Russell Mawby

Russell G. Mawby, Ph.D., chairman emeritus of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, has earned a global reputation as a visionary leader in philanthropy. He led the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for 25 years, during which he was credited for creativity in programming by providing opportunities for youth and leadership in the field.

Early life and philanthropy

Russell Mawby was born in Kent County, Michigan in 1928 and grew up on a fruit farm. From an early age his parents instilled in him the importance of a good education. This along with farming and agriculture, Boy Scouts of America and 4-H programs, influenced the type of philanthropic work he was involved in at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Education and career

Mawby attended Michigan State University and graduated with a baccalaureate degree in horticulture. In 1951 he completed his Master's degree in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University, and in 1959 he received his doctorate, also in Agricultural Economics, from Michigan State University. Mawby served on the faculties of both institutions once he completed his degrees and later became a professor and assistant director of the Cooperative Extension Service responsible for 4-H Clubs and youth programming throughout Michigan.

In December 1964, upon the completion of his doctorate degree, Mawby joined the staff of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation as director of the Division of Agriculture. In that position, he developed the Michigan Agricultural Leadership Program, which became a model for the national rural leadership movement. Just three years later he was promoted to vice president and in 1970 became the president and chief executive officer. Under his guidance, the Kellogg Foundation became the national leader in providing support and funding for innovative programs in a number of fields including adult continuing education, access to primary health care, and the development of leadership, especially through the Kellogg National Fellowship Program. Additionally, he spearheaded projects throughout the United States of America, Europe, and Latin America. Upon Mawby's retirement in 1995, he served as a foundation trustee until 2000 and currently serves as an honorary trustee.

Leadership positions

• Director of the Division of Agriculture- The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, December 1964- August 1967
• Vice President of Programs- The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, January 1966- December 1967
• Vice President- The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, December 1967- May 1970
• President and Chief Executive Officer- The W. K. Kellogg Foundation, May 1970- July 1995
• Chairman Emeritus- The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, August 1995 – Present
• Member of the Board of Trustees- The W. K. Kellogg Foundation, December 1967- December 2000
• Honorary Trustee- The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, December 2000- December 2003, January 2007 – Present

Dr. Russell G. Mawby Fellowship in Philanthropic Studies

In 2007, the Mawby Fellowship for Philanthropic Studies was established at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University (GVSU), located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The fellowship is an interdisciplinary project that pairs one GVSU faculty member with two undergraduate students on a research topic focusing on the intersection between any field of academic study and/or the theory and/or practice of philanthropy. This ongoing fellowship program honors Dr. Mawby's lifelong devotion to nurturing, mentoring, and opening doors of opportunity for youth worldwide, as well as his quarter century of leadership in the world of philanthropy as the CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Mawby Faculty Fellows:
2008-2010 Gleaves Whitney, director of the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies completed the first Mawby Fellowship with a project deemed Philanthropy and the Presidency. His research examined the role philanthropy played in the administrations of Herbert Hoover and John F. Kennedy.

2010-2011 Carol Sanchez, professor of management from GVSU's Seidman College of Business completed the second Mawby Fellowship with a project, NGO/Business Partnerships: Meeting Needs of Customers at the Base of the Pyramid, exploring the relationship of nongovernmental organizations that serve the poorest of the poor in the world (the "base of the Pyramid.")

2011-2012 Jennifer Pope, associate professor of marketing in the Seidman College of Business at GVSU worked on a study that develops a marketing strategy specifically targeting nonprofit organizations.

2012-2013 Heather Carpenter, assistant professor, School of Public, Nonprofit and Health Administration, conducted a needs assessment to determine the most crucial needs of West Michigan area nonprofits and released the 2013 Nonprofit Needs Assessment, A Profile of Michigan's Most Urgent Professional Development Needs.

2013-2015 Michelle Miller-Adams, department of Political Science, worked on a project comparing the philanthropic cultures of Grand Rapids, Mich. and Kalamazoo, Mich.

Russell G. Mawby collection

In 2007, Dr. Mawby made a gift of his personal papers to the Johnson Center. This archive documents the accomplishments of a central leader in the statewide and national philanthropic fields during a pivotal time in their history, beginning with the run-up to the Tax Reform Act of 1969, covering its turbulent aftermath, continuing with the increasing diversification of philanthropy during the 1980s, the massive growth in giving caused by the tech boom of the 1990s, and carrying forward to the present day. The Mawby Collection is the signature holding of the Johnson Center Philanthropy Archives and is available to researchers online and at the Seidman House. Russell G. Mawby finding aid lists in detail the materials in the collection. Speeches and field notes are accessible online in the digital collection Russell G. Mawby digital collection.

Publications

Russell Mawby, along with James Richmond, authored a book detailing his life throughout his childhood into his retirement on all of his philanthropic work. Russell G. Mawby: Recollections of a Man Whose Epitaph Would Say 'He Cared' was written in 2006.

External links

• The W.K. Kellogg Foundation
• Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy
• The Johnson Center Philanthropy Archives Digital Collection
• Russell Mawby Collection, Johnson Center Philanthropy Archives at Grand Valley State University Special Collections
• Russell Mawby Collection finding aid (PDF)
• Historical Philanthropy Timeline