Chris Nelson Appointed as Executive Director

The Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation has selected Christopher Nelson – former Managing Director of the Doris & Donald Fisher Fund – to lead strategy and grantmaking efforts as Executive Director. Nelson is expected to join the Foundation as of March 1, 2022.

Schwab Foundation’s Board Chair, President and Trustee since 2006, Katie Schwab Paige, along with original founders Helen and Charles Schwab, welcomed Nelson:

“Chris is a recognized equity champion with a strong commitment to empowering underserved and underrepresented students and their families -- there’s great alignment between his background and the Foundation’s mission to improve outcomes for K-12 public education nationally and to alleviate poverty in the San Francisco Bay Area. Inspired by his successes at the Doris & Donald Fisher Fund, including his innovation across the nonprofit public school movement in the U.S., we’re excited to bring Chris’s experience, energy and vision to our work. He will be instrumental in increasing the Foundation’s impact across more equitable education and access to human services.”

Christopher Nelson most recently directed the Doris & Donald Fisher Fund where he created the Foundation’s strategy, directed annual grantmaking and led relationships with transformative organizations including the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), Teach for America and many others. Most notably, Chris led investments in the country’s highest performing public charter school networks resulting in the creation of more than 500,000 new quality seats for students from marginalized economic communities. Chris also spearheaded investments in innovative human capital programs, the creation of multi-foundation funding collaboratives and advocacy initiatives at the local, state and federal levels resulting in critical policy change.

Chris is a Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow and currently serves on the board of the California Charter Schools Association. He has served as a longtime Board Advisor to the KIPP Foundation, Charter School Growth Fund, and Silicon Schools Fund which he co-founded. Chris previously served on the board for the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools and as the Founding Board Chair of the Newark Charter School Fund. Chris earned a B.A. from Duke University and a J.D. from Duke University School of Law.

“I am thrilled for this opportunity to join the Schwab Foundation and partner with a family synonymous with innovation and impact in business and philanthropy” Nelson said. “I look forward to building on the Foundation’s great track record of success and finding new ways to serve those most in need”.

See full press release here.