Berkshire Taconic Announces New President
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SHEFFIELD, Mass.— The board of directors of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation have appointed Peter Taylor as president.
Taylor, who was selected after a national search, will be the fourth president in the foundation’s nearly 30-year history.
Taylor comes to Berkshire Taconic from the Maine Community Foundation, a statewide community foundation with $400 million in assets and 1,500 funds, where he currently serves as vice president of program development and grantmaking services.
“We are thrilled that Peter Taylor will join us to lead Berkshire Taconic into the future,” said Bill Dunlaevy, chair of the board of directors. “His track record of fostering collaboration and marshaling resources to achieve broad community objectives makes him an ideal choice to expand our role as a force for good in our communities.”
In addition to overseeing Maine Community Foundation’s $24 million annual grantmaking, scholarship and impact investing programs, Taylor has led implementation of its three strategic priorities: increasing postsecondary degree attainment, fostering leadership and helping Maine’s environment and downtowns flourish.
“It’s an extraordinary opportunity to succeed Jennifer Dowley as the next president of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation,” said Taylor. “I believe deeply in the powerful role of community foundations in helping donors achieve their charitable goals and nonprofits meet their missions. I look forward to leveraging Berkshire Taconic’s strengths and identifying new ways to lead on key issues and increase impact.”
With parents in Lenox, Mass. and a brother recently returned to the Trinity-Pawling School in Pawling, N.Y., as headmaster, Taylor has strong ties to the Berkshire Taconic region. He will assume his new role at Berkshire Taconic in early January 2016.
Jennifer Dowley, who will leave her post as president at the end of 2015, expressed confidence in the board’s choice.
“Peter understands the flexibility and power of community foundations and is the perfect choice for Berkshire Taconic’s next phase of growth,” said Dowley. “I look forward to working with Peter as he prepares to take the reins in January.”
Taylor has served in leadership roles and on committees for several national and statewide professional associations, including the Council on Foundations, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations and Maine Philanthropy Center, the statewide association of foundations, where he currently serves as board chair. His civic leadership experience includes past appointments to Maine’s Commission for Community Service and its Department of Education’s Citizen Education Task Force.
“Peter’s experience developing partnerships and convening stakeholders across sectors will be invaluable as we come together to face our region’s challenges and secure its future,” said Sarah Stack, vice chair of the board and chair of its search committee. “The board looks forward to the next chapter of our work and the final phase of this successful transition in our leadership.”
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