The Surdna Foundation announced today that three new members were elected to the Board of Directors: Judy Belk, Carra Cote-Ackah, and Gwen Walden.  They will replace outgoing board members Edith D. Thorpe, David Grant, and Nadya K. Shmavonian.

All three new board members bring a wealth of philanthropic experience to Surdna.

Judy Belk is the Senior Vice President of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA), where she manages the organization's West Coast and Midwest operations. One of the world's largest philanthropic service organizations, RPA provides advice and counsel to individual donors, family foundations and corporate foundations, overseeing more than $200 million in annual giving. Prior to her work at RPA, Ms. Belk served as the Vice President for Global Public Affairs at Levi Strauss & Co., with worldwide responsibilities for corporate social responsibility initiatives, philanthropic programs, governmental affairs, community relations, and communications activities.

Carra Cote-Ackah is a philanthropy consultant based in Philadelphia.  Previously, she was a program officer at the Robertson Foundation in New York, working in the fields of education and youth development, environment, and religion.  Ms. Cote-Ackah has also worked at the William Penn Foundation in Philadelphia and served on the Andrus Family Fund Board from 2002-2008, the last two years of which she was the board chairperson.  She has also worked with several nonprofits and The Children's Bureau, Department of Human Services, on issues related to children and families.

Gwen Walden is the Founder and Principal of Walden Philanthropy Advisors, a strategic consulting firm for foundations and philanthropic entities of all types and sizes.  As a highly respected leader at two of the country's largest foundations, The J. Paul Getty Trust and The California Endowment, Ms. Walden specialized in giving to the arts and community health over a 23-year span of managing large and increasingly complex lines of responsibility within the foundations.  Walden Philanthropy Advisors focuses on the needs of boards and executive leadership seeking expertise in a range of areas from long-term strategic planning to targeted issues having ramifications for their organization's operations and programs.

Surdna's Chairperson Josephine Lowman said, "We are extremely fortunate to announce the addition of three talented and experienced new board members in Carra, Judy and Gwen.  We are confident that they will bring the critical expertise necessary to maintain Surdna's excellence in the field of philanthropy. At the same time, we are deeply grateful for the passion and dedication of Edie, David and Nadya.  We will miss their insight and leadership."

Surdna bids farewell to Edith D. Thorpe, who served on Surdna's board for over 20 years.  Ms. Thorpe served on several of the Foundation's committees, and was instrumental in helping to establish the Andrus Family Fund (AFF), and chairing the Family Involvement Committee which oversees the AFF.

David Grant was one of the first non-Andrus family members elected to the Surdna board.  Mr. Grant served as President of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation for 12 years before beginning a consulting business in 2011.  He joined the Surdna board in 2007, serving on several program committees, most recently the Thriving Cultures Committee.

Nadya K. Shmavonian joined David Grant as one of the first non-Andrus family members in 2007.  She is currently the President of Public/Private Ventures.  Prior to P/PV, she served as vice president for strategy at the Rockefeller Foundation.  Ms. Shmavonian was chair of Surdna's Sustainable Environments Committee and served on several other committees.

About the Surdna Foundation

The Surdna Foundation - one of the nation's oldest family foundations - was established in 1917 by John E. Andrus, and is governed today by fourth and fifth generation Andrus family members.  Surdna seeks to foster just and sustainable communities in the United States-communities guided by principles of social justice and distinguished by healthy environments, strong local economies, and thriving cultures.  With assets of approximately $850 million, Surdna awards more than $38 million in grants annually to hundreds of nonprofit organizations across the United States.