Wendy Connors named Hertz Foundation President, succeeding Robbee Kosak

(Press-News.org) The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation, a nonprofit organization that funds, supports, connects and catalyzes the nation’s top PhD students in science and technology, today announced that Wendy Connors, currently its chief development officer, will begin as president on Jan. 1, 2025. Connors will succeed current president Robbee Baker Kosak, who will retire after almost 10 years in the role.

Appointed by the Hertz Foundation board of directors, Connors is the sixth president of the foundation and second woman to hold the position since it was founded in 1957. She brings more than 25 years’ experience as an accomplished nonprofit executive and fundraising leader in university and educational settings, including previous roles at MIT and the MIT Sloan School of Management.

“Connors is a seasoned professional with top-tier university experience, a strong track record of fundraising success and an understanding of institutional governance. What’s more, during her three years at the foundation, she has demonstrated that she understands and embraces the unique mission and culture of the Hertz Foundation,” said Stephen Fantone, chair of the Hertz Foundation board of directors and the founder and president of Optikos Corporation. “She is the leader the Hertz Foundation needs in its next phase of growth.”

Under Connors’ leadership, the Hertz Foundation is strongly positioned to expand the nation’s pipeline of principled science and technology leaders through its prestigious Hertz Fellowship at a time of critical need for the nation and the world. Hertz Fellows are named during their doctoral studies and join an influential network as they become leaders in the academic, public and private sectors, working to advance U.S. security and global scientific leadership. Hertz Fellows have been named Nobel laureates and Breakthrough Prize winners; are elected members of the National Academies; and are recipients of many other prestigious national and international awards.

Connors’ first priority as the next president will be to successfully complete funding and implementation of the organization’s ambitious strategic plan, which seeks to increase the number of Hertz Fellowships awarded annually and extend the engagement of the 1,305 innovators and leaders who constitute the Hertz Fellows community today.

“From the acceleration of AI and climate change to globalization and geopolitical tensions, our national security and economic stability depend on U.S. leadership in science and technology,” adds Connors. “We believe Hertz Fellows are uniquely prepared to lead—which is why our nation urgently needs more of them. I’m committed to scaling the impact of the Hertz Foundation.”

As an executive at the Hertz Foundation, Connors led a nationwide development team and oversaw all aspects of fundraising, serving as a key liaison to the board of directors on development matters. She oversaw fundraising communications strategy and expanded the pipeline of supporters to the foundation, including for women and those underrepresented in STEM. Connors’ leadership fueled an 80% growth in annual fundraising revenue and the addition of 24 new named and endowed Hertz Fellowships, which directly supported the foundation’s strategic plan. Her work as a member of the senior team has elevated connections among Hertz Fellows and helped strengthen the Hertz Fellowship experience. Her transition to the presidency promises to inject these efforts with even further energy, ideas and innovation.

“I am proud to have helped the Hertz Foundation deepen both Fellow and non-Fellow engagement, secure resources to support Fellows and strengthen their fellowship experience; and work closely with our board to grow fundraising in support of our strategic plan,” says Connors. “I look forward to building on the vital work of this foundation by engaging more broadly with Hertz volunteers, Fellows and friends, increasing the foundation’s national visibility and developing new modes of support to extend our impact.”

In her previous role as an executive director at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Connors led global fundraising teams in support of faculty, student and institutewide initiatives and raised over $200 million as part of the Better World Campaign. She worked with alumni and volunteers to build a broader and more engaged international community for the institution.

Connors is a founding member of the national CDO Network, a global, all-sector network of chief development officers, and serves as vice president of the Jackson E. and Evelyn G. Spears Foundation, a private foundation that supports education and community-based initiatives. She lives in Boston with her husband, Travis, co-founder and general partner at Building Ventures, and her two adult daughters, Colby and Marley.

“Having worked closely with Connors the last three years, I can testify to her abilities to lead, collaborate and innovate with an entrepreneurial mindset. I am thrilled she has been selected,” said Kosak, who has served as president since 2015. “For me, leading the Hertz Foundation through this transformation has been a great privilege, and the perfect capstone to my career commitment to excellence in higher education. I look forward to continuing to celebrate the impact of the exceptional work of our Fellows on the future of our nation and our society.”

Retiring after almost 10 years as Hertz Foundation president, Kosak has overseen unprecedented growth and transformation. During her tenure, the foundation dramatically strengthened its financial position—nearly tripling its financial assets. As a result, the foundation now enjoys top scores from the national nonprofit ranking systems, Charity Navigator and Candid. She worked closely with board leadership to expand and diversify board membership; develop the board’s ambitious strategic plan; significantly build out the value proposition of the Hertz Fellows community; and increase national recognition for the scientific leadership of Fellows. During this time, strategic partnerships have been developed with influential science and technology organizations, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Google, Draper, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 10x Genomics, and the Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group.

“Kosak has positioned the Hertz Foundation for further growth,” said Fantone. “Its financial position is strong, and so are its people—from an empowered staff to an engaged community of Fellows volunteers, donors and partners. Kosak has left an indelible impact on the foundation and its Fellows that will reverberate into the future.”

About the Hertz Foundation Founded in 1957, the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation accelerates solutions to the world's most pressing challenges, from enhancing national security to improving human health. Through the Hertz Fellowship, the Foundation identifies the nation's most promising young innovators and disruptors in science and technology, empowering them to become the future leaders who keep our country safe and secure. Today, a community of more than 1,300 Hertz Fellows is a powerful, solution-oriented network of our nation's top scientific minds, working to address complex problems and contributing to the economic vitality of our country. Learn more at HertzFoundation.org.

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