Leon Levy Foundation Names Meredith Ross President
Justine Koch Promoted to Director of Finance/Administration,
Jennifer Ellis to Senior Program Officer
New York, NY, September 15, 2022 – The Leon Levy Foundation has named Meredith Ross president, succeeding Robert F. Goldrich, who resigned in July after serving as president since 2015. Ms Ross, who has been the Foundation’s program director, becomes the third president in the Leon Levy Foundation’s 18-year history.
The Foundation has also announced the promotion of Justine Koch to Director of Finance and Administration and the promotion of Jennifer Ellis to Senior Program Officer.
Shelby White, founding trustee of the Leon Levy Foundation, said, “Meredith has been a dedicated, insightful and inclusive leader in guiding the Foundation’s innovative programs. Meredith, together with Justine and Jennifer, have provided the backbone for the Foundation’s success and growth for nearly a decade. They are precisely the leadership team we need to continue the momentum into the Foundation’s third decade.”
Ms. Ross said, “I’m deeply honored to head the Foundation at this exciting time in its history. I look forward to working with our dedicated grantee partners and the Foundation’s outstanding team to continue to build upon the philanthropic leadership and legacy of Leon Levy and Shelby White.”
Meredith Ross
Ms. Ross brings to the position of president deep knowledge of the Foundation, gained in program roles over the past eight years. She has stewarded the construction of the Shelby White and Leon Levy Lod Mosaic Archaeological Center in Israel, the growth of the Leon Levy Center for Biography at CUNY Graduate Center, and the expansion of the Foundation’s support for early-career neuroscientists, among numerous other initiatives in ancient world, arts and humanities, parks and nature, and human rights.
Prior to joining the Leon Levy Foundation in 2014, Ms. Ross spent 15 years in nonprofit development, with a focus on fundraising from foundations and corporations. From 2010 to 2014, she served as director of foundation partnerships at the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, a global educational nonprofit focused on entrepreneurship programs for youth in low-income communities. She also held development roles at NetAid, an anti-poverty initiative, and at MassINC, an independent research, nonprofit journalism, and civic engagement organization.
She received her BA from Colby College and her MBA from the Carroll School of Management, Boston College.
Justine Koch
Ms. Koch has over 31 years of accounting experience in the not-for-profit world including nine years at the Leon Levy Foundation. In her new role, Ms. Koch will work with the president and investment advisory committee to oversee all accounting, budgeting, investment, financial and tax reporting.
Prior to joining the Leon Levy Foundation in 2013, Ms. Koch held key accounting and financial roles at nonprofits such as the Surdna Foundation, Altman Foundation and the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services. She is a member of Foundation Financial Managers Group (FFMG) in New York City, and is a member of the national organization, the Foundation Financial Officer’s Group (FFOG), Philanthropy New York. Ms. Koch received her B.B.A. degree from Pace University.
Jennifer E. Ellis
Prior to joining The Leon Levy Foundation in 2013, Ms. Ellis worked in development, project management and marketing at The Related Companies and UPH Landscape and Horticultural Design. Prior to that, Ms. Ellis served as the director of communications at Gale International, a private real estate development firm specializing in master-planned, city-scale projects.
Ms. Ellis earned a B.A. degree in Communications and Sociology from Boston University.
The Leon Levy Foundation (http://www.leonlevyfoundation.org/), founded in 2004, is a private, not-for-profit foundation created from the estate of Leon Levy, a legendary investor with a longstanding commitment to philanthropy. The Foundation’s overarching goal is to continue the tradition of humanism characteristic of Mr. Levy by supporting scholarship at the highest level, ultimately advancing knowledge and improving the lives of individuals and society at large.
Contact: Fraser P. Seitel, Emerald Partners 201-784-880
