Fetzer Institute President Announces Retirement in 2011

KALAMAZOO, Michigan, April 22, 2009—Thomas F. Beech, president of the Fetzer Institute, announced today that he will retire in June 2011, after eight years of service.

Beech made the announcement to Institute staff, following a more formal notice to the Board of Trustees. The Board will assemble a search committee and announce details of the search process following its June meeting. “Tom is an exceptional person whose experience and leadership have helped to create a durable mission and an outstanding community capable of carrying the Institute’s vision well into the 21st century,” said Board Chair Rob Lehman.

Beech has been a strong and visible advocate for Fetzer’s work to bring the power of love and forgiveness to the center of individual and community life. He has overseen the reconfiguration of the Institute’s programming, a creative strategic planning process, and the development of an innovative model for collaborative work between board members and staff.

“At this point in the Institute’s life and in my own, the most powerful feeling I have is one of deep gratitude,” Beech said. “I’m grateful to the Board for the opportunity to serve the Institute and to the staff and the many organizations we work with for their commitment to the significant work we’re doing together.”

During his tenure, Beech has overseen Fetzer’s increased commitment to funding digital media and film—to lift up compelling stories about the transformative power of love, forgiveness and compassion. In 2005, the Institute launched the Campaign for Love & Forgiveness, a multi-year project that uses films, educational materials and a robust web site to support community dialogues around the country. The campaign includes a partnership with the American Library Association to support scholar-led reading and discussion programs that explore love and forgiveness in everyday life through classic and contemporary literature. The Fetzer
Institute also has become the primary sponsor for public radio’s Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippett and continues to support PBS’s Bill Moyers Journal. Beech’s hour-long interview with Archbishop Desmond Tutu aired on the Hallmark Channel earlier this year.

Under his leadership, Fetzer also has funded more than 30 studies on compassionate love and forgiveness, and in 2008, launched a major research initiative on the neuroscience of compassion, love, and forgiveness at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The Institute also is supporting research on violence prevention in five developing countries, and in May 2008, Fetzer hosted a meeting of world leaders in violence prevention. Chaired by Dr. David Satcher, former Surgeon General of the United States, the meeting included representatives from the World Health Organization, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Institute of Medicine.

Under Beech’s direction, the Fetzer Institute also began work with the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars, designing and carrying out a series of seminars to explore the factors that build and sustain community within and across borders. Fetzer has joined the Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation and the Kellogg Foundation to support a long term dialogue on racial reconciliation in several communities in Mississippi. The Institute also was instrumental in the creation of the Seasons Fund, a collaboration of 11 partners in the field of philanthropy that pools funds for the sake of creating a connection between social justice and spirituality in community development work.

Concluding his remarks to the Board of Trustees and staff, Beech said, “The energy we all feel about what the future holds for the Fetzer Institute and for our world will fuel the next decade of the Institute’s work. The next two years will set the stage for this, and I’m looking forward to our continued work together.”

About Fetzer
A private operating foundation based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the Fetzer Institute engages with people and projects around the world to help bring the power of love, forgiveness and compassion to the center of individual and community life. Founded by broadcast pioneer John E. Fetzer, the institute carries out its mission in a number of ways: by supporting scientific research to understand how to increase the human capacity for love and forgiveness; by convening conversations that help community leaders explore the practical application of love and compassion in their work; and by sharing compelling stories of love and forgiveness at work in the world. While the Fetzer Institute is not a religious organization, it honors and learns from a variety of spiritual traditions. www.fetzer.org