CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation, a private foundation committed to innovative strategies for solving society’s most challenging problems, today announced that Janet Froetscher, former CEO of Special Olympics International, has joined the foundation as its new president.
As president, Froetscher will work closely with J.B. and M.K. Pritzker to create significant increase in the organization’s impact by developing strategy, expanding investments and driving results supporting the Foundation’s priorities in early childhood development, healthcare and civil rights, three cornerstones of its philanthropy.
Froetscher joins the Foundation having served the public interest for more than three decades of at the helm of global philanthropic and not-for-profit organizations. Most recently, she served as CEO of Special Olympics International, which operates in 170 countries with a mission of full inclusion for people with disabilities and hosts over 94,000 competitions including in 2015 the Summer World Games, the largest sports and humanitarian event in the world.
Prior to that, she served as chief executive officer of the National Safety Council which partners with businesses, government agencies, elected officials and the public to save lives by avoiding texting while driving, enhancing workplace safety, fighting prescription drug overdoses and building safer communities. As CEO of United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, Froetscher substantially increased community investment in programs that help people become self-sufficient, led the merger of 54 United Ways in the region and coordinated health and human services in support of an estimated 7,000 Hurricane Katrina evacuees. She was also the chief operating officer of Aspen Institute.
“Janet is a uniquely qualified leader to help us take on some of the nation’s greatest challenges,” said J.B. Pritzker. “She brings to our philanthropic mission a wealth of experience, leadership and ingenuity.”
“Having led transformative strategy and growth for some of the world’s leading humanitarian organizations, Janet has a dedicated, entrepreneurial vision that will bring the Foundation to the next level,” said M.K. Pritzker.
“This is a remarkable opportunity,” said Janet Froetscher. “It’s rare to have a chance to partner with visionaries like J.B. and M.K. Pritzker, and there’s no limit to what we can accomplish together to strengthen communities and offer children and families throughout the U.S. the resources to achieve their full potential.”
Froetscher, a current board member of the Chicago Board of Options Exchange, was recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of “Chicago’s Most Influential Women.” She holds an MBA from the Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Virginia.
About the J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation
The J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation is a private family foundation deeply committed to the pursuit of social justice and to shaping innovative and effective strategies for solving society's most challenging problems. The foundation has primary focus areas in early childhood development, healthcare, and civil rights. Among the initiatives supported by the foundation are the Pritzker Consortium on Early Childhood Development, a research collaborative led by Nobel Laureate economist James Heckman of the University of Chicago; programs at Northwestern Memorial Hospital to support healthcare for low-income infants, girls and women of all ages in the Chicago area; the First Five Years Fund, a national early childhood advocacy project; and legal clinics supporting civil and human rights.
