Lesley Slavitt joined Grand Valley in April as the executive director of the Johnson Center. Slavitt had served as chief executive of the Fiat Chrysler Foundation and JPMorgan Chase and its legacy companies’ foundations.
There are 1.85 million nonprofits in the U.S. (IRS Business Masterfile)
You recently started working at GVSU. What are your early impressions of the university so far?
GVSU is an incredibly welcoming and inspiring community. There is a true dedication to excellence and to the transformative power and purpose of public education.
In 2022, giving in the U.S. topped $484.85 billion. That’s equal to about one-10th of the federal budget in the same year. (Source: GivingUSA)
How does the Johnson Center fit into the GVSU community?
GVSU is not only an academic community, it is part of countless larger communities that extend around the world. The Johnson Center is part of GVSU’s commitment to promote the public good. We bring the best traditions of GVSU’s spirit of inquiry to bear in supporting changemakers who want to shape vibrant, inclusive communities for all.
Fewer than 50% of U.S. households now say they give to charity, that percentage has declined steadily since 2000. (Source: Philanthropy Panel Study)
What are some opportunities for the Johnson Center you’ve already identified?
While rooted in West Michigan, the work of the Johnson Center has national relevance and, in certain contexts, international applicability. So, the opportunity to further scale the work is clear. There are also exciting prospects to build greater synergies across the center.
One-in-10 U.S. workers are employed by a nonprofit. (Source: Johns Hopkins University)
What did you learn in your past positions that will help you in your new role at the Johnson Center?
I was fortunate to work with some incredible leaders who were courageous, values-driven and smart. Even though — and maybe because — my work was outside of the company, I had to elevate the function to have an equal, if unique, seat around a bottom-line-driven table. In short, I learned how to ensure that the courage of conviction met strategic outcomes.
More than 50% of nonprofits in the U.S. has an annual budget of $50,000 or less. (Source: Johnson Center)
What’s an important issue facing the philanthropic community that everyone should care about?
For generations, Americans have seen the act of donating money to a charitable mission as a vitally important way they contribute to a better world. But today, fewer than 50% of American households say they give to charity. Nonprofits and communities need these resources; but just as importantly, they need the engagement and the care that comes with those dollars. That decline is and will have far-reaching implications for our social fabric.
What’s a book you’ve read that you wish you could share with everyone?
"With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa" by E.B. Sledge. As a memoir, it is a work of healing for the author. As a narrative, it is the most haunting and poignant expression of the trauma of war. It is like nothing else I have ever read. An amazing part of his story is how he found inquiry and higher education to be a lifeline.
