BALTIMORE, MD--(Marketwired - Apr 18, 2013) - The Goldseker Foundation today announced the selection of Matthew D. Gallagher as its new President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Gallagher will begin in June, succeeding Dr. Timothy D. Armbruster who is retiring after a distinguished, 34-year tenure as head of the Foundation. In accepting the post, Mr. Gallagher will be stepping down as Chief of Staff to Maryland Governor Martin J. O'Malley.
"Matt Gallagher has built an exceptional career as a leader and champion in Baltimore City and across the region," said Sheldon Goldseker, Chairman. "He has an intimate understanding of the issues and people that impact this region, and knows the Baltimore landscape better than most. As the incoming president, he brings a valuable blend of skills, experience, perspective, and the strength of character required to lead the Goldseker Foundation into the future. The Board of Directors looks forward to working alongside Mr. Gallagher, as we build upon almost four decades of service to the Baltimore community, investing in its people and its institutions."
Mr. Gallagher, 40, has spent nearly the last four years serving as chief of staff to Maryland Governor Martin J. O'Malley. As chief of staff, Mr. Gallagher has been the State's top appointed official with responsibilities overseeing the day-to-day operations of Maryland's State government, 18 cabinet agencies, and the Office of the Governor. Prior to this role, Mr. Gallagher served as deputy chief of staff to the Governor and Director of CitiStat, then-Mayor O'Malley's acclaimed performance measurement program. The CitiStat program has been replicated nationally and internationally and in 2004 was the recipient of the prestigious Innovations in Government award from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. Mr. Gallagher had also previously worked for the Greater Baltimore Committee and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
"I am grateful to have been selected by the Board to serve in this important role, and eager to tackle the work at hand," said Mr. Gallagher. "Like the team at the Goldseker Foundation, I have spent much of my career working to strengthen and support Baltimore City -- its neighborhoods, its institutions, and its overall economic vitality -- both on a city level and more recently from within the State House. I look forward to working with the Board of Directors, Foundation staff, and community stakeholders, as we advance Morris Goldseker's vision to support programs that directly benefit disadvantaged people in the metropolitan area of Baltimore."
Born and raised in Baltimore City, Mr. Gallagher attended Calvert Hall College High School before graduating with a bachelor's degree in Economics from La Salle University and later receiving a master's degree in Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Gallagher has served on a number of local and state boards, commissions, and work groups, including as a Trustee for the Maryland Zoo and as a member of the governing board of the Baltimore Integration Partnership. In addition to serving on their public policy advisory boards, Mr. Gallagher has taught management and government at the University of Baltimore and the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Mr. Gallagher will be replacing Dr. Timothy D. Armbruster who has served as President of the Foundation for 34 years. Under Dr. Armbruster's leadership, the Goldseker Foundation became a leading advocate for neighborhood development, and helped to foster Baltimore City's philanthropic infrastructure. According to Dr. Armbruster: "I know Matt Gallagher to be a very talented person, very committed to Baltimore. He'll bring energy, a fresh perspective, new ideas, and youth to the Foundation. I'll be leaving the Foundation in very capable hands." Dr. Armbruster will work directly with Mr. Gallagher to ensure a smooth and seamless transition this summer.
"I know I speak for the full Board when I say we are thrilled to have found Matt Gallagher, whose strength of character and leadership skills stood out during the national search," said Sharna Goldseker, Board member and Chair of the Transition Committee. "While we heard from many candidates about collaboration and innovation, Mr. Gallagher's track record speaks for itself, as he has led teams to tackle a multitude of community and economic challenges in creative ways. It will be exciting to partner with Mr. Gallagher as he engages existing and new stakeholders in the work of the Foundation in the years ahead."
About Goldseker Foundation ( http://www.goldsekerfoundation.org/ ) Since an original bequest of $11 million from the estate of Morris Goldseker in 1975, the Goldseker Foundation has granted $80 million to more than 450 nonprofit organizations and projects in the Baltimore metropolitan area. Though the focus of the Foundation's grantmaking has evolved over time, it continues to honor Mr. Goldseker's wish that the Foundation serve the Baltimore community by investing in its institutions and people.
The Goldseker Foundation has been a role model in private philanthropy, and has grown from a young grantmaking organization to a pace-setting institution. The Foundation is a leading advocate for neighborhood development, spearheading collaborations across public and private sectors on initiatives from transportation to economic development, and is helping to nurture two of the region's central philanthropic institutions: The Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers and the Baltimore Community Foundation. The Goldseker Foundation brings a strategic grantmaking lens that is paying off for Baltimore and its residents, and has become an institution that many other foundations and municipalities now emulate.
The Foundation is also a long-term investor in the community and economic development of the Baltimore region, and has committed itself to transitional neighborhoods and the anchor institutions that stabilize those neighborhoods. A central component of its ongoing strategy for neighborhood revitalization has been to foster public-private-nonprofit partnerships. Notable examples include the Central Baltimore Partnership and its revival of Station North; its partnership with Johns Hopkins to build East Baltimore Life Sciences; and its ongoing collaboration with Healthy Neighborhoods, which to date has raised more than $100 million to invest in 41 Baltimore City neighborhoods. Through these and many other programs, the Goldseker Foundation has been a standard bearer for both philanthropy as innovation capital and patient long-term investment in change.
MEDIA INQUIRIES: Rich Polt 617-699-9144 rich@communicategood.com
