NEW YORK — The Rockefeller Foundation today announced that Louise Shea has been named managing director for the Foundation’s Office of Human Capital Management. Ms. Shea comes to the Foundation from the New York Public Library, where she served as Vice President of Human Resources since 2008. Over the past decade, Ms. Shea redesigned the NYPL’s human resources services to support the strategic direction of the institution and its mission for the future, including the creation of centers of expertise devoted to staff and professional development. At The Rockefeller Foundation, Ms. Shea will align the talent, culture, and values of the Foundation with the new strategic vision and direction of the organization.
Prior to joining NYPL, Ms. Shea led human resources for several global organizations, including as Vice President of Human Resources for the International Rescue Committee, serving a global workforce of 10,000 employees. As Acting Vice President of Human Resources at CARE, she managed the organization’s relocation from New York City to Atlanta. In addition, she has held management positions at Hipp Waters, the American Institute for Foreign Study, and Save the Children. She is a graduate of Syracuse University.
“Louise brings a deep level of experience in talent recruitment, management and building the systems and processes that will help our people and partners thrive in their work. She brings passion for human development and humanitarian assistance as well as expertise within the non-profit sector. As The Rockefeller Foundation charts a new path forward to ensure the benefits of progress and prosperity are shared by all, we are grateful to welcome Louise Shea as a key member of our leadership team,” said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, president of The Rockefeller Foundation.
As managing director for Human Capital Management, Ms. Shea will lead a team that builds and implements strategies to attract, develop, engage, and support a high-performing, results-driven and collaborative culture of continuous learning, transparency, and accountability.
“I’m so grateful to join The Rockefeller Foundation team,” said Louise Shea. “The Foundation has always attracted extremely talented, mission-driven people who want to make a better world. It’s an honor to take on this new role and lead a team focused on building a twenty-first century foundation that will continue to lead the field of philanthropy long into the future.”
Over the course of her career in non-profit and humanitarian-focused human resources and talent management, Ms. Shea’s work has focused on aligning human resources functions with the overall business strategy of each organization.
Michele Coleman Mayes, Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for the New York Public Library, said, “Louise Shea is the type of human resources professional that forward-thinking organizations wish they had on their team. She is curious, optimistic, courageous and empathetic. She brings these attributes to bear when she confronts any situation. As a result, the positive changes the library has undergone with respect to talent management can be traced back to Louise. Indeed, some of these changes were difficult to make, but she was determined, demonstrating that she is a leader who embraces change not simply by reacting to it, but by making it happen.”
“Louise has a deep knowledge of all expects of human capital improvement and has an uncanny sensitivity to the critical issues that need focus,” said Philip Berry, President of Philip Berry Associates LLC. “Her results orientation when coupled with her attention to the details of process make her an extremely valuable player in any organization. She is astute at focusing on actions that yield results and when combined with her superb relationship building skills, ensures that she is a consummate professional.”
Ms. Shea begins her position on Monday, July 30.
Contact Info:
The Rockefeller Foundation: Matt Herrick, mherrick@rockfound.org
About The Rockefeller Foundation:
For more than 100 years, The Rockefeller Foundation’s mission has been to promote the well-being of humanity throughout the world. Together with partners and grantees, The Rockefeller Foundation strives to catalyze and scale transformative innovations, create unlikely partnerships that span sectors, and take risks others cannot – or will not. For more information, please visit www.rockefellerfoundation.org