Darren Walker#Operation Detroit

File:UVM 2019 Commencement Address- Darren Walker.webm by Walker]]

Walker was born in a charity hospital in Lafayette, Louisiana.{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/25/nyregion/ford-foundation-gets-new-leader.html?_r=0 |title=At Ford Foundation, Vice President Rises to Top Job |work=The New York Times |date=July 25, 2013 |access-date=March 11, 2014|last1=Barron |first1=James }} He was raised by a single mother, Beulah Spencer, in Texas, first in Ames and later in Goose Creek; and was one of the country's first children to benefit from the Head Start Program.{{cite web |url=https://philanthropynewyork.org/news/poverty-giving-away-millions-darren-walker-shares-his-american-dream |title=From Poverty to Giving Away Millions: Darren Walker Shares His American Dream |date=November 11, 2014 |publisher=Philanthropy New York |access-date=October 28, 2021}}{{cite web |url=https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/26bf6bf9/files/uploaded/BGC%20Head%20Start%20NewsLetter%20March.pdf |title=BGC Head Start NewsLetter: From Poverty to Giving Away Millions: Darren Walker Shares 'My American Dream' |publisher=Boys and Girls Club of North Central Florida |access-date=October 28, 2021}} Walker said that his background gave him "an understanding of the need for investment in human capital and the centrality of private philanthropy making a difference in human lives."{{cite web |url=http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20131020/NONPROFITS/310209986/darren-walker-gets-back-to-his-roots-in-a-new-post |title=Darren Walker gets back to his roots in a new post |work=Crain's New York Business |date=October 18, 2013 |access-date=March 11, 2014}}

With financial support from a Pell Grant,{{cite web |url=https://diversity.utexas.edu/academic-equity/darren-walker-scholars/biography/ |title=About Darren Walker: Honoring a Longhorn Leader |work=Division of Diversity and Community Engagement: Longhorn Center for Academic Equity: University of Texas at Austin |access-date=February 19, 2023}} Walker was admitted to the University of Texas at Austin. In 1982, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and a Bachelor of Science in Speech Communication. Subsequently, in 1986, Walker graduated from the University of Texas School of Law.{{cite web |url=https://www.utexas.edu/cola/public-affairs/Publications/pubs-archive/newsletter/october-2009.php |title=Dean's Alumni Newsletter |date=October 2009 |publisher=Public Affairs in The College of Liberal Arts at UT Austin |access-date=April 27, 2014 |archive-date=April 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428214628/https://www.utexas.edu/cola/public-affairs/Publications/pubs-archive/newsletter/october-2009.php |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.philanthropyjournal.org/archive/118166 |title=Rockefeller names new vice president |work=Philanthropy Journal |publisher=NC State University |access-date=April 27, 2014 |archive-date=April 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428033206/http://www.philanthropyjournal.org/archive/118166 |url-status=dead }}

Walker began his career in 1986, at the international law firm Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton. In 1988, he joined Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) and spent seven years in its capital markets division.{{cite web |url=http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/news-articles/darren-walker-promoted-to-president-at-ford-foundation/ |title=Darren Walker Promoted To President at Ford Foundation|work=The NonProfit Times |access-date=March 11, 2014}}

In 1995, Walker left the corporate world to spend a year volunteering at a school in Harlem.{{cite web |url=https://philanthropy.com/article/Ford-Foundation-Names-Darren/140535/ |title=Ford Foundation Names Darren Walker as its new CEO |work=The Chronicle of Philanthropy|access-date=March 11, 2014}} He went on to become the chief operating officer at Abyssinian Development Corporation, a community development organization also located in Harlem.{{cite web |url=http://www.blackradionetwork.com/ny_library_names_new_head_for_black_culture |title=NY Library Names New Head For Black Culture |work=BlackRadioNetwork |publisher=Black Radio Network |access-date=May 4, 2014}} There, he was able to draw on his private sector experience to advance redevelopment in Harlem, including the opening of a Pathmark supermarket in 1999 at 125th Street and Lexington Avenue.{{cite news |url=http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324522504579000983653577844 |title=Talking Optimism and Opportunity with New Ford Foundation Head |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=August 9, 2013 |access-date=March 11, 2014|last1=West |first1=Melanie Grayce }} Also, Walker led the development of the first public school built in New York City by a community organization.

From 2002 to 2010, Walker was vice president for Foundation Initiatives at the Rockefeller Foundation, where he oversaw a wide range of programs in the United States and internationally.{{cite web |url=http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/policysocial-context/22659-the-promising-choice-for-ford-s-presidency-darren-walker.html |title=The Promising Choice for Ford's Presidency: Darren Walker |work=Nonprofit Quarterly |date=July 25, 2013 |access-date=March 11, 2014}} Also, at the Rockefeller Foundation, he led recovery program in the South of the US after Hurricane Katrina.

He joined the Ford Foundation in 2010 as vice president for Education, Creativity and Free Expression, one of the foundation's three major program areas.{{cite web |url=http://www.paifoundation.org/2011/08/24/meet-darren-walker-vp-of-ford-foundation |title=Meet Darren Walker, VP of Ford Foundation |publisher=Paʻi Foundation Hawaii |access-date=May 5, 2014 |archive-date=June 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601224743/http://www.paifoundation.org/2011/08/24/meet-darren-walker-vp-of-ford-foundation/ |url-status=dead }} He also oversaw the Ford Foundation's regional programming in four offices based in Africa and the Middle East.{{cite web |url=http://www.pressreleasepoint.com/ford-foundation-names-darren-walker-next-vice-president-education-creativity-and-free-expression-pro |title=Ford Foundation Names Darren Walker as Next Vice President of Education, Creativity and Free Expression Program |publisher=Press Release Point |access-date=April 27, 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/policysocial-context/22659-the-promising-choice-for-ford-s-presidency-darren-walker.html |title=The Promising Choice for Ford's Presidency: Darren Walker |work=Nonprofit Quarterly |date=July 25, 2013 |access-date=March 11, 2014}} Amongst other achievements, as the Ford Foundation's vice president for Education, Creativity and Free Expression, Walker was a creative and servant leadership driving force behind initiatives such as JustFilms[http://www.fordfoundation.org/issues/freedom-of-expression/justfilms JustFilms] - one of the largest documentary film funds in the world - with the goal of advancing "social justice worldwide through the talent of emerging and established filmmakers"; as well as championing public-private collaborations such as ArtPlace, which supports cultural development in cities and rural areas in the United States.{{cite web |url=http://www.nywf.org/a-starlit-evening-honorees/ |title=A Starlit Evening Honorees |publisher=The New York Women's Foundation |access-date=May 1, 2014 |archive-date=April 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413012452/http://www.nywf.org/a-starlit-evening-honorees/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://bullitt.org/news/ford-foundation-announces-social-issue-film-funding-initiative |title=Ford Foundation Announces Social Issue Film Funding Initiative |publisher=Bullitt Foundation |access-date=May 1, 2014 |archive-date=May 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502005133/http://bullitt.org/news/ford-foundation-announces-social-issue-film-funding-initiative |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://moviecitynews.com/2013/01/ford-foundation-justfilms-supports-eight-films-set-for-world-premiere-at-sundance-film-festival/ |title=Ford Foundation JustFilms Supports Eight Films Set for World Premiere at Sundance Film Festival |work=Movie City News |access-date=May 1, 2014 |archive-date=May 1, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140501235914/http://moviecitynews.com/2013/01/ford-foundation-justfilms-supports-eight-films-set-for-world-premiere-at-sundance-film-festival/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2012/01/ford-foundations-justfilms-supports-5-sundance-premieres/ |title=Ford Foundation's 'JustFilms' Supports 5 Sundance Premieres |date=January 20, 2012 |publisher=We Are Movie Geeks |access-date=May 1, 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://www.insidephilanthropy.com/film/2013/9/23/ford-foundation-names-cara-mertes-to-succeed-bagwell-as-dire.html |title=Ford Foundation Names Cara Mertes to Succeed Bagwell as Director of JustFilms |publisher=Inside Philanthropy |access-date=May 1, 2014 |archive-date=May 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502032139/http://www.insidephilanthropy.com/film/2013/9/23/ford-foundation-names-cara-mertes-to-succeed-bagwell-as-dire.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite press release |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/five-ford-foundation-justfilms-supported-projects-premiere-at-sundance-film-festival-240797791.html |title=Five Ford Foundation JustFilms-Supported Projects Premiere at Sundance Film Festival |publisher=PR Newswire |access-date=May 1, 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://nextcity.org/daily/entry/ford-foundation-new-president-darren-walker-cities-urban-champion |title=Ford Foundation's New President Is a Longtime Urban Champion |publisher=Next City |access-date=May 1, 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://www.rasmuson.org/blog/?p=3821 |title=Creative placemaking-where arts and economy mix |publisher=Rasmuson Foundation |access-date=May 1, 2014}} Walker was also instrumental to saving American Folk Art Museum from going under because of the museum's dire financial straits, declaring that the museum is "a powerful showcase of the American spirit and an important public treasure for the people of our city."{{cite web |url=http://www.museumnews.net/link.asp?ID=1500749&Title=American%20Folk%20Art%20Museum%20Saved%20Through%20Last%20Minute%20Donation |title=American Folk Art Museum Saved Through Last Minute Donation |work=The Huffington Post |access-date=May 3, 2014 |archive-date=May 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140504062135/http://www.museumnews.net/link.asp?ID=1500749&Title=American%20Folk%20Art%20Museum%20Saved%20Through%20Last%20Minute%20Donation |url-status=usurped }}

On July 20, 2006, Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation, announced that Walker would be the foundation's vice president for initiatives in the United States and internationally. Rodin said: "Darren Walker's leadership has been critical to the Rockefeller Foundation's program strategy development, to advancing some of the Foundation's flagship programs, and, most recently, to our efforts to help break the planning logjam in New Orleans. We're energized by the opportunity to have Darren play a wider role in leading the Foundation." He took office on August 1, 2006.{{cite web |url=http://www.teachingthelevees.org/index.php?page_id=46#walker |title=Teaching the Levees |publisher=Teachers College, Columbia University |access-date=April 27, 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://foundationcenter.org/philanthropyannual/philanthropyannual2007.pdf |title=Philanthropy Annual - Foundation Center |publisher=Foundation Center |access-date=April 27, 2014 |archive-date=January 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130131064059/http://foundationcenter.org/philanthropyannual/philanthropyannual2007.pdf |url-status=dead }}

Walker led the Rockefeller Foundation's work in the United States and globally in supporting innovations that built economic development, sustainability, and assets for poor and disadvantaged people while also developing long-term responses to increasing migration and urbanization. He oversaw the foundation's evolving strategy and vision for New York City, as well as its role in rebuilding New Orleans.{{cite web |url=http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/uploads/files/e0601fcc-8073-4692-8ebe-16b8d16c37d5.pdf |title=New Orleans: Planning for a Better Future |publisher=Rockefeller Foundation |access-date=April 27, 2014 |archive-date=July 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701163834/http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/uploads/files/e0601fcc-8073-4692-8ebe-16b8d16c37d5.pdf |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.philanthropynewsdigest.org/5-questions-for/darren-walker-rockefeller-foundation |title=Darren Walker, Vice President of Foundation Initiatives, Rockefeller Foundation |work=Philanthropy News Digest |access-date=April 27, 2014}}

Concerning Katrina, Walker reflected that:{{cite web |title=Rockefeller Foundation, Teachers College to Distribute Curriculum on Spike Lee's 'Levees' Free to 30,000 Classrooms |url=http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/newsroom/rockefeller-foundation-teachers-college |access-date=April 27, 2014 |publisher=Rockefeller Foundation}}

{{Blockquote|text=The Hurricane Katrina experience provides a teachable moment to examine our expectations of each other as citizens. We believe that Teachers College has the expertise and experience to translate Spike Lee's masterful film into a curriculum for students to explore issues of race, class, poverty and democracy in America.}}

On his appointment as vice president, Walker remarked:{{cite web |url=http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/newsroom/darren-walker-named-vice-president |title=Darren Walker Named Vice President of the Rockefeller Foundation |publisher=Rockefeller Foundation |access-date=April 2, 2014}}

{{Blockquote|text=I deeply appreciate the confidence shown in me by this appointment, and I look forward to extending the exciting work we have under way at the Rockefeller Foundation. Judy Rodin's leadership, the team we are assembling, and the very promising strategic review we're completing convince me that an exciting new era for the Rockefeller Foundation lies just ahead.}}

Joining Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Walker led the Rockefeller Foundation to fund "a new Conditional Cash Transfer Learning Network which will share New York City's experience designing and implementing Opportunity NYC, the nation's first conditional cash transfer (CCT) program, as well as to continue learning from other countries and US cities about incentive-based poverty reduction programs." About the Network, Walker said: "As a global foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation has a keen interest in finding poverty-fighting models that work in different contexts around the world. The Foundation is proud to be a lead funder of Opportunity NYC, and we see the CCT learning network as an important means to further our investment in this groundbreaking pilot program."{{cite web |url=http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/102-08/mayor-bloomberg-the-rockefeller-foundation-launch-a-learning-network-share |title=Mayor Bloomberg And The Rockefeller Foundation Announce Launch Of A Learning Network |publisher=New York City |access-date=May 5, 2014 |archive-date=May 5, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505105030/http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/102-08/mayor-bloomberg-the-rockefeller-foundation-launch-a-learning-network-share |url-status=dead }}

Earlier, from 2002, Walker served as the Rockefeller Foundation's working communities program director; where he oversaw a grant making portfolio, in excess of US$25 million per year, that created anti-poverty strategies focusing on education, employment, sustainable community development, and democracy building in the United States. Bearing his mind on Walker's hiring, Sir Gordon Richard Conway, then president of the Rockefeller Foundation, said:{{cite web |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-rockefeller-foundation-appoints-darren-walker-to-head-its-working-communities-division-75304867.html |title=The Rockefeller Foundation Appoints Darren Walker To Head Its Working Communities Division |publisher=PR Newswire |access-date=April 27, 2014}}

{{Blockquote|text=Darren Walker has proven experience tackling many of the critical needs of low-income communities and families, such as affordable housing, job creation and better schools. As the Foundation strives to foster greater equity and create healthy, working communities globally, we look forward to Darren playing a vital role on our leadership team.}}

