10 Minutes with…

Mary Galeti, Vice Chair, Tecovas Foundation

Chances are if you ask Mary Galeti to define “leadership,” the 26-year-old will offer a very candid view of the concept. As vice chair of the Tecovas Foundation, Galeti was thrust into the leadership spotlight in 2004, after the deaths of her grandmother, mother, and aunt who had previously been the foundation’s leaders.

“In my opinion, leadership means acknowledging that I don’t know everything. It also means letting the people who are good at what they do, do their jobs, and learn from their knowledge and experiences,” Galeti said. “I had to figure out on my own, and very quickly, how to lead my family’s foundation. I did have a base of wisdom to fall back on, but I couldn’t call my parents anymore.”

The experience was “terrifying and exhilarating” according to Galeti. And she credits the one-on-one conversations with experienced leaders in the foundation world as one of the most effective ways to learn about the issues and gain leadership insight.

Galeti is part of the “next generation” of philanthropists and philanthropic leaders who are growing in both strength and numbers. In the coming years, the onus will be twofold. For the field, it will mean identifying and developing the next generation. For these emerging leaders, it will mean participating and immersing themselves in the field’s most pressing and challenging issues.

In the Leadership Spotlight

Galeti’s grandmother, philanthropist Caroline Bush Emeny, created the Tecovas Foundation in 1998. Emeny wanted to build a performing arts center in Amarillo, Texas, and made a multimillion-dollar gift to begin its construction. Emeny died in 2001, four years before the center was completed.

In 2000, the foundation invited Galeti to join the board—but only after a rigorous “application” process.

“I had just turned 18 and I had to write and tell the board why I wanted to join the foundation and what I wanted to do once I was on the board. Frankly, it was as tough and intensive as filling out a college application! In fact, I think I ‘borrowed’ some of the language from my college application for my foundation one!” Galeti said.

After her grandmother died, the foundation was managed by Galeti’s mother and aunt. Sadly, her mother and one aunt both died in 2004, leaving Galeti and her generation with a new responsibility and a bigger endowment.

“This was a very difficult period because we needed to go into succession planning mode: a majority of the board was, and still is, under 30. In addition, the foundation was serving two areas—Cleveland, Ohio, and Amarillo, Texas. These are two very different communities with different needs—we needed leadership in both places,” Galeti said.

The Tecovas Foundation board has been immersed in a strategic planning process since 2004. The foundation has fulfilled donor intent and continues to honor legacy but aims to create its own mark.

One of the issues Galeti and the board are grappling with is how to manage grantmaking in the current economic climate when immediate needs are so great. From its $10 million endowment, the foundation gives away between $700,000 and $800,000 in grants every year.

“This is a tough decision: should we spend down the foundation’s endowment and meet current demand or should we issue small grants and spread out our money for the long term?” Galeti questioned. “As a leader, it’s a question I think about every day.”

Being Part of the Conversation

It’s important for the next generation to have a seat at the table because they bring diversity of thought to discussions around policy and the future of philanthropy.

Galeti believes that if the next generation is excluded from these conversations, young leaders will become disillusioned.

“I look at it from the standpoint that this is the current leadership’s opportunity to shape the way we—the next generation—think, and for us to have influence in shaping the field—a field that we will inherit,” Galeti said.

That’s why she believes that the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy’s recent report, “Criteria for Philanthropy at Its Best,” which lists measurable criteria that foundations can follow “to operate ethically and maximize the impact of their dollars,” has raised some good questions.

“This report has forced our field to have these discussions and debate the issues,” Galeti said.

One of the philanthropic field’s strengths is that it allows for autonomy and innovation. Galeti worries that adopting the NCRP criteria may be “limiting.” But, nonetheless, she notes that having these types of conversations and soliciting varied viewpoints, which include generational perspectives, will create a better field in the long run.

Servant Leadership

What does Galeti think about the future of philanthropy?

“I am curious to see how people will give away their money—what kind of vehicles will they use?” she said. “Will we see a surge in donor advised funds, more private foundations, or will we devise other vehicles?”

For now, she’s focusing her efforts on the communities the Tecovas Foundation serves.

“When I do get overwhelmed,” Galeti said, “I think about my favorite quote by Max Dupree: ‘The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.’”