'The next era of philanthropy:' The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee names new CEO
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee named prominent Nashville community leader and nonprofit executive Hal Cato as its new CEO at the foundation's board meeting Wednesday.
Cato was most recently CEO at Nashville-based Thistle Farms Inc. and had also expressed interest in running for mayor of Nashville. Cato announced his intent to step down from his position as CEO of Thistle Farms — a rehabilitation program for survivors of human trafficking, addiction and domestic violence — in December, confirming that he was considering a mayoral run. He officially left the role at Thistle Farms in June.
"I knew I had done what I needed to do at Thistle Farms, and it was time to move on," Cato told The Tennessean. "But I was by no means done with this community. It’s where my heart is. I explored deeply for six months the chances of running for mayor and realized that really wasn’t what I was supposed to do. It just so happened the Community Foundation started their CEO search, so I thought this actually is probably a better fit for me than anything else. This opportunity allows me to still be able to work on big issues that impact the future of the city."
Cato succeeds Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee Founder and President Ellen Lehman, who announced her retirement in August after spearheading the organization for 30 years.
As Nashville’s largest nonprofit, the foundation is a philanthropic force that has donated more than $1.1 billion to charitable organizations across the nation. Cato, who was chosen following a national search led by the foundation's former board chairs, will assume his role as the organization's new leader on Nov. 14.
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Lyle Beasley, chairman of the foundation's board, said in a statement that Cato, who is deeply committed to Nashville and Middle Tennessee, is the ideal person to take the reins of The Community Foundation and establish a vision for the next era of philanthropy during this time of tremendous growth and challenge across our region.
"Hal is uniquely equipped to maximize our impact while staying true to our important legacy that is marked by compassion and effectiveness,” Beasley said. Lehman added, “I feel confident that Hal is the right person to protect the broad vision of The Community Foundation and its commitment to connecting generosity with need.”
The foundation's board of directors formed a search committee in August and set out to find, according to the organization's web site: "An experienced philanthropist. A socially conscious visionary. A proven leader."
Cato has been widely recognized for his leadership, including being previously named “Most Admired CEO” by Nashville Business Journal; “Business Leader of the Year” by LGBT Chamber of Commerce; “Community Leader of the Year” by International Association of Business Communicators; “Community Champion Award” by the Human Rights Campaign and “Nashvillian of the Year” by the Nashville Scene. A graduate of the University of Mississippi, Cato has been honored as a University of Mississippi Hall of Fame member.
Cato said he plans to spend the first few months in his new role listening to community partners and donors and looking at other community foundations across the country that are doing innovative work.
"The foundation is solid, pun intended," he said. "Now it’s a matter of what do we do with this. I think there’s a lot of potential for the foundation to play a role in leading and convening people to come together to discuss opportunities and also lean into our greatest challenges. We are so siloed. We have to break those down. That excites me. That would be where my heart would have leaned, whether the mayor's office or here."
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee was formed to help ensure good stewardship of charitable funds and now manages $550 million in assets. The foundation provides funding of programs to nonprofit organizations in 40 Middle Tennessee counties. It manages more than 1,500 funds and 150 scholarships that have awarded nearly $30 million in scholarship money to more than 10,000 students.
Background: Ellen Lehman, founder and president of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, to retire
The foundation administers seven different types of funds that reflect the priorities of its donors and makes grant funding available to nonprofits, primarily those serving the Middle Tennessee community. Additionally, the organization provides a number of direct services for Middle Tennessee, including ChildcareTennessee, Give Black, Give Back, GivingMatters.com, NowPlayingNashville.com; administers more than 150 individual scholarships; and sponsors well-recognized annual fundraising events including The Power of the Purse Luncheon benefiting The Women’s Fund; the Joe Kraft Humanitarian Award and The Big Payback. It also serves as one of the core philanthropic funding organizations in times of need.
The organization plans to honor its founder, Lehman, throughout the remainder of 2022, as it celebrates the opening of its new headquarters at Belmont and Woodmont boulevards, Beasley said in a prior statement.
Lehman still plans to be involved in the organization, just not six days a week like she has done the bulk of the last 30 years, she said in a prior statement.
"It depends on the weather," she said at the time, borrowing a line often used by former governor Ned McWherter. "I am going to be around when I am needed. I’ll be in the building. They are going to have a hard time getting totally rid of me."
Melonee Hurt covers growth and development at The Tennessean, part of the USA Today Network — Tennessee. Reach Melonee at mhurt@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Hal Cato to succeed Ellen Lehman as head of Community Foundation
