Posted by student TODD MOORE – Ford Foundation Director of Philanthropy Suzanne Siskel spoke Thursday at the Clinton School about the role of philanthropy in transforming communities.
A former Fulbright and Luce scholar, Siskel suggested philanthropic, community and government interests must work together to be effective.
“Philanthropy cannot solve community problems alone,” Siskel said. “Developing a new understanding through promising community collaborations promotes positive change around the world.”
Siskel feels that philanthropy can be a “catalyst” that starts conversations and dialogue about issues and brings together dissenting ideas and philosophies.
“Philanthropy can bring people together who wouldn’t necessarily come together,” Siskel said. “The important role of philanthropy is it’s convening power and its catalytic nature.”
Though Siskel’s background is in international development, she highlighted the effort in New Orleans after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. New Orleans received enormous attention with the devastation visited by the hurricanes, but the effect of foundations went largely unnoticed, she said.
“Sometimes it takes a precipitous disruption of life through natural disaster to pave the way for change to occur,” Siskel said. “Though it may be invisible to the wider population, the collaborative work done by foundations [in New Orleans] has been tremendous.”
Siskel is part of the “Scholars in Residence” program at the Center on Community Philanthropy at the Clinton School. The program is a group of researchers, practitioners and senior executives who have demonstrated exemplary contributions in the field of community philanthropy. The scholars spend a week at the center researching, writing and interacting with students and faculty at the Clinton School.
Charlotte Lewellen Williams, Director of the Center for Community Philanthropy, feels that Siskel’s nearly 20-year commitment to international social change with the Ford Foundation is a good match for the Clinton school.
“The Ford Foundation has historically been focused on social change, which is a tenant of the Clinton school,” Williams said. “We thought with her international experience paired with the Clinton School’s focus on international service projects it would be great for her overall research.”
Suzanne Siskel has been with the Ford Foundation since 1990, working in rural poverty and development in both Indonesia and the Philippines before becoming director of philanthropy.
Trained as a social anthropologist, Suzanne has taught at Johns Hopkins and George Washington Universities in the United States and Brawijaya and Airlangga Universities in East Java, Indonesia.
Video of Siskel’s lecture will be posted soon at www.clintonschoolspeakers.com.
Susan Siskel speaks at the Clinton School.
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