A. Shuanise Washington was appointed the president and chief executive officer of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) and Rep. Chaka Fattah of Pennsylvania was elected the board chairman during the Foundation’s annual board meeting. Ms. Washington’s selection came after an extensive national search conducted by executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles. She will succeed Elsie L. Scott, Ph.D., who resigned in October 2012.
Ms. Washington’s ties to the Foundation span more than 15 years, as she has served in various capacities on CBCF’s Board of Directors, Corporate Advisory Council and as a corporate funder. She served as the board chair upon the death of Rep. Donald M. Payne in March 2012 and previously as the board’s vice chair from 2010 to 2012.
Her longstanding commitment to the Foundation is tied to her deep belief in philanthropy and civic engagement. Most recently, Ms. Washington served as the founder and sole principal of Washington Solutions, LLC, which provided business consulting services for small, medium and large businesses, governments and nonprofit organizations. Prior to that, she was vice president of Government Affairs, Policy & Outreach for Altria Corporate Services, Inc. where she retired after 22 years in 2008. Ms. Washington serves as a commissioner on the Maryland National Park and Planning Commission, immediate past chair of the board for the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and is a member of The Links, Incorporated.
Expressing the sentiments of the entire organization, Ms. Washington gave special recognition to Krisa Haggins who had served as interim president since October 2012.
“On behalf of the Foundation, I thank Ms. Haggins who served as interim president for the past four months. We are indebted to Ms. Haggins for keeping the organization functioning smoothly and for the many significant contributions she has, and continues to make, during her tenure at CBCF,” said Washington.
“Now we look forward to honoring and building upon our successes and meeting the needs of our stakeholders in the education, health and economic empowerment arenas,” said Washington. “I am excited and honored to work with our new board chairman, Representative Chaka Fattah as we position CBCF not only as a national thought leader on matters of interest to African Americans, but as an organization which has global reach and impact.”
Rep. Fattah is a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, and is the ranking member on the Subcommittee Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies. He also sits on the Subcommittee for Energy and Water Development, and is the chief sponsor of legislation which offers tax credits to children and their parents to make college tuition more affordable. In 2009, Rep. Fattah co-chaired CBCF’s Annual Legislative Conference with Rep. Yvette Clarke of New York.
“The CBCF has an extraordinary legacy and I am honored to be elected to chair the board,” said Rep. Fattah. “The Foundation’s unwavering leadership to guarantee permanent input into national policy with a focus on the interest of African Americans is one that has generated well earned respect.”
Also during the Annual meeting, the board elected the following officers:
R. Donahue Peebles
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Peebles Corporation
Vice Chairman
Kevin Brown
Chief Procurement Officer, Dell, Inc.
Secretary
Marcus Mason
Partner, The Madison Group, LLC
Treasurer