Amy Ellsworth Retires, Becomes Senior Fellow

After serving as a philanthropic advisor at TPI for 11 years, Amy Ellsworth will begin her retirement this month.  She is looking forward to spending more time with her family and pursuing other activities, including gardening, yoga and travel.   Although she is no longer on staff as a Senior Philanthropic Advisor, Amy will continue to work with TPI on specific client engagements as a Senior Fellow. 

A dancer by training, Amy dedicated the first half of her professional life to dancing and choreography.  She came to TPI in 2000, not as a professional advisor but as a practitioner, having served as a board member of her family foundation.  In the early days, she explains, she was most surprised by the synergies between philanthropy and dance.  “Coming from the world of dance I thought I wouldn’t be able to apply my skills and experience to anything else, but the cross-overs were interesting.  I found that facilitating the creative act – the process of merging the heart and mind and turning it into action – was similar to the learning process that occurs when choreographing a dance.”

Since her arrival, Amy has been a valued colleague to TPI and to hundreds of clients and family members with whom she has worked.  Serving families she worked in a variety of capacities, including researching programs, developing strategic plans, and facilitating family and foundation meetings and retreats.   She also edited TPI’s most recent edition of its family philanthropy primer and workbook, Giving Together and was especially influential in developing the tools, templates and training curriculum for the Excellence in Family Philanthropy Initiative, a peer learning agenda for community foundation staff who work with families.  Amy explains, “I loved working with community foundations.  It’s very gratifying to work with people are so engaged in and passionate about what they’re doing and willing to come to the table without holding back.”

The book Amy co-authored with Susan Turnbull, Across Generations: A Five Step Guide to Creating an Expression of Donor Intent, drew upon her own personal experiences and continues to be used by donors looking to make their philanthropic work – and their values – understandable to future generations. More recently, Amy served as Program Director for New England National Donors (NEID), a donor affinity group with a mission to increase the quantity and quality of philanthropy originating from New England. She says that she will miss this type of work, involving collaboration and clients, the most. “What’s most fun for me is being able to work in partnership with other staff at TPI and helping donors at all different levels.  Brainstorming and sharing a task with smart, passionate and interesting people is what I find most fulfilling.  And I’ve really loved working with clients.  I always learn something new.  That’s the main thing.  From the very beginning I’ve felt that it’s been a constant learning process.”

Of course we at TPI, and all of the individuals, families and organizations with whom Amy has worked, have also learned a lot from her.   And for this, and all of the contributions that Amy made to TPI and to the field of philanthropy, we would like to extend our gratitude and wish her well in her retirement.