Ploughshares Fund Welcomes New Board Members

We welcome four new people to our Board of Directors, including two ambassadors: Connie Foote, Ambassador Pamela Hamamoto, Gretchen Hund and Ambassador Samuel D. Heins.

• Connie Foote is a psychologist and philanthropist in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She previously served as board chair of the Mounds View Public Schools Education Foundation, as a member of the Donor Advisory Council at the Saint Paul Foundation, and as a volunteer teacher for the Minnesota Literacy Council.
• Ambassador Pamela Hamamoto is an accomplished diplomat who served under President Barack Obama as Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva from 2014 to 2017, where she led the United States’ largest overseas multilateral diplomatic post.
• Gretchen Hund is the former Director of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s (PNNL) Center for Global Security. In that role, she focused on identifying emerging issues that may have national security implications.
• Ambassador Samuel D. Heins rejoins the Board after serving as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway during President Obama's second term. He has been active in Minnesota politics since 1964 as an organizer, campaigner and fundraiser.  

“We are very pleased that these outstanding individuals are adding their expertise to the Ploughshares Fund board. Their wealth of knowledge and experience will help guide us in our mission,” said Joe Cirincione, President of Ploughshares Fund. “Their leadership will be essential for Ploughshares Fund in the coming months and years,” he added.

“Ploughshares Fund's mission will be furthered by these new board members' unique and powerful set of experiences and networks,” said Philip Yun, Ploughshares Fund Executive Director. “Building a world free from the threat of nuclear weapons requires leadership and engagement. These four will be strong complements to the increasingly diverse thought leaders on our Board of Directors. We are thrilled to welcome them to the board.”

Ploughshares Fund is a global security grantmaking foundation based in San Francisco, CA, with an office in Washington, DC. Founded in 1981, Ploughshares Fund supports initiatives to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons. It is the largest US philanthropic organization focused exclusively on nuclear security.