Former U.S. Ambassador and Global Leader Patrick Gaspard Joins Mellon Foundation’s Board of Trustees
Today, the Mellon Foundation announced the election of Patrick Gaspard, distinguished senior fellow of the independent, nonpartisan policy institute the Center for American Progress (CAP), to its Board of Trustees.
A devoted public servant, influential leader in global policy and philanthropy, and respected advisor to civic, political, and philanthropic leaders ranging from New York to the global stage, Gaspard brings over three decades of experience and a commitment to creating equitable social change through policy, international relations, and community organizing. Gaspard will join the Mellon Board of Trustees effective September 19, 2025.
“We look forward to welcoming Patrick Gaspard and the highly respected public leadership and policy expertise he brings to our Board of Trustees,” said Kathryn A. Hall, Mellon Foundation Board Chair. “His recognized success guiding institutions in service of social causes and his experience administering impactful grantmaking will be particularly valuable to Mellon and will help advance the Foundation's overall mission.”
“As an ambassador, a policy maker, and a global citizen, Patrick has demonstrated time and again his resolve standing up for the rights of workers, diaspora communities, and all those joined in the effort for freedom and justice in our world,” said Mellon Foundation President Elizabeth Alexander. “We are thrilled that he is joining our Board at this critical moment.”
Gaspard served as CAP’s president and CEO prior to his role as a Senior Fellow, leading efforts to advance policy solutions, promote social equity, and strengthen U.S. democracy. In his current role, he supports the institute's overall mission of improving the lives of all Americans through development of its policy agenda and by advising on efforts to build a more inclusive and just nation.
Gaspard also served as president of Open Society Foundations where he shaped the foundation’s $220 million commitment to civil rights and led the organization through the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic. His government service includes his appointment as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa where, from 2013 to 2016, he led over 1,000 staff and managed 29 distinct government agencies.
“I’m greatly honored to move in common rhythm with Elizabeth Alexander, Mellon’s outstanding trustees, and its dedicated staff at a time when its singular mission is more vital than ever,” said Patrick Gaspard. “Most critically, I’m thrilled that my experience can be of use to the courageous and brilliant grantee partners of the foundation who affirm each day the essentiality of the protection of ideas, imagination, and individual freedom as public goods.”
Before entering public service, Gaspard built a career in organized labor, rising from union organizer to executive vice president for politics and legislation of Local 1199 of the Service Employees International Union. He attended Columbia University and is the recipient of honorary doctorates from Columbia University and Bard College, as well as the Spingarn Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the NAACP.
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About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation's largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive.