Marguerite Casey Foundation Welcomes Two New Board Members

Marguerite Casey Foundation is pleased to announce that Lynn Huntley and David Villa have been elected to its Board of Directors as of April, 2008. The Foundation had recently expanded its board from seven to nine members. Ms. Huntley brings a background of advocacy and policy, while Mr. Villa adds investment management expertise. In addition to their professional experience, both have a long history of commitment to those underrepresented in society and to social change.

“We are very excited to have Lynn and David join our board. Their skills and commitment will complement our already strong and engaged board,” said Luz Vega-Marquis, Marguerite Casey Foundation president and CEO. “They both understand very well our mission of creating a movement of working families who can advocate for themselves.”

Ms. Huntley is currently the president of the Southern Education Foundation (SEF), which has been instrumental in setting a public policy agenda for education reform in the South. Previously, she served as Director of the Rights and Social Justice Program with The Ford Foundation.

After earning her law degree in 1970, Ms. Huntley began a distinguished career dedicated to human rights and social justice. She has served as a law clerk for a federal judge, staff attorney at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, general counsel to the New York City Commission on Human Rights, and as Georgia's 5th Congressional District Representative at the U.S. Department of Justice.

She serves on the Boards of CARE USA, Grantmakers for Education and is an Advisory Member for the Education Commission of the States. Ms. Huntley graduated with honors from Barnard College and Columbia University Law School, where she was a member of the law review.

Mr. Villa is currently the Chief Investment Officer for the State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB), where he oversees the ninth largest state pension plan, with assets totaling $87 billion and approximately $6 billion in additional investment mandates. He also held the same position for the State Board of Administration for Florida.

Previously, Mr. Villa was the Executive Director and Client Relationship Manager for UBS Global Asset Management/Brinson Partners – a world leader in the creation and management of complex institutional investment portfolios, with more than $383 billion in assets. From 1979 to 1996, Mr. Villa held various financial positions, of increasing responsibility, first with Arthur Andersen and, then, with First Chicago.

He graduated from Princeton University in 1976 with a BA in Economics and from Stanford University in 1977 with a MA in Economics and Latin American Studies. He received his MBA in Finance and Accounting from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University in 1979.