June Wilson, a celebrated philanthropic leader in racial justice advocacy and alternative approaches to legacy and perpetuity, is Executive Director of the Compton Foundation. She is guiding the 75-year-old philanthropic organization’s trajectory as it moves all of its assets toward its purpose: climate resilience, peace and security, democracy, reproductive justice, and narrative strategy. To that end, Wilson is shaping the foundation’s reparations strategy and transitioning its partners toward new avenues of support. Overall, the foundation’s process of “spending up,” in alignment with its mission, will enable Compton to close its doors at the end of 2025.
Wilson brings extensive hands-on expertise to this effort, having guided the sunset process of the Quixote Foundation in Seattle, Washington. She has engaged philanthropic families and foundations in examining and designing practices and policies that promote racial equity and justice, repair, and return, and encourages foundations to consider increased financial payout and alternative models to perpetuity. Wilson’s background as a choreographer, movement-based performer, and community arts organizer are foundational to her leadership style. She values reflective listening and utilizes creative and improvisational approaches to feed and sustain her life, her leadership, and her relationships with others. Wilson uses the pronouns she, her, and hers, and cherishes her identities of mother, daughter, sister, spouse, and friend.
Contributions
Philanthropic Spend Down: A Retreat Sponsored by the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation (Oct 2020)
Posted on November 25, 2019 by Peter Ellsworth, Glen Galaich, Bob Tobin, Olga Tarasov, Kalyah Ford, Lauren B. Dachs, Nicholas A. Tedesco, June L. Wilson, Katie Scott
Consensus and Complexity: A Retreat for New Family Foundation CEOs
Posted on October 11, 2019 by Alexa Cortes Culwell, Nicholas A. Tedesco, Virginia M. Esposito, Ambassador James A. Joseph, Stephen Treat, June L. Wilson, David Weitnauer, Jim Parsons
Courage and Commitment: Our Personal Journeys for Racial Equity
Posted on April 2, 2019 by Mary Mountcastle, June L. Wilson, Kelly D. Nowlin
Building Bridges: A Conversation with NCFP’s New Fellows on Racial Equity
Posted on December 13, 2018 by Mary Mountcastle, June L. Wilson, Kelly D. Nowlin, Doug Bitonti Stewart
Celebrating What “Family” Means to You: An Interview with the Quixote Foundation
Posted on July 16, 2018 by Lenore Hanisch, June L. Wilson
2018 Trustee Education Institute: The Signature Seminar for Family Foundation Board Members
Posted on March 6, 2018 by Virginia M. Esposito, Andrew Schulz, David Grant, Hanh Le, Holli Rivera, Alice Buhl, Leticia Peguero, Lindsey Griffith, Mary Phillips, Nat Chioke Williams
Uncovering the Layers of Unconscious Bias is the Journey of a Lifetime
Posted on June 21, 2017 by June L. Wilson
Spending Up: A Discussion on Strategic Lifespan at the Quixote Foundation
Posted on April 13, 2017 by Jeffrey Solomon, Lenore Hanisch, June L. Wilson
How Can I Be 1% More?
Posted on March 27, 2017 by Philanthropy Northwest, June L. Wilson
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