
On October 19, 1987, the day the stock market crashed, the Ford Foundation sent a Western Union telegram offering me a job. My new title: archives assistant. I knew little about what foundations or archivists did, but I was bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and the Ford Foundation fit the bill for what I wanted in my next job: it was a large nonprofit that was international in scope that was trying to make the world a better place. I’ll work a year or two, I figured, and then join the US Foreign Service. The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. After five years as archives assistant, I was itching to learn more. An assistant grants manager position in Ford’s Urban Poverty Program opened up, but admins rarely made the leap to programming jobs. Fortunately, a program person took a shining to me and I found myself again in a
This content is exclusive to members.
Login for access
Join the PEAK Community
Start with Individual Membership, complimentary to all grantmaking professionals. You'll unlock access to insights like this one, along with member-exclusive tools and resources, our CONNECT community, and more.