Ms. Lanjouw is a highly regarded expert in great ape conservation, having worked with chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas in the wild, as well as working extensively in conservation strategy, program implementation and research.

Prior to this appointment, Ms. Lanjouw has served as the director of the UK office of Arcus and Senior Program Director of the Foundation's Great Apes Program.

Prior to joining Arcus in 2007, Ms. Lanjouw was director of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme and was an international program officer for the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

Ms. Lanjouw has been a passionate and effective leader at Arcus, and her experience and expertise will continue to benefit the social justice and conservation program areas at Arcus.

Read more about Ms. Lanjouw here.

Hallenbeck's responsibilities will include the development of the Foundation's financial management strategy, as well as contributions to the development of its broader social justice and conservation strategies. In addition, she will lead the development and implementation of financial and operational policies and procedures.

"Cynthia has vast operational experience and a proven track record of creative problem-solving and change management that makes her an ideal addition to our leadership team," said Burton. "As the Arcus Foundation continues to expand its work globally, Cynthia will play an integral role in developing and achieving our strategic goals and objectives, while also focusing on ensuring that Arcus is as efficient and effective as possible."

Added Burton, "We have an exceptionally strong leadership team and a staff of respected subject matter experts in place who share a results-oriented approach to impactful grantmaking and advocacy. Together, we are striving to catalyze measurable change around the globe."

Since 2010, Hallenbeck has served on an interim basis as the acting CFO and CAO at the Council for Economic Education, an organization focused on improving the economic and financial literacy of K-12 students. She is also an independent director for the commercial real estate services firm Walker & Dunlop, where she serves as chair of the audit committee and a member of the compensation committee.

Hallenbeck's career has included tenures at both Citigroup and Merrill Lynch & Company. At Citigroup, she held a number of positions, most recently as managing director and COO of the Global Legal Support corporate center. At Merrill Lynch, she was Chief Financial Officer and Director of the Global Securities Financing Group, Corporate and Institutional Client Group.

Among her affiliations is her ongoing role as board treasurer of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, a unique global alliance of independent organizations working together to accelerate the development of safe and effective HIV vaccines.

Hallenbeck is a graduate of Smith College and Harvard Business School.

ABOUT THE ARCUS FOUNDATION


The Arcus Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation that supports organizations around the world working to advance equality across the spectrum of sexual orientations and gender identities (SOGI) as well as conservation of the world's great apes. Founded in 2000 by Jon Stryker, the mission of the Arcus Foundation is to achieve social justice that is inclusive of sexual orientation, gender identity and race, and to ensure conservation and respect of the great apes. The Foundation works globally and has offices in Kalamazoo, MI, New York City and Cambridge, UK.

• Bryan E. Simmons Named Vice President of Global Communications
• Tom Kam Promoted to Vice President of Social Justice Programming
• Social Justice and Great Apes Programs Expanded with Three Respected Thought Leaders

New York, NY, October 10, 2011 --- The Arcus Foundation, a leading global foundation advancing pressing social justice and conservation issues around the world, announced today several key additions to its senior leadership, social justice and conservation programming teams. Bryan E. Simmons, a veteran international communications executive and respected LGBT advocate, was named Vice President of Global Communications. Program strategist Tom Kam, formerly deputy program director for LGBT Programs and director of the Religion and Values Program for Arcus, was promoted to Vice President of Social Justice Programming. Arcus also announced the appointment of three highly-regarded policy and grantmaking professionals with global experience and impact; Elisa P. Gerontianos, Antonio L. Maciel and Rebecca R. Rittgers have joined the organization’s Social Justice and Great Apes Programs as Senior Program Executives.

Arcus CEO Dr. Yvette C. Burton said, “We are extremely excited to announce the promotion and addition to our staff of five supremely talented and distinguished individuals, each of whom will contribute invaluable experience, skill and passion to advancing the Arcus mission. They are all respected in their fields as thought leaders, and are committed to Arcus’ results-oriented approach to impactful grantmaking and advocacy as we strive to catalyze change around the globe.”

“Bryan Simmons is a recognized leader in the communications field who brings to his new role an incredible wealth of professional and personal experience,” continued Dr. Burton. “His deep expertise in all areas of communication strategy and tactics will guide Arcus as we develop and implement our expanding programs.”

Burton continued, “Tom Kam has been a valued member of the Arcus family since 2007, leading our Religion and Values program to become one of the cornerstones of our work. I am confident that he will elevate our Social Justice programming to new levels of effectiveness, innovation and impact. 

“Elisa Gerontianos, Antonio Maciel and Rebecca Rittgers, with their vast international experience, diverse talents and proven commitment to social justice and conservation, will be integral to our Social Justice program team in their roles as Senior Program Executives as we work to effect measurable change domestically and abroad through both grantmaking and the influence of knowledge leadership.”

Bryan Simmons has more than 20 years of global experience and deep expertise in communications, brand management and integrated marketing campaign development. Simmons formerly held a number of executive positions in Marketing and Communications at IBM, including Vice President, IBM Americas, Vice President of Global Industry Communications and Vice President of Marketing, IBM Lotus Software. He also launched the company’s first global alumni outreach program and most recently led the planning for IBM’s Centennial. Simmons holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College in Cambridge, MA. 

Tom Kam, formerly Arcus’ Deputy Director, LGBT Programs/Director, Religion and Values Program, has been promoted to Vice President of Social Justice Programming. Prior to joining Arcus, he was with the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region in Washington, DC, where he served first as senior program officer and later as vice president of Community Investment. He was also regional manager for Human Services for the County of Fairfax, Virginia; senior public health analyst for the United States Public Health Service; and associate director of AIDS Services for the Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, DC. Mr. Kam holds a Masters of Social Work from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and a Masters of Divinity from St. Patrick's Theological Seminary in Menlo Park, Calif. He is a former Roman Catholic priest who was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1983.

Elisa P. Gerontianos, Esq. comes to Arcus with significant experience in moving public policy through advocacy in the areas of federal and state environmental rights, international human rights, and animal welfare. She is currently a member of Manhattan Community Board 4, appointed by the Speaker of the New York City Council. There, she represents the LGBT community to improve the implementation of current hate crime legislation and accompany policy changes directed at improving state and city agency responses. She is a seasoned public policy advocate who has a proven commitment to the underserved, and has successfully built coalitions that have resulted in the passage of legislation promoting sound environmental preservation initiatives in New York and Connecticut. Because of her unique background in working on both human rights and animal welfare and her policy experience, she will support policy work in both the Great Apes Program and the Social Justice Program, increasing Arcus' policy competency as well as bridging our primary areas of work.   

Antonio L. Maciel was most recently an independent consultant, providing programmatic and management services to foundations and nonprofit organizations, working on program review and evaluation; grantmaking and grant evaluation; strategic planning and program implementation; issue research and planning; financial and management development; and organizational development and capacity building. Prior to that, he spent twelve years at the Open Society Foundations, serving in a variety of roles during his tenure, including as Director of the US Justice Fund, the largest grantmaking unit within OSI’s US Programs, with a budget of $18 million per year; and as Director of the Emma Lazarus Fund, a $50 million initiative aimed at promoting immigrant rights and increasing naturalization rates. He also has significant international grantmaking experience, having worked on special projects for OSF’s global Education Support Program, as well as on philanthropic activities in Latin America, Africa and Europe. He is a graduate of Stanford Law School.

Rebecca R. Rittgers was formerly a program executive for The Atlantic Philanthropies (USA), Inc., where she worked on the US Reconciliation and Human Rights Program for seven years, working within national and international contexts directing philanthropic programs within the US, Australia, Vietnam and China. Her grantmaking resulted in alignment of Atlantic’s human rights priorities with funding approaches designed to affect policy and systemic change. While there, she also guided the development of a diverse range of social justice programs geared to disadvantaged groups, including immigrants, communities of color, ex-felons, those on death row, veterans, the LGBT community, and groups most impacted after the 9/11 attacks.  

ABOUT THE ARCUS FOUNDATION
The Arcus Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation that supports organizations around the world working to advance lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) human rights, as well as conservation of the world’s great apes. Founded in 2000 by Jon Stryker, the mission of the Arcus Foundation is to achieve social justice that is inclusive of sexual orientation, gender identity and race, and to ensure conservation and respect of the great apes. The Foundation works globally and has offices in Kalamazoo, MI, New York City and Cambridge, UK.

The bill, which ended the 111th Congress with broad bipartisan support of nearly 170 co-sponsors in the House and Senate, was reintroduced in the 112th Congress by Senators Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Representatives Bartlett, Steve Israel, D-N.Y., Dave Reichert, R-Wash., James Langevin, D-R.I., and Edolphus Towns, D-NY, along with more than 35 additional original cosponsors.

“The vast majority of federally owned chimpanzees in laboratories are not being used in active research protocols, but rather have been warehoused for decades, wasting millions of taxpayer dollars year after year,” Markarian said. “Passing this bill would not only save federal dollars by sending chimpanzees to be cared for in sanctuaries, which are more cost effective than labs, but would also spare these highly intelligent and social creatures from isolation and harm.”

Efforts to end chimpanzee research and to see chimpanzees retired to sanctuary have drawn support not only from the public but also from more than 600 scientists, physicians and educators. Rep. Bartlett said, “As a scientist with a doctorate in human physiology, I worked directly with primates on research projects for NASA and our military to protect and preserve the lives of astronauts and our military personnel. Because of this experience, I closely followed and am gratified that with spectacular advances in scientific and medical research, invasive and destructive procedures on great apes are both less effective and more costly than alternatives. With this bill, the federal government will catch up with the science and spend taxpayers’ money more wisely by eliminating invasive research and cruel captivity of these incredible animals.”

“The bipartisan Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act is a common-sense reform to end needless pain and psychological harm to one of the animal kingdom’s most highly developed animals, the chimpanzee,” Sen. Cantwell said. “The chimpanzee is a poor model for illness research, and the vast majority of the 500 federally-owned chimpanzees are just wasting away in research laboratories resulting in millions of dollars of wasteful government spending. This legislation would require these chimpanzees to be permanently retired to sanctuaries, where it is far cheaper to care for them — not to mention a better environment for these magnificent animals.”

“Scientists around the world are ending the use of chimpanzees in invasive experiments because these intelligent creatures suffer immensely and are poor models for researching human diseases,” said Elizabeth Kucinich, director of public affairs for PCRM. “The Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act would ensure that there would be no more ineffective and inhumane chimpanzee experiments.”
For more information, go to The HSUS’ Chimps Deserve Better Campaign.

Facts

• The United States is the only developed country in the world that continues the large-scale confinement of chimpanzees in laboratories. Australia, The European Union, Japan and New Zealand have banned or strictly limited their use.
• At any given time, about 80 to 90 percent of chimpanzees in U.S. laboratories are not used in research, but simply warehoused at taxpayer expense.
• GlaxoSmithKline, a major pharmaceutical company that is developing therapies for hepatitis, voluntarily decided to end the use of chimpanzees in their research at the end of 2008 and stated that “while GSK recognises the importance of scientific knowledge tied to work with chimpanzees in the past, we also recognise that - in part thanks to new directions and advancement of animal models and other techniques in biomedical research - the case for using great apes in the future is less clear than it may have been previously.”

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization — backed by 11 million Americans, or one of every 28. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty — On the Web at humanesociety.org.

Responding to news that the palm oil arm of Sinar Mas, Golden Agri-Resources, has announced a plan to halt the destruction of Indonesia’s forests previously caused by their operations, Bustar Maitar, head of Greenpeace’s campaign to protect Indonesian forests, said: “This could be good news for the forests, endangered species like the orangutan and for the Indonesian economy."

Link to Greenpeace's Web site to read the full press release and learn more about the campaign.

KALAMAZOO, MI (JANUARY 26, 2011) - The Arcus Foundation, a leading global foundation advancing pressing social justice and conservation issues, announced today that Catherine Pino and Stephen Bennett have been appointed to the organization's board of directors, beginning with the March 25, 2011 board meeting. Pino and Bennett will join current board members Cathy J. Cohen, Darren Walker and Board President and Arcus Foundation Founder Jon Stryker.

Catherine Pino is the co-founder and principal of D&P Creative Strategies, a company that she and her partner founded to advance corporate, philanthropic and legislative efforts that mirror her deep commitment to social justice and civil rights issues. Pino has over two decades of experience working in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors, including roles at Carnegie Corporation of New York, DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, Independent Sector and the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), where she gained an expertise for developing strategic philanthropic efforts, designing and evaluating programs that target underserved communities, and creating successful public policy and advocacy agendas. Organizations Pino has current or past affiliations with include the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, the Victory Fund, Hetrick-Martin Institute, Nielsen, Independent Sector and NCLR.

Stephen Bennett is CEO of United Cerebral Palsy (UCP), an international network of disability advocacy organizations and providers of services. He is a leader in disability public policy with roots in advocacy, organizing and strategy, having started his career as a Peace Corps/VISTA volunteer in South Central Los Angeles in the aftermath of the Watts riots. Bennett served as the CEO of AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) in the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, and his experience in the early years of the HIV/AIDS pandemic developing a response, organizing support and building public understanding greatly impacted his life and later work. Bennett was also a founder of Sokolov, Schwab, Bennett, a healthcare strategy firm and CEO/Chair of the software firm, TransDecisions. Throughout his career he has volunteered his talents to public service causes, working in mental health, breast cancer and disabilities. He has served on various boards, including ANGLE, Leadership 18, and the National Institute for the Severely Handicapped. He is a founding board member of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and he currently chairs the Disability PAC. Teaching positions have included the Anderson School of Management at UCLA and Pepperdine University. Bennett and his partner are active supporters of Immigration Equality, which works to advance equal immigration rights for the LGBT and HIV-positive community.

