Written by Patra Brannon-Isaac, director of education and community projects for the Kinder Foundation
Continue reading “New Funds, New Normal, and a New Day for Education”
Jun 29, 2021
Jun 24, 2021
Get to Know the Kinder Foundation Team: Gary Dudley
Get to Know the Kinder Foundation Team: Gary Dudley
The Kinder Foundation is supported by an exceptional staff of smart and experienced professionals whose work helps carry out the mission of the Foundation. Over the past several months, we have introduced you to various staffers as part of our ongoing blog series and today we are pleased to spotlight Gary Dudley. As the Kinder Foundation’s Chief of Staff, Gary oversees the operations of the Kinder Foundation and Family Office.
Read on to learn more about Gary below. You can find past staffer Q&As here and read about the full Kinder Foundation team here.
Continue reading “Get to Know the Kinder Foundation Team: Gary Dudley”
May 27, 2021
Get to Know the Kinder Foundation Team: CJ Johnson
Today we continue our blog series introducing you to the members of the Kinder Foundation team. These colleagues are essential to the success of the Foundation’s mission of making impactful gifts that transform Houston in significant ways.
Today we introduce you to CJ Johnson, Kinder Foundation’s receptionist. CJ provides exceptional administrative support for the Kinder Foundation and family office.
Learn more about CJ below, and find past staffer Q&As here. Read about the full Kinder Foundation team here. Continue reading “Get to Know the Kinder Foundation Team: CJ Johnson”
Apr 21, 2021
Get to Know the Kinder Foundation Team: Aarti Garehgrat
Over the past several months, we have highlighted the talents, interests, and backgrounds of Kinder Foundation team members. They are the subject matter experts ensuring the Kinder Foundation mission is carried out with intention, diligence, and integrity.
Today we introduce you to Aarti Garehgrat, Kinder Foundation’s director of finance. A CPA, Aarti is responsible for the financial planning, analysis, accounting, and reporting for the Kinder Foundation.
Learn more about Aarti below, and find past staffer Q&As here. Read about the full Kinder Foundation team here. Continue reading “Get to Know the Kinder Foundation Team: Aarti Garehgrat”
Apr 14, 2021
Introducing Discovery Green’s new playground
After a long wait, Discovery Green is celebrating the opening of a more than $2.3 million dollar renovation of the park’s popular John P. McGovern Playground. While the upgrade was complete in August 2020, COVID restrictions required the playground to remain closed to visitors – until now.
While construction was underway, members of the Kinder team spoke with park president Barry Mandel about this exciting project. Mandel shared his insights on the renovation, COVID-19’s impact on the project and park use, and the meaningful ways Discovery Green creates a space which embraces Houston’s diversity and sense of community. Now that Houstonians can officially visit and enjoy the playground for themselves, it seems a great time to look back on how it all came to be. Continue reading “Introducing Discovery Green’s new playground”
Mar 31, 2021
Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award Alumni Spotlight: Caitlin Wales
Since 2001, the Kinder Foundation has honored a handful of Houston’s most distinguished teachers with the Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award in recognition of their commitment and innovation. The honors are given at an awards dinner each Fall, where current and past winners share their stories and are shown gratitude by their peers, administrators, and Rich and Nancy Kinder. The Kinder Excellence in Teaching Awards has gifted over $3.7 million to more than 250 teachers since the program was established.
We are proud to begin spotlighting past recipients of this award and sharing what they have been up to since their recognition.
Continue reading “Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award Alumni Spotlight: Caitlin Wales”
Mar 26, 2021
Get to Know the Kinder Foundation Team: Sarah Newbery
The Kinder Foundation is supported by an exceptional staff of smart and experienced professionals whose work helps carry out the mission of the Foundation: to support Greater Houston as a model city for economic opportunity and quality of life by providing transformation grants in the areas of urban green space, education, and quality of life.
We continue to highlight our talented team members, today with an introduction to Sarah Newbery, the Kinder Foundation’s director of parks and greenspace. Sarah coordinates partnerships and leads initiatives related to the foundation’s park projects, utilizing her decades of experience as an architect and project director to guide the foundation through its park partnerships with Memorial Park Conservancy, among others.
Learn more about Sarah below, and find past staffer Q&As here. Read about the full Kinder Foundation team here. Continue reading “Get to Know the Kinder Foundation Team: Sarah Newbery”
Mar 1, 2021
Fraudulent email scam involves Kinder Foundation
It has come to our attention that there is a consulting firm actively soliciting clients in the greater Houston area using the Kinder family name. Please be aware that this is a fraudulent email, and we request you report any deceptive activity to the authorities at the Federal Trade Commission’s FTC Complaint Assistant.
If you doubt the authenticity of any type of correspondence claiming to originate from Kinder Foundation or Rich and Nancy Kinder personally, please contact us at inquiries@kinderfoundation.org.
It is unfortunate scams are prevalent in our society today. When a scam involves the Kinder Foundation or its leadership, we report them as we become aware of them, and try to do what we can to stop them. For information about the Federal Trade Commission’s efforts against these kinds of fraud please visit the Division of Privacy and Identity Protection.
Feb 26, 2021
Get to Know the Kinder Foundation Team: Sabrina Kirwin
The Kinder Foundation is committed to making impactful gifts which improve Houston in significant ways. Our mission since 1996 has been to support Greater Houston as a model city for economic opportunity and quality of life by providing transformation grants in the areas of urban green space, education and quality of life.
This ambitious vision set forth by founders Rich and Nancy Kinder are made a reality in large part by the talented team supporting the foundation.
As we continue our blog series introducing the team that comprises the Kinder Foundation, today we highlight Sabrina Kirwin, our chief financial officer, who oversees the financial planning, analysis, and reporting for the foundation. Her guidance and oversight are essential to operating the foundation which has given $468 million in gifts and pledges to date.
Below you will find a Q&A with Sabrina. Read past staffer Q&As here, and to learn more about the rest of our team, stay tuned for future blog posts. Continue reading “Get to Know the Kinder Foundation Team: Sabrina Kirwin”
Jan 27, 2021
Get to Know the Kinder Foundation Team: Patra Brannon-Isaac
Rich and Nancy Kinder are the founders and eponymous faces of the Kinder Foundation. They set the vision and strategic leadership for the Foundation.
The Kinders are supported by an outstanding team of staff and highly regarded subject matter experts in urban green space, education, and quality of life who help manage relationships with grantees, provide thought leadership and critical expertise, and oversee logistics to achieve maximum impact with the $411 million in gifts and pledges the Kinder Foundation has made to date.
Over the next few months, you will be introduced you to each Kinder Foundation team member through a series of blog posts. In addition to their professional accomplishments, we will share a revelatory Q&A from each staffer with the goal of highlighting the brilliant, dynamic people that comprise the Kinder Foundation.
First up is Patra Brannon-Isaac, Kinder Foundation’s director of education and community projects. In her role, Patra leads the foundation’s transformational education initiatives. Patra joined the Foundation in February 2020. We are excited to introduce you to her via the questions and answers below. Continue reading “Get to Know the Kinder Foundation Team: Patra Brannon-Isaac”