Mark Brewer began his career in the media as a reporter, anchor, and journalist. His background includes more than a decade as a management consultant in the private and independent sectors, leading merger and acquisition strategies for cross-sector initiatives. Later, as a licensed investment professional, he assisted clients with estate and planned giving strategies. Mark holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with a specialty in Nonprofit Management. He is also a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy®, and is ABD for a PhD in Public Administration with a specialty in Policy and Law from Walden University.
Mark has played a leadership role in a number of national and community initiatives. His service focus is with organizations that grow philanthropy and play roles in strategic grantmaking and public policy. At the national level, Mark chaired the Community Foundation Services Corporation, which oversaw the Merrill Lynch Community Charitable Fund, a national donor-advised fund partnership. At the state level, Mark is a past Chair of the Florida Philanthropic Network, a statewide association of grant-makers working to strengthen philanthropy through research, education, and public policy. In the Central Florida region, Mark serves as Vice Chair of Community Development of the Orlando Economic Partnership, a public-private partnership, working to create quality jobs, economic growth, broad-based prosperity, and a sustainable quality of life for the region.
What you’ll learn about in this episode:
- How Mark’s career in philanthropy was sparked by his first career as an investigative journalist
- How the private sector, public sector, and independent sector differ and overlap with each other
- How Mark’s organization works to facilitate donations in philanthropic causes around the world while minimizing the difficulty of doing so
- Why Mark believes that treating the symptoms of a problem doesn’t tackle the problem itself and how his organization helps people maximize their impact
- How generational differences affect different age groups’ views on philanthropy, and how millennials are changing philanthropy for the better
- How Mark manages his daily life and what steps he takes to make the most of his interactions with others
- How the cities of Orlando, Florida, and Pittsburgh are surprisingly similar in how they manage community issues
- Why Mark believes that failure is a much more powerful learning opportunity than success
- Why disruption is a powerful way to change the status quo, and why changing the root of a problem has wide-reaching effects
- Mark’s advice for people looking into philanthropic giving for the first time
How to contact Mark Brewer:
- Website: www.cffound.org
- Twitter: @cffound