Having been named president of the Ford Foundation in June 2013, Walker later assumed office in September 2013, succeeding Luis Ubiñas.{{cite web |url=http://www.harlemworldmag.com/abfe-celebrates-darren-walker-president-ford-foundation |title=ABFE Celebrates Darren Walker as President of the Ford Foundation |work=Harlem World Magazine |access-date=April 26, 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://www.abfe.org/events/abfe-signature-events/abfe-salutes |title=ABFE Salutes |publisher=ABFE |access-date=May 5, 2014 |archive-date=May 5, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505074815/http://www.abfe.org/events/abfe-signature-events/abfe-salutes/ |url-status=dead }} In his earliest comments after becoming president of the Ford Foundation, Walker pledged to uphold the longstanding "advancement of human welfare" mission of the foundation, including its social justice and fairer world angle:{{cite web |date=July 26, 2013 |title=Darren Walker named new president of The Ford Foundation |url=http://www.thehabarinetwork.com/darren-walker-named-new-president-of-the-ford-foundation |access-date=March 11, 2014 |publisher=The Habari Network}}

{{Blockquote|text=Leading this institution is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I am so very honored and humbled. I pledge to work with energy and integrity, to lead while listening and learning, and to give my all in service of our mission: to build a world that is fairer and more just.}}

Also, at a meeting with Ford Foundation staff titled: "What should we help build next?", Walker said:{{cite web |title=Spotlight: Darren Walker Named Foundation's President |url=http://www.laffsociety.org/News.asp?PostID=765 |access-date=April 26, 2014 |publisher=Life After the Ford Foundation Society}}

{{Blockquote|text=Whatever we help the social justice visionaries of this generation to build next—at its foundation will be our staff. Because, like those who came before them and those who will follow, they are passionate about this place and its mission, and the enduring legacy we leave. In this way, one of the most indispensable elements of our culture is stewardship across generations. We're not just stewards of what we've helped build, but of the hard work and intellectual rigor of our predecessors. Together, we are part of an unbroken chain of commitment to social justice that reaches back to our earliest years and stretches far ahead of us. What a thrill to recognize the power inherent in that inter-generational bond.}}

In a December 2013 interview by New America Media, Walker talked about his opportunity to make the United States a better country for Americans and humankind, globally through his servant leadership at the Ford Foundation:{{cite web |title=Nonprofit Whisperer Takes Helm at Ford Foundation |url=http://newamericamedia.org/2013/12/a-nonprofit-whisperer-takes-the-helm-at-ford-foundation.php |access-date=April 27, 2014 |publisher=New America Media |archive-date=April 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428060414/http://newamericamedia.org/2013/12/a-nonprofit-whisperer-takes-the-helm-at-ford-foundation.php |url-status=usurped }}

{{Blockquote|text=I have a chance to make a difference by leading a remarkable institution committed to human welfare and social justice when the very notion of social justice is being contested. Our country's policies and discourse sometimes feel retrograde, taking us back to when justice was more rationed; particularly for low-income people and people of color. I have a huge opportunity to fortify those voices. We made great progress in poverty reduction, employment for low income and low skill workers, in increased participation in higher education and high school graduate rates. When I hear, 'Oh, the War on Poverty was a waste of time,' I don't accept that. You have a hard time convincing me that investments in human capacity and in the potential of people like me to advance in society have somehow been for naught.}}

To support climate action, earth's health, green economy plus renewable energy; and "to harness the full power of Ford Foundation's assets in the fight for a more just and fair world", Walker stated, in October 2021, that the Ford Foundation will divest investments from fossil fuels. Notably, Walker announced, as follows:{{cite web |title=Just Matters: Aligning our investments and our values |url=https://www.fordfoundation.org/just-matters/just-matters/posts/aligning-our-investments-and-our-values/ |access-date=October 27, 2021 |publisher=Ford Foundation}}{{cite web |title=Ford Foundation Announces Plan to Divest From Fossil Fuel |url=https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/ford-foundation-announces-plan-to-divest-from-fossil-fuels |access-date=October 27, 2021 |work=Philanthropy News Digest}}{{cite web |title=Ford Foundation Will No Longer Invest in Fossil Fuels |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ford-foundation-fossil-fuels-divest-millions |access-date=October 27, 2021 |publisher=CBS News}}{{cite web |date=October 18, 2021 |title=Ford Foundation to Divest Millions From Fossil Fuels |url=https://fox17.com/news/nation-world/ford-foundation-to-divest-millions-from-fossil-fuels |access-date=October 27, 2021 |publisher=Fox17 News}}

{{Blockquote|text=Going forward, Ford Foundation's endowment will not invest in any fossil-fuel-related industries. With our endowment, our strategy is twofold: First, we commit to not doing harm. Consequences are too great to justify any additional investments in fossil-fuel industries. Second, no less important, we will look for opportunities to invest in enterprises and funds that are fueling new technologies and capabilities, contributing to a renewable sector that is strong, diverse, and varied enough to sustain a green-energy economy.}}

Under Walker's leadership, the Ford Foundation became the first non-profit organization to issue a $1 billion earmarked social bond in US capital markets for proceeds to strengthen and stabilize non-profit organizations affected by COVID-19.{{cite news|title=Ford Foundation: Leading Foundations Pledge to Give More, Hoping to Upend Philanthropy|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/10/business/ford-foundation-bonds-coronavirus.html|work=The New York Times|date=June 10, 2020 |access-date=October 22, 2021|last1=Stewart |first1=James B. |last2=Kulish |first2=Nicholas }}

Walker will leave the Ford Foundation at the end of 2025.{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/darren-walker-ford-foundation-philanthropy-0735798d8b0110b248a6f06e46882ecf|title=Darren Walker, president of Ford Foundation, will step down by the end of 2025|first=Thalia|last=Beaty|website=apnews.com |publisher=Associated Press|date=23 July 2024|accessdate=23 July 2024}}

{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/22/arts/darren-walker-ford-foundation-stepping-down.html |title=Darren Walker, Who Reoriented the Ford Foundation, Will Step Down|first=Robin|last=Pogrebin|author-link=Robin Pogrebin| website=The New York Times|date=22 July 2024|accessdate=23 July 2024}}

Walker led efforts to save the Detroit Institute of Arts and city workers' pensions in the Detroit bankruptcy process.{{cite web |date=January 13, 2014 |title=A Statement to the People of Detroit |url=https://www.fordfoundation.org/news-and-stories/news-and-press/news/a-statement-to-the-people-of-detroit/ |access-date=July 17, 2022 |publisher=Ford Foundation Newsroom}}{{cite web |url=http://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/7914/is_the_ford_foundation_s_darren_walker_the_savior_of_detroit#.U18L26LQvyQ |title=Is The Ford Foundation's Darren Walker The Savior Of Detroit? |work=Deadline Detroit |access-date=April 28, 2014}} Walker stated that it was "unprecedented and monumental for philanthropies to undertake this kind of initiative, but if there was ever a time when philanthropy should step up, this is it."{{cite web |url=http://www.bbnpov.com/?p=1418 |title=Detroit Bankruptcy: Struggling city ready for comeback |work=Point of View |access-date=April 28, 2014 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429203248/http://www.bbnpov.com/?p=1418 |archive-date=April 29, 2014}} Of Detroit's $18 billion in debts, Walker's Ford Foundation pledged to provide $125 million, and either other foundations contributed a sum of $205 million. The contribution would relieve the city-owned Detroit Institute of the Arts from having to sell some of its collection.{{cite web |last=Lee |first=Jena |date=February 7, 2014 |title=To save Detroit Institute of Arts, no cost too great? |url=http://createquity.com/2014/02/to-save-detroit-institute-of-arts-no-cost-too-great.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328135118/http://createquity.com/2014/02/to-save-detroit-institute-of-arts-no-cost-too-great.html |archive-date=2014-03-28 |access-date=April 29, 2014 |website=Createquity |publisher=}}{{cite web |last=Stryker |first=Mark |date=January 28, 2014 |title=Foundation adds $40M to Detroit deal |url=http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/28/foundation-adds-40m-to-detroit-deal/4989239 |access-date=April 29, 2014 |work=USA Today}}

The foundations explained their investments as an attempt to "bolster the spirit of positive engagement and creativity in Detroit."{{cite web |last1=Ibargüen |first1=Alberto |last2=Noland |first2=Mariam |last3=Rapson |first3=Rip |last4=Walker |first4=Darren |date=January 17, 2014 |title=Why Our Foundations Are Investing in Detroit |url=http://philanthropy.com/article/Why-Our-Foundations-Made-an/144107 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025083302/https://philanthropy.com/article/Why-Our-Foundations-Are/153777 |archive-date=2015-10-25 |access-date=April 29, 2014 |work=The Chronicle of Philanthropy}}

With the National Center on Time & Learning and the governors of Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Tennessee, Walker and the Ford Foundation contribute to a public education initiative called TIME Collaborative. The initiative invests in expanded learning time.{{cite web |title=Gov. Malloy: 3,000 More Connecticut Students Will Benefit from Extended School Time |url=http://www.governor.ct.gov/malloy/cwp/view.asp?A=4010&Q=535086 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505073004/http://www.governor.ct.gov/malloy/cwp/view.asp?A=4010&Q=535086 |archive-date=2014-05-05 |access-date=May 5, 2014 |publisher=State of Connecticut |location=Hartford, Connecticut}}{{cite web |title=Meriden schools share national spotlight of extended day |url=http://www.myrecordjournal.com/meriden/meridennews/2954099-129/meriden-schools-share-national-spotlight-of-extended-day.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505073821/http://www.myrecordjournal.com/meriden/meridennews/2954099-129/meriden-schools-share-national-spotlight-of-extended-day.html |archive-date=2014-05-05 |access-date=May 5, 2014 |work=Record-Journal |location=Meriden, Connecticut}}

