NEW BEDFORD – The SouthCoast Community Foundation has a new leader.
The nonprofit funder’s board of directors announced Thursday that Leonard M. Lee, who has been general manager and curator for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, has been appointed as the foundation’s new CEO and president. Lee, the foundation said, is the foundation’s fourth president since the organization was founded in 1995 and will begin his new role at the end of April.
Lee replaces John Vasconcellos, who retired as the foundation’s president at the end of 2021. In a statement, Lee said he is “beyond excited” to join the foundation and looks forward to building on current community relationships he has within New Bedford and Taunton, and forging new ones in other cities and towns that the foundation serves.
“This role feels like a natural continuation of a career that I’ve dedicated to fulfilling strategic missions, most notably racial equity, social justice, and incentives, through bold organizational development and programmatic initiatives. I can’t wait to get started,” Lee said.
Lee was chosen to succeed Vasconcellos after the board conducted a national search.
The foundation said Lee also held leadership roles for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, addressing community health issues through youth programs, such as violence prevention and safe spaces for the LGBTQIA+ community. Lee also was Connecticut’s deputy commissioner of public health, the foundation said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lee, the foundation said, founded the “Masking the Community” initiative that mobilized free distribution of masks to people with pre-existing conditions, seniors, people of color and first responders within Boston, Lowell, Brockton and Springfield. Lee also ran for Boston city council in 2021.
SouthCoast Community Foundation board Chairperson Linda Bodenmann said Thursday in a statement that Lee’s management background and entrepreneurial spirit, as well as being passionate about community service, made him the right choice to lead the foundation.
“Leonard joins us at a pivotal time and will be instrumental in advancing our racial equity and social justice initiatives to address structural inequalities and inequities,” Bodenmann said.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
