Lessons from the Durfee Foundation's Dual Leadership Transition

Author: Carrie Avery and Claire Peeps
Publisher: National Center for Family Philanthropy
Resource Type: Case Study/ Reflection
Leading Forward Principle:

This resource shares practical insights from the Durfee Foundation’s dual leadership transition, where co-leaders navigated succession planning and organizational change after decades of shared service. Carrie Avery (former president) and Claire Peeps (former executive director) reflect on the transition process, emphasizing the value of aligning leadership decisions with organizational values, seeking balanced feedback, and engaging external support. Their lessons highlight the importance of intentional planning, trust-based relationships, and thoughtful leadership handoffs within philanthropic institutions.

Funders and boards can use this resource to:

• Learn concrete, real-world lessons from a foundation’s leadership transition experience.

• Reflect on how values-aligned practices and feedback can strengthen succession planning.

• Inform their own approaches to supporting nonprofit and foundation leadership transitions.