Richard Marker

An internationally recognized “elder” in the philanthropy world, Richard Marker has been in the philanthropy world since 1982 when he was elected to his first foundation board. Since then, he has served as a foundation CEO, a Gen3 funder, board member, author, and educator of and advisor to several thousand philanthropists and foundation professionals around the world. Currently, he is co-principal of the Institute for Wise Philanthropy and also serves as the Faculty Co-Director of the University of Pennsylvania’s High Impact Philanthropy Academy. Prior to joining UPenn, he was the founder of the NYU Academy for Funder Education, the first professional certificate program in the field.

A popular speaker, Marker has lectured in most of the US states and in 41 countries. His distinctive approach to funder strategy and culture is now utilized by many in the field. He specializes in intergenerational issues, aligning focus, policy and funding priorities, and cultural distinctiveness.

In addition to philanthropy, over the course of a career that began in 1968, Marker has been a professor, a university chaplain, International Vice President of an international NGO, and a management consultant in the private sector., In addition, he has served on 61 Boards and chaired 12. Most notably, he has chaired 2 international interreligious organizations, and continues to play a leadership role in several.

Marker is married to Mirele Goldsmith, PhD, an environmental activist and program evaluator, and co-founder of the Institute for Wise Philanthropy. They are the parents of Adam, an attorney, and grandparents of Aiden and Olivia. They currently live in Bethesda, MD. USA