Chris DeCardy brings over 25 years of executive leadership and board experience in philanthropy. Most recently, Chris was named the new President of the Heinz Endowments and will take up his position with the Endowments in the Spring. In 2021, he served as acting CEO of ClimateWorks Foundation.
Previously, Chris was vice president and director of programs for the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, one of the largest U.S. grantmaking foundations and a founding funder for CLI. Working with the Board, CEO, and staff, he guided grantmaking strategy development and assessment, including the foundation’s $1 billion, 20-year commitment to climate change mitigation. He managed the integration of evaluation, communications, and capacity-building departments to deepen program impact, and supported cross-program teams in advancing diversity and equity commitments.
With a background in strategic communications and network advocacy, Chris previously helped launch and then ran Environmental Media Services, now Resource Media, an environmental communications non-profit credited with improving and expanding media coverage of international environmental issues.