Kathy Merchant

In May 2015, Kathy Merchant retired from The Greater Cincinnati Foundation after 18 years as its president/CEO. Prior to joining the Foundation in 1997, Merchant was director of The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Neighborhood Preservation Initiative and a partner in the New Haven-based consulting firm Holt, Wexler & Merchant.

She was Senior Fellow for the national StriveTogether cradle-to-career network where she served as an advisor to communities devoted to increasing the pace and scale of student success. Returning to consulting, Merchant specializes in impact investing, collective impact, community development and other areas of strategic philanthropy. She also served as Senior Advisor for executive leadership institutes for community foundations offered by CFLeads.

Merchant served on the national board of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation. She graduated from Indiana University (BA) and the University of Connecticut (MSW) with degrees in social work. She also held a Diploma in Wine & Spirits (DWS) from the London-based Wine & Spirit Education Trust.