Gallucci tapped to head charity

Geniuses hoping to score a $500,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation will soon have a new leader to lobby.

Robert L. Gallucci, dean of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, will be named president of one of the nation’s largest philanthropic organizations Tuesday.

Mr. Gallucci spent more than two decades representing the United States as an ambassador and special envoy for the State Department, where he dealt with threats posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. He was chief U.S. negotiator during the Korean nuclear crisis of 1994.

Starting July 1, he will be helping the MacArthur Foundation distribute its renowned $500,000 “genius grants” to creative people with bright ideas to make the world a better place. Twenty-five people were awarded those grants last year.

The MacArthur Foundation says it uses its resources to defend human rights, advance global conservation and security, make cities better places, and understand how technology is affecting children and society.

The foundation recently announced that it will provide $4.5 million to help preserve 9,000 rental units in Maryland over the next decade - part of $32.5 million the foundation has spent to preserve affordable housing nationwide.

“Bob Gallucci shares MacArthur’s commitment to building a more just and peaceful world,” said Robert E. Denham, MacArthur board chairman and a lawyer with Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. “He has more than two decades of experience representing the United States around the world on the most difficult issues of peace and security, which have been central to MacArthur’s work for its 31-year history.”

Mr. Gallucci will replace Jonathan F. Fanton, who served as the foundation’s president since 1999.

“I share the foundation’s commitment to peace and justice and deeply admire its reputation for creativity, quality and integrity,” Mr. Gallucci said.

Mr. Gallucci is married to Jennifer Sims, director of intelligence studies and a visiting professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown.