Darren Walker
The Convener
The room, the network and the deal, brings the right people together.
Darren Walker reads as The Convener because as president of the Ford Foundation he has spent a decade drawing governments, corporations, civil society, and philanthropic capital into shared missions of equity and justice. He expanded Ford's endowment capacity through social bonds and pressed philanthropy itself to reform, always assembling coalitions rather than dictating to them. Walker's influence is relational and strategic at once, connecting people to purpose so that collective effort outlasts any single institution.
“I believe that among the greatest threats to our democracy is growing hopelessness. And hopelessness occurs in societies where there are high levels of inequality.”
“What I said was the Foundation was too disparately organized, that we had lost our focus, and that we needed a single north star for our work.”
“Art is essential in a democracy. We know that exposure to art brings about higher levels of empathy. It helps people understand how other cultures, other people live.”
The David Rubenstein Show: “Darren Walker”
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