Jaimie Mayer Named Board Chair of The Nathan Cummings Foundation’s Board of Trustees
The Nathan Cummings Foundation (NCF) announced Jaimie Mayer has succeeded Ruth Cummings as Chair of the Board of Trustees. The great-granddaughter of NCF Founder Nathan Cummings and granddaughter of NCF’s first board chair, Beatrice “Buddy” Cummings Mayer, Jaimie was imbued with NCF’s core values from an early age.
This is the first time a fourth-generation Cummings family member has run NCF’s Board, demonstrating NCF’s commitment to cultivating the next generation of leadership in social justice family philanthropy. Having served on the board for 18 years and lived and breathed the world of philanthropy her whole life, Jaimie is prepared to lead NCF as it continues to leverage the full range of its assets to pursue justice for people and the planet.
“This is an important milestone in the life of the foundation that represents the family’s commitment to working as an intergenerational philanthropy, intentionally investing in and growing our leadership across generations. I am excited to see Jaimie lead us and bring her clear vision to our work,” Ruth said. “Her passion for social justice will deepen the partnership among board and staff and in the fields and issues we seek to influence.”
Jaimie also brings a wealth of philanthropic and management knowledge to the role. Jaimie’s career as a theatre and film producer spans from Broadway to nonprofit theatre, and from Sundance to Showtime. In the philanthropic realm, Jaimie works with philanthropists in their 20s and 30s looking to create their footprint, with families trying to integrate the next generation, and with non-profits cultivating the next-gen leaders.
“We need to not only fund trailblazers and risk-takers, but hold ourselves accountable to blazing our own trails, and taking our own risks,” Jaimie said. “The best way to honor my family’s legacy is to break down old silos and create new rules, new systems, and new behaviors not only in our grantmaking, but in our day-to-day operations as well. That, above all else, will inspire the next generation of philanthropic leaders.”
Jaimie firmly believes we must walk the walk by holding ourselves and the philanthropic sector accountable to our core values, principles, and commitments. That includes looking at how we take on issues of race, power, and privilege internally and externally. Everything from where we invest our endowment, to who we hire, to who we give grants to, shows what we value in the world. Now more than ever, we need to interrogate what it means – and what it takes – to create meaningful change.
“Jaimie’s longstanding dedication to the Foundation is a testament to her belief in the power of philanthropy to interrogate, disrupt, and inspire,” said CEO and President Sharon Alpert. “Her career working in the nonprofit arts sector grounds her in what our partners need and the critical role that long-term philanthropic support plays. She deeply understands why investing in culture change, policy change, and movement building are all necessary to spur transformative change, and I am thrilled to have her working with me in this next chapter.”