Bazán takes leave from foundation

Ret Boney | May 26, 2011

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DURHAM, N.C. - After six years as president and CEO of the Triangle Community Foundation, Andrea Bazán is taking a sabbatical of indefinite length, beginning May 23.

Phail Wynn, vice president for Durham and regional affairs at Duke University and chair of the foundation's board, will serve as interim president and CEO during Bazán's absence.

Lori O'Keefe, former director of philanthropic services for the foundation, will serve as interim chief operating officer.

Bazán did not respond to requests for comment, but wrote on her Facebook page on May 22 that she will be taking "a much needed break."

Wynn will be leading the organization on a part-time basis, says Kelly Harrell, director of communications for the Durham-based foundation, while O'Keefe will manage day-to-day operations.

Wynn and O'Keefe were not available for comment.

"Andrea has been president for six years and she's been running pretty hard that whole time and requested a sabbatical for some well-deserved time off," a request the board granted, Harrell says.

In addition to running the foundation, which manages 750 philanthropic funds totaling more than $135 million in assets and awarded about $11.7 million in grants in fiscal 2010, Bazán has numerous volunteer and board commitments.

Until earlier this year, she served on the board of the Council on La Raza, the country's largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization, including a term as board chair.

She currently sits on the boards of several organizations, including Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, the Women's Forum of North Carolina, Wachovia Bank, the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce and she is a member of the leadership council for Hispanics in Philanthropy.

She also serves on the Department of Homeland Security's Southwest Border Taskforce, a group created by the Obama administration in 2009.

Bazán will continue to hold her federal appointment and board seats, says Harrell, "to the best of my knowledge." Comment on this article

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