PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Managers of the Regional Foundation LLC announced today the appointment of Kevin Dow as its first executive director. Dow is a long-term resident of the Philadelphia region, with decades of finance, philanthropy, and community and economic development experience.
The Regional Foundation was created in December 2020 when The Wells Fargo Regional Foundation and Wells Fargo Regional Community Development Corporation transferred their programmatic activities and $100 million in charitable assets into the new foundation operated as a component of the Philadelphia Foundation
Under the umbrella of the Philadelphia Foundation, the new Regional Foundation has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening neighborhoods in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Dow served as president of the Board of Managers of the Regional Foundation until August 2021, when he stepped down to become a candidate in the formal search for the organization's inaugural executive director. That search was led by the now acting president of the Board, Craig Drinkard, with support from the search firm Bridge Partners.
"On behalf of the entire Board, I am thrilled that Kevin Dow has accepted the position of executive director," said Drinkard. "Kevin is a trusted partner and community leader. He has spent decades in the corporate, non-profit, and public sector, bringing a wealth of knowledge to the position. He is the right person to be the foundation's director."
Dow said he is honored to accept the position of executive director at the Regional Foundation and believes the foundation's longstanding focus on comprehensive, neighborhood-based, and resident-led economic and community development initiatives intersects perfectly with his experience.
"I look forward to collaborating with the staff, Board of Managers and—above all—our grantees," said Dow. "In my time serving as the Regional Foundation's Board president, I was proud of how our collective skills helped us to elevate the foundation's mission to improve the quality of life for children and families living in low-income communities in the tri-state region."
Philadelphia Foundation President and CEO Pedro Ramos said he remains deeply appreciative to Wells Fargo for its farsighted and generous decision last year to transfer the assets of the Wells Fargo Regional Foundation and the Wells Fargo Community Development Corporation to the Regional Foundation as a permanent resource for this region, anchored under the auspices of the Philadelphia Foundation.
"I am excited about the future impact of the Regional Foundation and confident in Kevin Dow's ability to lead as Executive Director at this special juncture," said Ramos.
To accept this new position, Kevin is stepping down as vice president of operations for the Children's Scholarship Fund Philadelphia. He will officially begin his position as Regional Foundation executive director on December 1, 2021. During the administration of Mayor Michael Nutter, Dow served the City of Philadelphia as the Senior Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Commerce Department. He left the Commerce Department to become Senior Vice President of Impact and Innovation for the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey and served as the inaugural Executive Director of the Friends of the Rail Park. Dow is currently on the boards of the AmerisourceBergen Foundation, Fleisher Art Memorial, Harcum College, and the Philadelphia Advisory Board for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation. He is also a founding member of the Philadelphia Black Giving Circle. He earned a Bachelors' degree in Finance from Morehouse College and an MBA from Saint Joseph's University.
About Philadelphia Foundation
Founded in 1918, Philadelphia Foundation strengthens the economic, social and civic vitality of Greater Philadelphia. Philadelphia Foundation grows effective philanthropic investment, connects individuals and institutions across sectors and geography, and advances civic initiatives through partnerships and collaboration. A publicly supported foundation, the Philadelphia Foundation manages more than 1,000 charitable funds established by its donors and makes over 1,000 grants and scholarship awards each year. To learn more, visit: philafound.org.
About Regional Foundation
The Regional Foundation, made possible by Wells Fargo, works to improve the quality of life for children and families living in low-income communities in Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware by concentrating resources on comprehensive, neighborhood-based economic and community development initiatives. The foundation awards Neighborhood Planning Grants and Neighborhood Implementation Grants to support long-term, resident-driven neighborhood revitalization.