"Stephen's long-time advocacy in the areas of health care, disability rights and social justice, and Catherine's wealth of experience in racial and social justice will be tremendous assets to Arcus and undoubtedly inform our work moving forward," said Stryker.

NEW YORK, NY (November 10, 2010) - The Arcus Foundation - a leading global funder advancing LGBT social justice and the conservation of the great apes - today named Dr. Yvette C. Burton, an experienced and respected leader in the corporate and nonprofit sectors as well as the LGBT advocacy community, as its new chief executive officer, effective January 4, 2011, following an extensive search.

"Yvette is an intelligent, talented leader and a passionate advocate who is the ideal person to lead Arcus forward as we take on new challenges and opportunities," said Jon Stryker, president and founder of the Arcus Foundation. "She has a unique professional history of accomplishment in both the corporate and nonprofit worlds, playing key roles in growing businesses and organizations. We considered a number of very strong candidates with impressive backgrounds. In the end, however, it was very clear that Yvette is perfectly suited to build on Arcus' tremendous success and take the organization into a new era of leadership."

"I am thrilled and energized to be joining the Arcus Foundation, an organization that is so highly respected and valued in its mission areas," said Burton. "Nonprofits and companies alike are increasingly challenged to address justice on a social scale. The Arcus Foundation is a unique place of both innovation and impact. I am very excited to work with Jon, and grateful for the opportunity to work with such an accomplished team of leaders."

For over a decade, Yvette has served as a managing global business development executive, business transformation strategist, and market development research director for IBM's Sales and General Business Services divisions. She has also led IBM's commercial strategy for global LGBT partnerships and advised numerous multinational companies on their internal and external outreach to the LGBT community.

Burton has extensive experience working for LGBT organizations and causes, with a focus on health care advocacy and service delivery. From 1992-1994, she was the Director of Lesbian Health for the New York City Department of Health, where she designed and directed the City of New York's first department focused on policy development, ethnographic research and program implementation of lesbian health issues. She administered technical assistance grants to community and AIDS service organizations. As the director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center's Project Connect (1992-1994), Burton led and designed substance abuse prevention and intervention social service programs for LGBT individuals and their families. She also managed the creation, pursuit and implementation of government and private grants.

Burton has received a number of awards and recognitions for her work serving, leading and advising the LGBT community. This year, she was given the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center's Award for Visionary Leadership and the Metropolitan Church of New York Award for Exceptional Corporate Leadership on LGBT Issues. In 2009, she received both a GMHC Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in GLBT Equality and HIV Advocacy and a Stonewall Foundation Honor for Outstanding Women.

Her current leadership roles in the LGBT community include her membership on the LGBT Task Force of the NAACP and the New York Steering Committee of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. She is also a member of the Gill Foundation Corporate Giving Advisory Council. Other past leadership roles include: past board director of the Empire State Pride Agenda; a founding board director of the Audre Lorde Project, serving LGBT communities of color; a former director of the Lesbian Health for the City of New York; founding project lead of the service delivery component of the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center of New York; former co-chair of the Out and Equal Annual Summit, Washington, DC; and a past national co-chair of the board of directors of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).

Burton earned her PhD in Organizational Systems and Human Development from Fielding Institute and has studied management at the Wharton Business School. She holds a master's degree in Criminal Justice and Procedural Law from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and did her undergraduate studies at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

About the Arcus Foundation

Founded in 2000 by Jon Stryker, the Arcus Foundation is a leading global foundation advancing pressing social justice and conservation issues. Specifically, Arcus works to advance LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) equality, as well as to conserve and protect the great apes. The Arcus Foundation works globally and has offices in Kalamazoo, Mich., New York City and Cambridge, UK.

For more information, visit the Arcus Foundation's website at www.arcusfoundation.org. # # #

This 8-minute video highlights Arcus grantee Save the Chimps' history and work.

Read an interview with Jon Stryker in the Chronicle of Philanthropy about the naming of the endangered primate

Read the press release from Fauna and Flora International that details the discovery of the new species