| 2004 HILL FELLOW, DR. REATHA CLARK KING
 Reatha Clark King, a nationally recognized leader in philanthropy and higher education, led the General Mills Foundation as its president from 1988-2002 and as it board chair from 2002-2003. From 1977-1988, Dr. King was president of Metropolitan State University in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. She serves on the boards of Exxon Mobil Corporation, Minnesota Mutual, H.B. Fuller Co., Wells Fargo, the Clark Atlanta University and the International Trachoma Initiative. Dr. King is a life trustee of the University of Chicago. She holds a Ph.D. in thermochemistry from the University of Chicago and has been awarded fourteen honorary degrees.
Accepting the fellowship, Dr. King commented about the lack of scholarship on philanthropy, “Nationally, knowledge about the field is shared mostly by word of mouth. As a profession, we haven't developed the more traditional methods of research, as in chemistry. This fellowship gives me the opportunity to study several issues important to the field.”
Dr. King will focus on the following questions:
- Why is there such a strong legacy of personal, family and corporate philanthropy in Minnesota? Is it sustainable? How can the work of the Humphrey School's Center for Leadership of Nonprofits, Philanthropy and the Private Sector strengthen our understanding of this legacy?
- How do corporations contribute to the community (e.g.-money, volunteer time, ideas, in-kind contributions, products and services)? Which makes the greatest impact? What are the key themes that 'connect the dots' of effective corporate philanthropy?
- How do we capture the expertise of the profession and transfer it from generation to generation of program officers? What are the leadership traits for effective philanthropy?
© Dr. Reatha Clark King photo by Rick Spaulding
To download a copy of the paper written by the 2004 Hill Fellow, click on the paper: "PHILANTHROPY AND PUBLIC POLICY: Working Together to Make a Bigger Difference". |
