotlight of extended day". Record-Journal. Meriden, Connecticut. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  76. ^ Lipsky-Karasz, Elisa (November 17, 2020). "How Darren Walker and the Ford Foundation Reinvented Philanthropy for the Pandemic". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  77. ^ John, Elton. "Darren Walker: The World's 100 Most Influential People". Time. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  78. ^ Brassil, Jeff Goodell, Mark Binelli, Tessa Stuart, Ben Wofford, Amanda Chicago Lewis, Zoe Carpenter, Alexander Zaitchik, Jonah Weiner, Tim Dickinson, Saul Elbein, Justin Nobel, Brian Patrick Eha, Gillian; Goodell, Jeff; Binelli, Mark; Stuart, Tessa; Wofford, Ben; Lewis, Amanda Chicago; Carpenter, Zoe; Zaitchik, Alexander; Weiner, Jonah (November 17, 2017). "25 People Shaping the Future". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 31, 2021.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  79. ^ Pastore, Rose (January 24, 2017). "Be Inspired By These Creative Leaders Who Are Changing The World". Fast Company. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  80. ^ "2014 Ebony Power 100 List: Darren Walker". Ebony. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  81. ^ "Opportunity in Crisis: Reimagining a Just Society with Julián Castro, Rep. Marilyn Strickland & Darren Walker". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  82. ^ "Power 50: Darren Walker". Out. April 15, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  83. ^ "Honorary Awards to Foreign Nationals in 2022". Gov.UK. 2022.
  84. ^ "High Profile Speakers Inspire Grads". Miami Dade College. June 16, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  85. ^ "Medical Campus Ceremony Will Feature Darren Walker President of Ford Foundation". CBS Miami. April 21, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  86. ^ "Ford Foundation President Darren Walker Asks Graduates to Consider the Road Ahead". University of Texas at Austin News. May 23, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  87. ^ "President of Ford Foundation: UT Alumnus Darren Walker to Deliver Commencement Address". The Daily Texan. Archived from the original on October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  88. ^ "Hunter's 212th Commencement: A Great Day in New York City". Hunter College. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  89. ^ "Darren Walker: Ford Foundation President Darren Walker to Speak at New York University's Commencement". New York University. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  90. ^ "Darren Walker: New York University Commencement Speech". Time. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  91. ^ Toure, Madina (June 13, 2016). "Queens College Holds 92nd Commencement Exercises". Queens Courier. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  92. ^ "Ford Foundation's Darren Walker, One Of Time's 100 Most Influential People Of The Year To Speak At 92nd Commencement Ceremony June 2". City University of New York. June 1, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  93. ^ "Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation, is 2017 Commencement Speaker". Oberlin College and Conservatory. April 28, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  94. ^ "Go Forth: Darren Walker". Campus News: Oberlin College and Conservatory. June 6, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  95. ^ "President of Ford Foundation Darren Walker to Deliver Undergraduate Commencement Address". Sarah Lawrence College. Archived from the original on October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  96. ^ "Sarah Lawrence College Holds 90th Commencement Ceremony". News 12: Long Island. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  97. ^ "Ford Foundation President to Give Commencement Address". Hamilton College. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  98. ^ "Hamilton College Graduates Hundreds". WKTV: Heartland Media. May 20, 2018. Archived from the original on May 22, 2018.
  99. ^ "Ford Foundation President Darren Walker to Give UVM Commencement Address". UVM Today. University of Vermont. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  100. ^ "Students Earn Degrees from the University of Vermont". Reporter Today. East Providence. June 5, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  101. ^ "From Generosity to Justice: A Better Vision for 21st-Century Philanthropy". News: Amherst College. Archived from the original on July 13, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  102. ^ "This goes beyond bittersweet: Amherst College Graduates 484 Seniors". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  103. ^ "Ford Foundation President Darren Walker Addressed the Class of 2021 at Bennington College's 86th Commencement". Bennington College. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  104. ^ "President of Ford Foundation, Darren Walker, to address PVAMU's spring class of 2022". Prairie View A&M University. March 30, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  105. ^ "Watch PVAMU's 140th Spring Commencement Convocation Address/Darren Walker". Prairie View A&M University. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  106. ^ Rose-Smith, Imogen (May 3, 2017). "Ford's Darren Walker Rips Asset Management Over Diversity". Institutional Investor. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  107. ^ Walker, Darren (November 19, 2014). "Darren Walker: The first out gay president of the Ford Foundation". Windy City Times (Interview). Interviewed by Angelique Smith. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  108. ^ Cagle, Jess (March 7, 2018). "Ford Foundation President on His Coming Out 'Process': 'I Never Thought I'd Fall in Love'". People. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  109. ^ Spring, Justin (February 12, 2019). "David Beitzel (1958–2019)". Artforum. Retrieved September 27, 2022.

External links[edit]