One of Jacksonville’s best known nonprofits will soon have a new leader.
Trustees of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund have named Mari Kuraishi, co-founder and president of GlobalGiving, to be the Fund’s next president.
Kuraishi will take the reins in January from interim President Mary Kress Littlepage. Littlepage temporarily took over after Sherry Magill retired at the end of June after leading the fund for 25 years.
“Mari’s energy, vision and experience in innovative philanthropy were the essential attributes we desired in the Fund’s next president,” said trustee Leroy Davis in a news released. Davis served as chair of the search committee.
GlobalGiving claims to be the largest global crowdfunding community that connects nonprofits, donors, and countries around the world. Since 2002 GlobalGiving has raised more than $347 million, supporting more than 20 thousand projects in 170 countries.
Related: Hometown Video Profile Of The Jessie Ball duPont Center
Kuraishi is also the chair of the board of directors for GuideStar, USA; chair of the board of directors for DataKind; chair of the board of directors for APOPO US; and a member of the board of advisors for the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University.
“The Fund’s accomplishments over the last 40-plus years, its catalytic role in collaborative place-based philanthropy, and its fidelity to Mrs. duPont’s vision form an exciting foundation for the next chapter,” said Kuraishi in the news release.
The Jessie Ball duPont Fund was established and named for Jessie Ball duPont, who died in 1970. She left her estate - valued at $42 million at the time of her death - to the fund, according to the fund's website.
Today the fund, which is headquartered in the former Haydon Burns Library in downtown Jacksonville, works to expand access and create opportunity by investing in people, organizations and communities that were important to duPont.
Kuraishi earned her bachelor’s degree in Modern European History and master’s degree in Russian Studies from Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org, 904-358-6349 or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
