Jean Whitney

Jean Whitney, Principal, has more than 30 years of experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector.  Her work with families, individuals and foundations has broadly focused on helping them to implement best practices in charitable giving.  This has included a range of services, from providing advice on grant making basics, strategy, governance and succession to researching nonprofit organizations and performing due diligence on nonprofit applicants.

Jean currently serves as philanthropic consultant to a number of Boston area family foundations.  Previously, she was a Philanthropic Advisor at the law firm Ropes & Gray, Executive Director of the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation and on the staff at GMA Foundations in Boston and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation in Michigan. She is co-author of the book, Governance, published by the Council on Foundations as part of its Family Foundation Library series.

Her community involvement includes participation on the Board of Advisors at Waypoint Adventure.  Jean is also a past board member of the Clipper Ship Foundation and English for New Bostonians, former chair and board member of Associated Grant Makers (now Philanthropy Massachusetts) and a former Board of Overseers member of Newton-Wellesley Hospital. She received the Eddie Lincoff Making a Difference Award in 2015 from Triangle, Inc.