In October 2024, Walker was named president of the National Gallery of Art. He had been a member of the board of trustees for five years, and succeeded Mitchell Rales.{{Cite news |last=Roberts |first=Roxanne |date=15 October 2024 |title=Darren Walker elected president of the National Gallery of Art |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/art/2024/10/15/darren-walker-national-gallery-art-president/ |access-date=15 October 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}

File:Darren Walker with Friends of the LBJ Library, 2020-03-05.jpg

• NEH 2023 National Humanities MedalPress release. President Biden Awards 2022 and 2023 National Humanities Medals. National Endowment for the Humanities. https://www.neh.gov/news/president-biden-awards-2022-and-2023-national-humanities-medals
• The Wall Street Journal{{'s}} 2020 Philanthropy Innovator{{Cite news|last=Lipsky-Karasz|first=Elisa|date=November 17, 2020 |title=How Darren Walker and the Ford Foundation Reinvented Philanthropy for the Pandemic|language=en-US|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/darren-walker-interview-ford-foundation-philanthropy-pandemic-11604679844|access-date=August 31, 2021 |issn=0099-9660}}
• Time magazine's annual 100 Most Influential People in 2016{{Cite magazine|last=John|first=Elton|title=Darren Walker: The World's 100 Most Influential People|url=https://time.com/collection-post/4301843/darren-walker-2016-time-100/|access-date=August 31, 2021 |magazine=Time}}
• Rolling Stone{{'s}} 25 People Shaping the Future in 2017{{Cite magazine|last1=Brassil|first1=Jeff Goodell, Mark Binelli, Tessa Stuart, Ben Wofford, Amanda Chicago Lewis, Zoe Carpenter, Alexander Zaitchik, Jonah Weiner, Tim Dickinson, Saul Elbein, Justin Nobel, Brian Patrick Eha, Gillian |last2=Goodell |first2=Jeff |last3=Binelli |first3=Mark |last4=Stuart |first4=Tessa |last5=Wofford |first5=Ben |last6=Lewis |first6=Amanda Chicago |last7=Carpenter |first7=Zoe |last8=Zaitchik |first8=Alexander |last9=Weiner |first9=Jonah |date=November 17, 2017 |title=25 People Shaping the Future|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/25-people-shaping-the-future-in-tech-science-medicine-activism-and-more-116138/|access-date=August 31, 2021 |magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}
• Fast Company{{'s}} Most Creative People in Business in 2017{{Cite web|last=Pastore|first=Rose|date=January 24, 2017 |title=Be Inspired By These Creative Leaders Who Are Changing The World|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3067011/be-inspired-by-these-creative-leaders-who-are-changing-the-world|access-date=August 31, 2021 |website=Fast Company|language=en-US}}
• Ebony Power 100 in 2014{{cite web |url=https://www.ebony.com/power100-2014 |title=2014 Ebony Power 100 List: Darren Walker |work=Ebony |access-date=October 25, 2021}}{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2021/03/30/opportunity-crisis-reimagining-just-society-with-julin-castro-rep-marilyn-strickland-darren-walker |title=Opportunity in Crisis: Reimagining a Just Society with Julián Castro, Rep. Marilyn Strickland & Darren Walker |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=October 25, 2021}}
• Out magazine's Power 50 in 2015{{Cite web|date=April 15, 2015 |title=Power 50: Darren Walker|url=http://www.out.com/power-50/2015/4/06/power-50-darren-walker|access-date=August 31, 2021 |website=Out}}

In July 2022, he was awarded as Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), for "services to US/UK relations".{{cite web |title=Honorary Awards to Foreign Nationals in 2022 |date=2022 |publisher=Gov.UK |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/honorary-british-awards-to-foreign-nationals-2022/honorary-awards-to-foreign-nationals-in-2022}}

Walker has given commencement addresses for:

