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Gleaves Whitney to leave the Ford Presidential Foundation

Gleaves Whitney to leave the Ford Presidential Foundation

Money Moves Grand Rapids, MI local

The foundation's fourth executive director departs Dec. 31 after a tenure that added a leadership forum and its first non-capital campaign

Today: MLive reports Whitney will leave Dec. 31

Overview

Updated 2 hours ago

Gleaves Whitney will step down as executive director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation on Dec. 31, MLive reported on Nov. 9. He has led the Grand Rapids nonprofit since 2020, when he became the fourth person to hold the job.

The foundation is a private organization that raises money and runs public programming alongside the Ford Museum and Library, which the National Archives and Records Administration operates. Under Whitney it launched the Ford Leadership Forum and ran its first non-capital campaign. The report did not name a successor or describe a search.

Why it matters

The private nonprofit that funds and programs the Ford presidency's public face is changing leaders with no named successor.

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Key Indicators

4
Executive directors to date
Whitney became the fourth person to lead the foundation when he took the post in 2020.
2020
Year Whitney took the post
He came to the foundation from the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies.
Dec. 31, 2026
Last day as executive director
The departure date reported by MLive.

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People Involved

Gleaves Whitney
Gleaves Whitney
Executive director, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation
Leaving the post Dec. 31, 2026
 Mike Ford
Mike Ford
Chair, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation
In office

Organizations Involved

GF
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation
Nonprofit presidential foundation
Searching for a new executive director after Whitney's departure

A private nonprofit in Grand Rapids that raises money and runs programs supporting the Ford presidency's museum, library and legacy.
HC
Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies
University research center
Whitney's prior institution; he directed it 2003-2020

A presidential studies center at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, which Whitney led for 17 years.

Timeline

2003 December 2026

7 events Latest: Today
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Departure takes effect

    Upcoming Transition

    The end date given for Whitney's tenure as executive director.

  2. MLive reports Whitney will leave Dec. 31

    Today Announcement

    The report credits him with the foundation's first non-capital campaign and the Ford Leadership Forum.

  3. Whitney addresses Ann Arbor Rotarians at the Ford Library

    Event

    He spoke on Ford's legacy and the five virtues he attributed to the former president.

  4. Whitney speaks on the Northwest Ordinance

    Event

    A National Archives calendar event featuring Whitney on the 1787 law that shaped Ford's home region.

  5. Ford Leadership Forum launches

    Program

    The forum now runs programs from Washington, D.C., to Palm Desert, California.

  6. Whitney named fourth Ford foundation executive director

    Appointment

    The board chair, Mike Ford, cited his partnership-building with the National Archives and the Ford Museum and Library.

  7. Whitney takes over the Hauenstein Center

    Appointment

    He begins 17 years running Grand Valley State University's presidential studies center.

Scenarios

1

Foundation names a permanent successor by mid-2027

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: No public forecasting yet; the MLive report did not describe a search process or timeline.

The board runs a search and hires a new executive director within roughly six months of Whitney's departure. The candidate's background, whether a fundraiser, a historian, or an internal staffer, would signal whether the board wants to protect the programs Whitney built or push the foundation in a new direction.

2

Interim leader runs the foundation through 2027

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: No public forecasting yet; the departure date falls at the end of a calendar year, a common point for interim arrangements.

The board installs an interim director or splits Whitney's duties among existing staff, and the foundation enters 2028 without a permanent leader. Long searches are common at small nonprofits where the outgoing director held both fundraising and program roles.

3

Ford Leadership Forum is scaled back under new leadership

Unlikely Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: No public analysis yet; the forum is the most visible program launched during Whitney's tenure.

A successor with different priorities trims or folds the forum's national programming, which runs events from Washington to Palm Desert. This would be visible in the foundation's published events calendar rather than in a single announcement.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2003-2020

Whitney's Hauenstein Center tenure (2003-2020)

Whitney spent 17 years running Grand Valley State University's presidential studies center, where he built the Cook Leadership Academy and launched a common ground initiative in higher education. Biographer H. W. Brands called him 'one of the most effective entrepreneurs in the business of higher education.'

Then

The center became a known name in presidential studies, drawing speakers including presidents, first ladies and cabinet officials.

Now

He left for the Ford foundation in 2020, taking a program-building approach from a university setting into a private nonprofit.

Why this matters now

The Ford board hired him for his partnership-building, not for fundraising experience. His successor's profile will show whether the board still wants that model.

2020

The Ford foundation's 2020 leadership change

The foundation hired Whitney as its fourth executive director, replacing a leader whose name and departure circumstances were not described in the foundation's published account. Chair Mike Ford emphasized relationships with the National Archives and the Ford Museum and Library.

Then

Whitney launched the Ford Leadership Forum in 2022 and created the foundation's first institutional advancement office.

Now

The foundation's programming expanded beyond Grand Rapids to Washington and California, and it ran its first non-capital campaign.

Why this matters now

It is the only documented precedent for this transition, and it shows the board has previously hired from outside the nonprofit fundraising world.

Sources

(4)
MLive Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation Rotary Club of Ann Arbor National Archives