Douglas W. Nelson
Douglas W. Nelson
President / Chief Executive Officer
Douglas W. Nelson is President and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and a member of its Board of Trustees. He is one of the nation’s leading advocates for children and one of the country’s foremost experts on policies and community-based responses to improve the lives of at-risk children and their families. Since assuming the presidency in 1990, he has led Casey through one of the most remarkable and innovative transformations of a philanthropic organization – from a moderately-sized institution providing foster care services to disadvantaged children to one of the nation’s most influential and respected large foundations.
Today the Foundation supports a diverse range of activities with a mission to build better futures for millions of America’s children at risk of poor educational, economic, social and health outcomes. Its work is divided into five key areas: (1) designing and delivering services to secure and sustain lifelong family connections for foster children and youth; (2) advocating for public human service systems that operate effectively and efficiently to strengthen families; (3) expanding social and economic security for families in poor communities; (4) gathering and promoting the use of data as a tool for change; and, (5) transforming tough and isolated communities into family-supporting environments.
In addition to his membership on the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, he serves as Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative; a member and Committee Chair of Living Cities: the National Community Development Initiative; and ex-officio member of the Casey Family Services Board of Advisors. Prior to that, he served as Chair of the New York City Special Advisory Panel on Child Welfare and as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Foundation Center in New York City.
Closer to home in Baltimore, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the East Baltimore Development Initiative, Inc.; chair of Safe and Sound – Baltimore’s Campaign for Children and Youth; and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Baltimore Community Foundation.
In addition to frequent lectures and addresses, Nelson has written widely on a range of domestic social policy issues. His social history of the World War II relocation of Japanese Americans entitled Heart Mountain earned him a Pulitzer Prize nomination in 1976. Doug maintains close ties with many from this experience and currently serves on the Board of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation. His other published works include studies and essays on children and youth, aging, long-term care, and housing.
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