• Miami Dade College medical campus in 2014{{cite web |title=High Profile Speakers Inspire Grads |date=June 16, 2014 |url=https://news.mdc.edu/high-profile-speakers-inspire-grads |access-date=October 26, 2021 |publisher=Miami Dade College}}{{cite web |title=Medical Campus Ceremony Will Feature Darren Walker President of Ford Foundation |date=April 21, 2014 |url=https://miami.cbslocal.com/2014/04/21/vp-biden-to-deliver-commencement-speech-at-mdc |access-date=October 26, 2021 |publisher=CBS Miami}}
• University of Texas at Austin in 2015{{cite web |title=Ford Foundation President Darren Walker Asks Graduates to Consider the Road Ahead |date=May 23, 2015 |url=https://news.utexas.edu/2015/05/23/darren-walker-to-graduates-consider-the-road-ahead |access-date=October 27, 2019 |publisher=University of Texas at Austin News}}{{cite web |title=President of Ford Foundation: UT Alumnus Darren Walker to Deliver Commencement Address |url=https://www.dailytexanonline.com/2015/03/09/president-of-the-ford-foundation-ut-alumnus-darren-walker-to-deliver-commencement-address |access-date=October 27, 2019 |work=The Daily Texan |archive-date=October 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027152027/https://www.dailytexanonline.com/2015/03/09/president-of-the-ford-foundation-ut-alumnus-darren-walker-to-deliver-commencement-address |url-status=dead }}
• Hunter College, City University of New York in 2016{{cite web |title=Hunter's 212th Commencement: A Great Day in New York City |url=http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/communications/pressroom/news/hunter2019s-212th-commencement-a-great-day-in-new-york-city |access-date=October 27, 2019 |publisher=Hunter College}}
• New York University in 2016{{cite web |title=Darren Walker: Ford Foundation President Darren Walker to Speak at New York University's Commencement |url=https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2016/march/darren-walker-ford-foundation-president-to-speak-at-nyus-commencement.html |access-date=October 27, 2019 |publisher=New York University}}{{cite magazine |title=Darren Walker: New York University Commencement Speech |url=https://time.com/4341702/darren-walker-nyu-commencement-speech |access-date=October 27, 2019 |magazine=Time}}
• Queens College, City University of New York in 2016{{cite web |last=Toure |first=Madina |date=June 13, 2016 |title=Queens College Holds 92nd Commencement Exercises |url=https://qns.com/story/2016/06/13/queens-college-holds-92nd-commencement-exercises |access-date=October 27, 2019 |work=Queens Courier}}{{cite web |date=June 1, 2016 |title=Ford Foundation's Darren Walker, One Of Time's 100 Most Influential People Of The Year To Speak At 92nd Commencement Ceremony June 2 |url=https://www1.cuny.edu/mu/forum/2016/06/01/ford-foundations-darren-walker-one-of-times-100-most-influential-people-of-the-year-to-speak-at-92nd-commencement-ceremony-june-2 |access-date=October 27, 2019 |publisher=City University of New York}}
• Oberlin College in 2017{{cite web |title=Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation, is 2017 Commencement Speaker |date=April 28, 2017 |url=https://www.oberlin.edu/news/darren-walker-president-ford-foundation-2017-commencement-speaker |access-date=October 27, 2019 |publisher=Oberlin College and Conservatory}}{{cite web |title=Go Forth: Darren Walker |date=June 6, 2017 |url=https://www.oberlin.edu/news/go-forth |access-date=October 27, 2019 |publisher=Campus News: Oberlin College and Conservatory}}
• Sarah Lawrence College in 2018{{cite web |title=President of Ford Foundation Darren Walker to Deliver Undergraduate Commencement Address |url=https://www.sarahlawrence.edu/news-events/news/2018-05-14-president-of-ford-foundation-darren-walker-to-deliver-undergraduate-commencement-address-nr.html |access-date=October 27, 2019 |publisher=Sarah Lawrence College |archive-date=October 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027152020/https://www.sarahlawrence.edu/news-events/news/2018-05-14-president-of-ford-foundation-darren-walker-to-deliver-undergraduate-commencement-address-nr.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |title=Sarah Lawrence College Holds 90th Commencement Ceremony |url=http://longisland.news12.com/story/38223759/sarah-lawrence-college-holds-90th-commencement-ceremony |access-date=October 27, 2019 |publisher=News 12: Long Island}}
• Hamilton College in 2018{{cite web |title=Ford Foundation President to Give Commencement Address |url=https://www.hamilton.edu/news/story/ford-foundation-president-darren-walker-to-give-commencement-address |access-date=October 27, 2019 |publisher=Hamilton College}}{{cite web |date=May 20, 2018 |title=Hamilton College Graduates Hundreds |url=https://www.wktv.com/content/news/Hamilton-College-graduates-hundreds-483169031.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180522060512/https://www.wktv.com/content/news/hamilton-college-graduates-hundreds-483169031.html |archive-date=2018-05-22 |access-date= |publisher=WKTV: Heartland Media}}
• University of Vermont in 2019{{cite web |title=Ford Foundation President Darren Walker to Give UVM Commencement Address |url=https://www.uvm.edu/uvmnews/news/ford-foundation-president-darren-walker-give-uvm-commencement-address-0 |access-date=October 27, 2019 |work=UVM Today |publisher=University of Vermont}}{{cite web |title=Students Earn Degrees from the University of Vermont |url=http://reportertoday.com/eastprovidence/eastprovidence/stories/students-earn-degrees-from-the-university-of-vermont,27179? |access-date=October 27, 2019 |work=Reporter Today |date=June 5, 2019 |location=East Providence}}
• Amherst College in 2019{{cite web |title=From Generosity to Justice: A Better Vision for 21st-Century Philanthropy |url=https://www.amherst.edu/news/specialevents/commencement/speeches_multimedia/commencement-2019/conversations-with-honored-guests/darren-walker |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713121535/https://www.amherst.edu/news/specialevents/commencement/speeches_multimedia/commencement-2019/conversations-with-honored-guests/darren-walker |archive-date=2019-07-13 |access-date=October 27, 2019 |publisher=News: Amherst College}}{{cite web |title=This goes beyond bittersweet: Amherst College Graduates 484 Seniors |url=https://www.gazettenet.com/Amherst-College-commencement-25784438 |access-date=October 27, 2019 |work=Daily Hampshire Gazette}}
• Bennington College in 2021{{cite web |title=Ford Foundation President Darren Walker Addressed the Class of 2021 at Bennington College's 86th Commencement |url=https://www.bennington.edu/news-and-features/darren-walker-addresses-class-of-2021 |access-date=October 24, 2021 |publisher=Bennington College}}
• Prairie View A&M University in 2022{{cite web |title=President of Ford Foundation, Darren Walker, to address PVAMU's spring class of 2022 |url=https://www.pvamu.edu/blog/president-of-ford-foundation-darren-walker-to-address-pvamus-spring-class-of-2022/ |access-date=May 23, 2022 |work=Prairie View A&M University|date=March 30, 2022 }}{{cite web |title=Watch PVAMU's 140th Spring Commencement Convocation Address/Darren Walker |url=https://www.pvamu.edu/blog/watch-pvamus-140th-spring-commencement-convocation-address/walker/ |access-date=May 23, 2022 |work=Prairie View A&M University}}

Walker is gay.{{Cite news |last=Rose-Smith |first=Imogen |date=May 3, 2017 |url=https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/b1505pt0h309p5/fords-darren-walker-rips-asset-management-over-diversity |title=Ford's Darren Walker Rips Asset Management Over Diversity |work=Institutional Investor |access-date=April 5, 2018 }}{{Cite interview |first=Darren |last=Walker |date=November 19, 2014 |title=Darren Walker: The first out gay president of the Ford Foundation |url=http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Darren-Walker-The-first-out-gay-president-of-the-Ford-Foundation/49711.html |interviewer=Angelique Smith |website=Windy City Times |access-date=April 5, 2018 }}{{Cite magazine|title=Ford Foundation President on His Coming Out 'Process': 'I Never Thought I'd Fall in Love'|date=March 7, 2018|magazine=People|url=http://people.com/movies/darren-walker-coming-out-stories-love-simon-2/|last=Cagle|first=Jess|access-date=April 5, 2018}} His partner of 26 years, David Beitzel, died in 2019 from heart failure.{{Cite web |last=Spring |first=Justin |date=February 12, 2019 |title=David Beitzel (1958–2019) |url=https://www.artforum.com/passages/justin-spring-on-david-beitzel-78592 |access-date=2022-09-27 |website=Artforum |language=en-US}}

• By the People: Designing a Better America by Cynthia Smith (2016, introduction by Walker), published by Cooper Hewitt, {{ISBN|9781942303145}}
• Giving Done Right: Effective Philanthropy and Making Every Dollar Count by Phil Buchanan (2019, foreword by Walker), published by PublicAffairs, {{ISBN|9781541742253}}
• The Living Legacy of W. McNeil Lowry; Vision and Voice edited by Frank Kessel (2020, foreword by Walker), published by Peter Lang Us, {{ISBN|9781433169656}}
• Power to the Public: The Promise of Public Interest Technology by Tara Dawson McGuinness and Hana Schank (2021, afterword by Walker), published by Princeton University Press, {{ISBN|9780691207759}}
• Designing Peace: Building a Better Future Now edited by Cynthia Smith (2022, preface by Walker), published by Cooper Hewitt, {{ISBN|9781942303329}}
• From Generosity to Justice: A New Gospel of Wealth (2023), published by Disruption Books, {{ISBN|9781633310773}}

{{reflist}}

{{commons category}}

• [https://www.fordfoundation.org/about/people/darren-walker/ Ford Foundation profile]
• [https://www.leonardodicaprio.org/authors/darren-walker/ Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation]
• [http://www.icpdtaskforce.org/about/Darren-Walker.html High-Level Task Force: ICPD: International Conference on Population and Development]
• [https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/newsmakers/darren-walker-president-ford-foundation-philanthropy-and-social-justice Philanthropy News Digest]
• [https://pacscenter.stanford.edu/person/darren-walker/ Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society: Stanford University]
• [https://philanthropyforum.org/people/darren-walker/ Global Philanthropy Forum]
• [https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/talks-at-gs/darren-walker.html Talks at Goldman Sachs]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Darren}}

Category:1959 births

Category:American chief operating officers

Category:American nonprofit executives

Category:American gay men

Category:African-American LGBTQ people

Category:LGBTQ people from Louisiana

Category:Living people

Category:New York (state) lawyers

Category:New York University faculty

Category:People associated with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton

Category:University of Texas School of Law alumni

Category:Members of the American Philosophical Society

Category:Honorary officers of the Order of the British Empire

Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people