The Walton Family Foundation Executive Director Kyle Peterson will leave his post by summer 2019, the organization announced in late January.
Peterson plans to stay on board at the foundation for the next six months to facilitate the transition to new leadership, WFF Board Chair Carrie Walton Penner said in an email.
During his time with the Bentonville, Arkansas, U.S.A. Walton Foundation – which was created by Walmart founders Sam and Helen Walton – Peterson was able to see his goals for the foundation realized in full, Penner said.
“As many of you know, Kyle came to the foundation with a background in philanthropic strategy and with the goal of helping strengthen our philanthropic infrastructure,” Penner’s email said. “He focused on an agenda to help steer our work to an even more successful era. And in our time together, he has done just that. With his mission accomplished within the three years that Kyle envisioned, we understand his decision and are grateful to him for his leadership and the critical role he has played through WFF. He brought fresh thinking that has built upon the bedrock values that drive our work.”
Under Peterson’s philanthropic guidance, the foundation expanded its staffing by 50 percent and generated nearly USD 600 million (EUR 530 million) in annual giving, Penner said.
Before becoming WFF’s third executive director in 2016, Peterson was a managing partner and board member for Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based consulting firm FSG, formerly Foundation Strategy Group.
WFF has made several investments in sustainable seafood programs and organizations over the years. The foundation is currently providing financial support for the 2019 Aquaculture Innovation Challenge, and has been a longtime funder for the National Fisheries Institute’s Crab Council, which promotes and finances blue swimming crab sustainability efforts across the globe in places like India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and beyond.
Moreover, in 2017, WFF vowed to provide at least USD 1 million (EUR 857,000) per year for projects aimed at advancing the goals of the Seafood Alliance for Legality and Traceability (SALT), an effort geared toward promoting legal and sustainable fisheries by improving supply chain transparency and traceability.
