Pete McTier tapped as interim CEO of foundation group

By Maria Saporta

The Southeastern Council of Foundations has named Pete McTier as its interim president and CEO.

McTier, who retired as president of the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation in 2006, will begin his new role on Feb. 1. McTier continues to serve as a trustee of the Woodruff Foundation as well as its sister foundations: the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation, the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation and the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation.

During his philanthropic career, McTier has been active in national and regional foundation associations, including serving as vice chair of the Council of Foundations in Washington, D.C. and chairman of its management committee.

And when he was president of the Woodruff Foundation, McTier participated in almost every annual meeting of the Southeastern Council of Foundations, including its inaugural meeting in Atlanta in 1971. He also has served on the organization’s board as well as a term as board chairman.

“Pete knows our region, our field and our organization well,” said SECF Chairman Dr. Byron Harrell, president and CEO of Baptist Community Ministries in New Orleans, La., in a statement. “He is a proven leader who will provide a steady hand at the tiller and a thoughtful perspective as SECF continues to serve, strengthen and champion philanthropy in the South.”

McTier thanked outgoing SECF President Mike Howland for his service to the organization, and said he was honored to have been asked to serve as the interim president. But he also made it clear that he would not be seeking the job on a permanent basis.

“I have long valued SECF’s leadership role in advancing philanthropy in the region,” McTier said in a statement. “I have always admired the diversity of program interests, giving styles and management structures found among its members.

“Collectively, they represent the best of institutional benevolence. I pledge that during my brief tenure as president, I will stand with and support the SECF board and staff in the unending process of upholding the important mission and proven values of SECF and its members.”

The Southeastern Council is a membership association of grant-making foundations serving 11 states. Its mission is to champion excellence in all philanthropic activities and promote the creation of new charitable resources within the region.