Bruce Schearer to Retire at Year-End
A Message of Thanks from Synergos Chair Peggy Dulany
May 19, 2005

I wanted to let you know about some important news at Synergos.

Most important, Bruce Schearer has decided, after 18 years of distinguished service, first as executive director and then as president, to retire from Synergos at year-end. Bruce joined me in 1987, shortly after I founded Synergos. Over the last six years he has led Synergos through a period of extraordinary growth and accomplishment, establishing three programs of far-reaching impact, multiplying our resources severalfold and setting the stage for major contributions in the years ahead.

Our full expressions of gratitude for Bruce's farsighted leadership, tremendous energy and deep commitment will come later. For now, I would like all of you to join me in working closely with Bruce to make this transition one that takes Synergos from strength to strength and builds on these achievements.

I will chair a search committee of the Board to find a new president, whom we hope to bring on before Bruce's departure at the end of the year. This will allow a seamless transition, with Bruce graciously agreeing to assist his successor in acclimating to Synergos.

In addition to assisting in the transition over the coming months, Bruce will continue to devote major attention to our new Multistakeholder Partnership Program. This program is among the most exciting Synergos has ever initiated. Launched last year in collaboration with the respected Generon Consulting, the program is a worldwide effort to use whole-systems multistakeholder partnerships that transcend traditional boundaries to create breakthrough systemic solutions to critical societal problems. Through this program, we have launched an ambitious Sustainable Food Production initiative. And we have created the Partnership for Child Nutrition as our second project. We already have received generous funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, among others, for the first, and from Unilever which, together with UNICEF, is our partner on the second.

Because of the importance of this program, I am especially delighted that Bruce has agreed to find a program director and help ensure that two additional multistakeholder partnership initiatives are in the pipeline by year-end. He will also continue to provide leadership for our two other programs -- Strengthening Bridging Organizations and the Global Philanthropists Circle -- during this period.

With warm regards,

Peggy Dulany