IINDIANAPOLIS—Kenneth L. Gladish, Ph.D., has been appointed a Visiting Scholar at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.
For the past six years, Gladish served as president, chief executive officer and national executive director of the YMCA of the USA, leading the national federated membership organization that connects, serves and directs the YMCA movement in the United States. He guided the organization of nearly 2,600 local organizations, 20 million members and more than 600,000 volunteers through substantial increases in program participants, volunteers and charitable support.
As a visiting scholar, Gladish will participate in workshops and seminars with students and other Center constituents, collaborate with Philanthropic Studies faculty members on research, help to facilitate outreach programs to additional audiences and advance the practitioner-and-scholar dialogue about philanthropy issues for which the Center is known.
“We are very pleased that Ken has agreed to become more deeply engaged in the Center’s programs,” said Eugene R. Tempel, executive director of the Center. “With a well-deserved reputation as a thought-leader in philanthropy, he offers a unique perspective on a multitude of issues. Ken’s wealth of knowledge and experience working with the leadership of key national and international nonprofit sector organizations will inform and enhance many aspects of our work.”
Before joining the national YMCA, he was president of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, where he also served as executive director of The Indianapolis Foundation and The William E. English Foundation. Gladish previously was president and CEO of the Indiana Humanities Council and executive secretary of the Indiana Donors Alliance.
“In the still-emerging field of philanthropic studies the IU center is a clear world leader, a great resource for teaching, research and service,” Gladish said. “The chance to connect the experience and lessons of my executive life with the resources and disciplines of the Center’s scholars and students is one I could not miss. It is a privilege to be invited to help support and contribute to its important mission.”
Gladish has a deep commitment to advancing awareness of and participation in philanthropy, especially among young people. He serves on the national boards of directors of American Humanics and the National Assembly, is a trustee of America’s Promise, and is a member of the advisory group for the Prudential Corporation Spirit of Community Awards. He is an emeritus member of the IUPUI Board of Advisors and a trustee of Hanover College and Springfield (Mass.) College.
Gladish earned his Ph.D. and Master of Arts degrees in foreign affairs at the University of Virginia, and his bachelor’s degree at Hanover College in Hanover, Ind. In addition, he has been awarded three honorary doctorates. Gladish has held adjunct faculty appointments at the Center on Philanthropy and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Butler University, and Springfield College. In those roles, he has taught at both the graduate and undergraduate levels in subjects ranging from politics and public administration to philanthropy and executive management.
Among his numerous honors and awards, last year Gladish was selected as one of the NonProfit Times’ “Power and Influence Top 50” most influential nonprofit sector leaders and was named American Humanics’ Non-Profit Leader of the Year.
The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University is a leading academic center dedicated to increasing the understanding of philanthropy and improving its practice through research, teaching, public service and public affairs programs in philanthropy, fundraising, and management of nonprofit organizations. A part of the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, the Center operates programs on the IUPUI and IU Bloomington campuses.
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