Philanthropy
A Commitment to Service
Throughout my career, I have been drawn to organizations that strengthen communities, expand opportunity, and support families in moments of profound vulnerability. My philanthropic work reflects the same principles that have guided my professional life: clarity of mission, disciplined governance, and a belief that institutions must rise to meet the needs of the people they serve.
While I have been fortunate to serve on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, the center of my philanthropic life is Ronald McDonald House.
About Ronald McDonald House
My connection to Ronald McDonald House began in 1998, when I was a young partner at Kirkland & Ellis and McDonald’s was one of my clients. At the “Awards of Excellence” dinner that October, I listened as families described what it meant to have “a home away from home” that offered stability, community, and compassion at a time when their worlds had been upended. To paraphrase Jerry Maguire’s girlfriend, they had me at “hello.”
In 2012, I joined the Board of Ronald McDonald House New York, where I saw how a single House could transform the experience of families navigating pediatric cancer in one of the most expensive cities in the world. When GE relocated to Boston in 2017, I joined the Global Board of Trustees, expanding my perspective from one House to a worldwide system. In 2025, I became Global Chair.
Guiding a Global Mission
Ronald McDonald House is the world’s largest nonprofit dedicated to family-centered care, with chapters in over 60 countries, more than 385 Houses, 270+ Family Rooms, and 40+ Care Mobiles. Across this global network, chapters collectively raise and spend nearly $1 billion each year to support more than 2.8 million overnight stays and other essential services for families with ill children.
The Global Board of Trustees works closely with RMHC’s senior leadership team to guide the organization’s long-term strategy, governance, and financial stewardship. Together, we focus on the system’s most important ambitions:
- making family-centered care a global standard;
- doubling the number of families we serve by 2030;
- meeting the top unmet needs of families;
- expanding our reach into new and emerging markets;
- staying abreast of developments in pediatric medicine and strengthening partnerships with leading pediatric hospitals; and
- sustaining a $1 billion global system.
This work places Ronald McDonald House at the intersection of global health, nonprofit governance, and cross-border operational complexity. It requires navigating multinational systems; making difficult decisions in rapidly shifting global conditions; collaborating with medical leaders, government partners, and community organizations; and stewarding a mission-driven enterprise with significant financial and operational scale.
As Global Chair, my role is to serve as a sounding board for our leadership team and ensure that the Board functions effectively, that our governance remains strong, and that we stay focused on the mission that unites the entire Ronald McDonald House system. It is a collective effort, grounded in collaboration with dedicated leaders across the globe.
Lessons in Leadership and Humanity
The families — their resilience and vulnerability — have shaped my understanding of leadership and service. Their stories are a constant reminder that this work is intimate, urgent, and deeply human.
That truth was underscored when I went on a humanitarian mission to Poland and Ukraine in 2022. The Houses in Warsaw and Krakow opened their doors to families fleeing the war. In Ukraine, the Ronald McDonald House team has persevered through extraordinary conditions, operating six Family Rooms and building the first Ukrainian House in Kyiv – complete with a bomb shelter. Their determination reflects the very best of Ronald McDonald House’s global community and reinforced for me that leadership, at its core, is about standing with people when it matters most.
I am determined to honor the legacy of those who built this extraordinary organization by doing everything I can to ensure that Ronald McDonald House remains a beacon of compassion, stability and community for generations to come.
A Broader Philanthropic Perspective
My philanthropic work has also included service on the boards of Boston Children’s Hospital, one of the world’s leading pediatric institutions; the Constitutional Rights Foundation – Chicago, which promoted civic education; and the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago, which provides disaster relief and humanitarian support. Jill and I have also supported Facing History and Ourselves, which equips educators and students to confront antisemitism, racism, and bigotry by examining the choices that have shaped our history and civic life.
These experiences have reinforced my belief that strong institutions with integrity are essential to a healthy society. They have also deepened my appreciation for the role of governance, strategy, and values-based leadership in driving meaningful impact.
Looking Ahead
The work I do with Ronald McDonald House and other nonprofit organizations broadens my perspective and reminds me of the human stakes behind institutional decisions. I am committed to supporting organizations that strengthen families, expand access to care, and help communities meet the challenges of an increasingly complex world – and to ensuring that the institutions entrusted with this work remain worthy of that trust.