Philanthropy Forum: Taking the Lead: Effective Nonprofit Stewardship
March 29, 2005, 8:00-11:30 AM, Memorial Art Gallery Rochester
Speakers:
Michael
J. Cooney, Nixon Peabody LLP
Diana Aviv, Independent Sector
Karin Kunstler Goldman
Michael J. Cooney
Partner
Nixon Peabody LLP [Website: http://www.nixonpeabody.com]
Michael J. Cooney is a partner with the Firm, principally serving clients out of the firm's offices in New York City and Rochester, New York. Mr. Cooney concentrates on matters related to charitable, not-for-profit and educational organizations, their corporate governance, fundraising, state regulation and taxation. These clients range from small private colleges to large research universities, multi-national corporate giving programs to family foundations. Mr. Cooney is familiar with all aspects of practice in the area, including governing board practice, restricted fund management and investment, corporate and foundation giving, fundraising and planned giving, and joint ventures with tax-exempt and for-profit partners. Recently, he successfully represented two hospital foundations in the settlement of a highly publicized and strongly contested matter with the Florida Office of the Attorney General.
Mr. Cooney is also a frequent speaker and writer on topics of interest to non-profits and their supporters. Recent articles and presentations include those on the use of supporting organizations as effective fundraising tools, fiduciary obligations in a challenging investment environment, and lobbying by tax-exempt organizations.
A member of the American and New York State Bar Associations and their committees relevant to tax-exempt and charitable entities, Mr. Cooney also is a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys. He is a current member of the Legal Subcommittee of the Council on Foundations and a former member of the New York State Catholic Conference Public Policy Committee, appointed by Bishop Matthew Clark. Mr. Cooney received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law, and his B.A. from Hamilton College where he was a Senior Fellow of his class, majoring in Russian studies.
Mr. Cooney currently serves on a number of volunteer governing Boards, including the Rochester Area Community Foundation, United Way of Greater Rochester, The Commission Project, Arts and Cultural Council for Greater Rochester, and the World Childhood Foundation, founded by Her Majesty, Queen Silvia of Sweden.
Clinton
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437 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022
Direct Dial: 585-263-1534
Personal Fax: 866-743-0233
E-mail: mcooney@nixonpeabody.com
Diana Aviv
INDEPENDENT SECTOR
Diana Aviv is the president and CEO of INDEPENDENT SECTOR, the national leadership forum for America's nonprofit organizations, foundations, and corporations.
INDEPENDENT SECTOR leads the nonprofit community by promoting effective public policies to help not-for-profit initiatives thrive, conducting research on the nonprofit sector and trends in giving and volunteering, strengthening nonprofit accountability, and providing the meeting ground for leaders in philanthropy to address challenges facing the sector. Collectively representing tens of thousands of charitable groups in every state across the country, this powerful coalition provides research, policy action, and leadership for America's nonprofit community.
A noted expert on the major issues affecting the national nonprofit and philanthropic community, Diana is a frequent speaker on the accountability and transparency of nonprofit organizations, the financial state of the nonprofit sector, the role of civil society in democracy, and American giving and volunteering trends. She has testified before Congress and has been quoted in print, broadcast and online media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Washington Times.
Diana came to INDEPENDENT SECTOR in April 2003 after spending nine years at United Jewish Communities. As UJC's vice president for public policy and director of the Washington Action Office, she worked closely with federations and national agencies concerned with the domestic health and welfare needs of vulnerable people. Ms. Aviv's work focused on federal legislation, public policy and regulations concerning health and human service areas that have an impact on the work of their local health and human service organizations.
Diana was formerly associate executive vice chair at the Jewish Council of Public Affairs, director of programs for the National Council of Jewish Women and director of a comprehensive program to serve battered women and their families. She has had a private psychotherapy practice in New York and New Jersey and served as expert witness in capital cases in New Jersey. She currently serves as Chair of the National Immigration Forum, is an Advisory Board Member of the Stanford Social Innovation Review and The Center for Effective Philanthropy and is a member of the Board of Governors for the Partnership for Public Service. A native of South Africa, Ms. Aviv graduated with a BSW from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and received her Masters of Social Work degree at Columbia University.
Karin Kunstler Goldman
Office of the New York State Attorney General
Karin Kunstler Goldman is the Section Chief for External Relations, Public Education and Administration in the New York State Attorney General's Charities Bureau. Prior to assuming her current position, Karin was a staff attorney handling investigations and litigation and Registration Section Chief responsible for supervision of the Bureau's registry of charities. Her current duties include enforcement of statutory obligations of charities, public education projects and legislative drafting. She is a past-president of the National Association of State Charity Officials, a founding member of the Alliance for NonProfit Governance and serves on the advisory boards of the Urban Institute's National Center for Charitable Statistics and New York University's National Center on Philanthropy and the Law. Prior to joining the Attorney General's office, Karin was a Reginald Heber Smith Fellow and a staff attorney at South Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation B.
Karin was an Eisenhower Exchange Fellow in Hungary where she worked with not-for-profit organizations, government officials and legislative drafters in developing the law and regulations affecting the non-profit sector. She has consulted in Kiev with government officials and legislative drafters on the development of statutory regulation of charitable organizations in Ukraine. Karin has worked with Returned Peace Corps Volunteers for Global Awareness during the past eighteen years, and her responsibilities have included participation in its speakers' bureau, coordination of orientation programs for student ambassadors and acting as a chaperon on a trip to a Native American school in Arizona.
Karin has a law degree from Rutgers University Law School, a BA from Connecticut College and an MA from Columbia University.
Karin and her husband, Neal, spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteers in Senegal, West Africa. They have two grown children.