Kelly Nowlin

Kelly Nowlin

Trustee, Surdna Foundation | NCFP Fellow (2018–2021)

Kelly Davenport Nowlin, a fifth generation member of the Andrus family, was elected as a Surdna Foundation trustee in 2010. She chairs the committees of the Andrus Family Program (AFP) and Centennial Working Group. As chair of the AFP, Kelly is responsible for outreach to, and engagement of close to 500 living descendants of Surdna founding patriarch, John E. Andrus. Kelly is guiding the development of activities marking Surdna’s 100th anniversary.

Prior to her board service at Surdna, Kelly was a founding board member of the Andrus Family Fund (AFF), an independent grantmaker launched by Surdna in 2000 as a grantmaking fund for fifth generation family members. She helped develop the fund, including program areas, governance and bylaws, mission and strategic vision, and committees of the board. Kelly served as Vice Chair, then Co-Chair for four years of her seven year term.

Currently, Kelly is Principal of KDN Philanthropy Consulting, and advises family foundations and non-profit organizations on next generation engagement, governance, organizational culture and communications strategies. Kelly is an honors graduate of Boston College with a BA in Communications and currently lives in Hopkinton, Massachusetts with her husband and two teenage children.

Contributions

Voices from the Field

Are Foundation Trustees Perpetuating Climate Injustice? Here’s How We Can Change That.

Posted on August 24, 2021 by Kelly Nowlin, Ernest Tollerson

Courtesy of Mark Neal from Pexels This article was originally published by Inside Philanthropy and is re-posted here with permission. The recent IPCC report couldn’t be clearer: The world needs wide-scale, transformative action, swift action, to ensure we don’t blow past the critical 1.5 degrees Celsius rise in average global temperatures. Mobilizing nations and market forces to achieve this goal, however, should not… Read More

Non-family Staff Peer Network: Racial Equity Discussions with Board and Staff

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Mary Mountcastle, June Wilson, Kelly Nowlin

Join the NCFP Fellows for an interactive conversation about addressing racial equity internally. Discuss how to approach tough conversations and how to bridge the gap that oftentimes exists between board and staff on equity issues. We will open with a brief dialogue from the Fellows and move into a group discussion. Bring your topics, favorite resources, and questions for peer staff… Read More

2021 Trustee Education Institute

Posted on March 9, 2021 by Isabel Nogueira, Alyson Wise, Jumi Falusi, Milton Speid, Emily Kaiser, Adrian Ruiz, Lisa Jackson, Priscilla Enriquez, Dorothy Gardner, Regan Pritzker

NCFP’s Trustee Education Institute provides a comprehensive overview of the important legal, investment, ethical, grantmaking, and family dynamics issues facing family foundation board members and CEOs. Featuring the perspectives of innovative donors and a faculty made up of donors, board members, and highly respected philanthropy experts, this virtual seminar covers: Translating values and goals into action Connecting family legacy and… Read More
From NCFP

Calling Family Foundation Board Members to Join a Journey on Racial Justice

Posted on March 2, 2021 by June Wilson, Kelly Nowlin, Mary Mountcastle, Virginia M. Esposito

Mary Mountcastle, June Wilson, and Kelly Nowlin speaking at the 2019 National Forum on Family Philanthropy Learn more about the Racial Justice Learning and Action Network. In 2018, the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP) announced its second class of fellows, naming Kelly Nowlin, June Wilson, and Mary Mountcastle as distinguished fellows. Each of us independently chose to focus our… Read More

Family Foundation CEO Retreat

Posted on February 12, 2021 by Betsy Erickson, Janine Mason, Michael Smith, Tina Runyan, Mayor Eric Garcetti, Bari Katz, Rob Reich, Shaady Salehi, Carmen Rojas, Diana Scearce

The role of a family foundation CEO is unique, often bridging generations of family members, community leaders, staff, advisors, and partners. Expectations can be challenging to meet and boundaries are sometimes vague and ever-changing. Success in this role requires a cadre of specialized leadership skills, particularly in these divisive and dynamic times. This 3-day virtual retreat, designed for both new… Read More
Voices from the Field

Family Culture: Creating a Resilient Family Tree

Posted on February 8, 2021 by Jamie Forbes, Kelly Nowlin

Courtesy of Johannes Plenio from Pexels This blog post is excerpted from the Passages Issues Brief Family Culture: Creating a Resilient Family Tree. For more information about family culture, please register for our Family Identity and Culture Webinar on February 11, 2021. Family connectedness, not money, has the greatest influence on multi-generational family continuity. But when many think about legacy, it’s often in… Read More

Moving Towards Social Justice Philanthropy: One Family Foundation’s Journey, Challenges, and Lessons

Posted on June 18, 2020 by Kelly Nowlin

NCFP board member and Fellow Kelly Nowlin spoke on a webinar hosted by Philanthropy Massachusetts and the Social Innovation Forum.   Five generations after being established, the Surdna Foundation has been intentional about honoring founding vision and legacy, while remaining relevant to current needs and issues in society. In 2009, the family trustees took a bold step in naming social justice in… Read More

2020 Trustee Education Institute

Posted on December 22, 2019 by Christopher Fletcher, Jennifer Davis, Robin Snidow, Laura Collins, Paul Liu, Greg Ratliff, Kathleen Simpson, Tamara Larsen, Dana Lanza, Shaady Salehi

past TEI attendees
Attendees, please visit the event website for the most up-to-date agenda and Zoom links. The website passcode was emailed to all registrants. NCFP’s Trustee Education Institute provides a comprehensive introduction to important legal, investment, ethical, grantmaking, and family dynamics issues facing family foundation board members. Featuring a faculty made up of donors, board members, and highly respected philanthropy experts, this… Read More
From NCFP

Courage and Commitment: Our Personal Journeys for Racial Equity

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Mary Mountcastle, June Wilson, Kelly Nowlin

There's a blackboard with "are you ready?" written on it in white writing
As NCFP’s 2020 Class of Fellows, we’ve been sitting down and doing a lot of listening. Not the kind of listening you do at a plenary session or on a webinar. The kind of listening that requires some courage. Courage to be in spaces and conversations that are often uncharted waters and make us entirely uncomfortable. Welcome to three women’s journeys around racial equity in the field of family philanthropy… Read More

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