Kriss Deiglmeier to Step Down as CEO of Tides

Kriss Deiglmeier, Tides CEO, has announced she will leave Tides at the end of 2019, after successfully leading the social change organization for five years. Tides, a global foundation and nonprofit accelerator dedicated to a world of shared prosperity and social justice, serves myriad nonprofits and philanthropic donors in the fields of human rights, equality, environmental sustainability, education and health. Under Deiglmeier’s leadership, Tides has expanded its service offerings, staff, and assets to serve a broader array of clients and achieve heightened impact.

“Kriss has led the transformation of Tides to become an immeasurably stronger, forward leaning organization, with a clear Vision, Mission, and Approach, an expanded client base, and a proven track record for delivering on bold and innovative social change initiatives,” said Tuti Scott, Tides Board Chair. “At a time when movements for equality, human rights, and environmental security are under severe pressure, Kriss has united a diverse set of partners and clients in essential efforts to both defend and advance the values for which Tides stands. The board and I are immensely grateful to Kriss for her vision, energy, and dedication to leading Tides forward in service of accelerating the pace of social change.”

At the end of her first year as CEO, Deiglmeier had led Tides to set a new 21st century Vision, Mission, and Approach (VMA) for the organization that prioritized crossing boundaries, embracing risk, acting with empathy and respect, engaging with those whose lives are most affected, and prioritizing ideas that can scale.

During her tenure, Tides’ revenue has grown from just over $200 million in 2014 to more than $550 million, positioning Tides as a leader in the fields of global grantmaking and social change. Last year, the Tides Foundation distributed more than 4,400 grants, totalling over $322 million and delivering impact across 100 countries. Living up to its tagline of “Daring Change”, Tides expanded and deepened its work with 150 fiscally sponsored projects and 91 collaborative space tenants in San Francisco and New York – efforts that support over 500 people working for social change.

Furthermore, under Deiglmeier’s leadership, Tides Impact Investing fund offerings grew from one to 15, with many more impact investments financed in partnership with donor clients. Tides launched a Collaborative Initiatives model, and fostered Pledge 1%, a special initiative with over 8,500 member-companies globally investing in people, product, and philanthropy for community benefit. Working at the nexus of funders, changemakers, and policy has enabled Tides to drive real change in the critical areas of civic engagement, criminal justice reform, women and girl’s empowerment, and immigration. Tides has welcomed nine new board members since 2014, spanning multiple generations and representing a range of fields – from tech, to social justice, to academia – who have contributed expertise and fresh and diverse perspectives through this period of positive transformation.

“It has been a great privilege to serve at the helm of Tides as it has empowered clients and partners to navigate a time of great challenge around the globe, across the country, and within the communities we serve,” said Deiglmeier. “I have been honored to work with our talented staff and dedicated Board to fortify Tides, fuel innovative solutions, and position the organization to deliver on the promise of its inspirational mission of daring change.”

Through this leadership transition, Tides remains committed to achieving its mission of shared prosperity and social justice. Tides’ Board is leading the search, and Deiglmeier will remain as CEO through 2019 to ensure a smooth transition for Tides leadership, staff, and long-standing and valued clients and partners.

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