Oral history interview with D. Ellen Shuman, 2012

 

Name
Shuman, D. Ellen (Interviewee)
Weiss, Thomas G. (Thomas George), 1946- (Interviewer)
Title
Oral history interview with D. Ellen Shuman, 2012
Abstract
Childhood: born in Illinois, raised in Washington D.C., inspired by father to contribute to society; admitted into the second class of women accepted at Bowdoin College in Maine; received a Masters of Public and Private Management at Yale University School of Management; interest in non-profit management developed from family values; differences in investment strategy and governance in private foun dations and educational institutions; management of portfolio by the investment committee before and after the 2008 financial crisis; dynamics and interaction between the investment committee and the board of directors; grantmaking as socially responsible investing; fluctuation of purchasing power and the benefits of a stable spend rate; investment committee chairs: Vincent Mai, Marty Leibowitz, Geoffrey T. Boisi; development of investment staff; deciding to leave the Carnegie Corporation of New York; interactions with Carnegie program staff; social responsibilities of staff and board; evaluating programs quantitatively; transitioning to the leadership of Vartan Gregorian; lasting influence of Andrew Carnegie on Carnegie Corporation staff and programs; concerns about future of U.S. philanthropy: efficiency, accountability; pressure on Carnegie to act in response to world events: September 11, 2001, Hurricane Katrina, 2010 earthquake in Haiti; capital aggregation technique to yield larger return at Edna McConnell Clark Foundation; comparing: large and small foundations, educational institutions, individual pet projects, specific problem-focused foundations; investment policy shifts as a result of the 2008 financial crisis; Carnegie officer and staff compensation policies; supporting the global perspective at Carnegie with hiring practices.
Collection Name
Carnegie Corporation project. Part 3
Subjects
Shuman, D. Ellen; Carnegie Corporation of New York
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2012
Physical Description
67 pages; 1 digital audio file (153 min.); 1 digital audio file (132 min.)
Note (Biographical)
Former Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the Carnegie Corporation of New York
Note
Interviewed by Thomas G. Weiss on April 17, 2012.
Note (Provenance)
Shuman, D. Ellen, Gift, 2013
Language
English
Library Location
Columbia Center for Oral History, Columbia University
Browse Location’s Digital Content
Catalog Record
12767487
Also In
Carnegie Corporation Oral History Project [Staging]
Oral History Archives at Columbia
Persistent URL
https://dx.doi.org/10.7916/d8-644f-w204
Related URLs
Available digital content for this interview.