Join Me in Welcoming Aditi Vaidya as Our New President

By Andrea Sholler, Board Chair

The Mertz Gilmore Foundation Board of Directors is thrilled to announce that Aditi Vaidya will step into leadership as the Foundation’s new president. Ms. Vaidya succeeds Jay Beckner, who is stepping down after 21 years as president and 35 years at the Foundation. Aditi’s first day as President of Mertz Gilmore Foundation is December 1, 2022.

Aditi is a brilliant thinker, a collaborative strategist, and someone who deeply understands the necessary conditions for community-led change. It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know Aditi, and learn about the progress she has helped secure toward a more equitable and just society. Between her passion for equity, her commitment to collaboration and collective impact, and her deep understanding of social movements and multi-sector partnership, Aditi brings all of the qualities needed to lead Mertz Gilmore into its next chapter. The board of directors has complete confidence in Aditi’s vision and ability to lead the foundation, building on Mertz Gilmore’s longstanding commitment to supporting democracy, the environment, New York City communities and dance.

Aditi is a respected non-profit leader, bringing more than 25 years of philanthropic, policy advocacy, and organizing experience to this executive role. She will be joining Mertz Gilmore Foundation from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the country’s largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health, where she spent five years as a senior program officer addressing structural barriers to health through a range of strategies, including community power building and philanthropic partnerships, to transform systems and build equitable communities. Previously, Aditi was senior program officer for Solidago Foundation, See Forward Fund, and Frances Fund, leading economic justice programs through grantmaking and pooled funds, and held staff and Board positions at Jennifer Altman Foundation, Solidaire, and the Saguaro Fund. In addition to her work in philanthropy, Aditi has roots in social movements as an advocate and organizer. She served as campaign director at the East Bay Alliance for Sustainable Economy, a community-based nonprofit in Oakland, California. Earlier in her career, she held positions with the Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice; the Center for Environmental Citizenship; and the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund. Aditi received her Master’s in Public Health from Emory University and her Bachelors of Science in environmental science and policy management from Bates College.

As Aditi shared in this press release, “It is an honor to be selected to lead the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, an incredible organization with a smart and committed team and board, and a long track record of advancing equity, climate justice, and democracy through community-centered grantmaking. The crises of our time call for new philanthropic practices, ones that are rooted in strong relationships with grantees and bold strategies grounded in an understanding of power, the incredibly important role of grassroots communities to demand systemic change, and a commitment to cross-sector learning toward collective action. I’m eager to learn from and support our team, grantee partners, and colleagues who share these same values and commitments.”

Aditi is highly qualified to lead the Foundation into the future. Please join me in congratulating and welcoming Aditi to the Mertz Gilmore Foundation.

Learn more about Ms. Vaidya in this press release.