Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF), the local $130 million grantmaking organization that supports philanthropy across Essex County, announced this week that Wenham resident Stratton Lloyd has been named its new president and CEO.
“As we celebrate the foundation’s landmark 25th anniversary and continue our work toward building a stronger and more resilient region, we are thrilled to have found ECCF’s next leader right here at home in Essex County,” said ECCF Board Chair Dick Sumberg. “All of the qualities and talents that Stratton brings to the role will help steer ECCF boldly into the future.”
A thorough national search for ECCF’s next leader, which included community input and expert guidance, began shortly after current president and CEO Beth Francis announced her retirement last fall.
Lloyd, who has been an integral member of the ECCF team for six years, was chosen because of his experience, leadership skills and deep knowledge of ECCF’s work and of Essex County. He will assume his new role as president and CEO on July 1.
“I am humbled and honored to have been selected as ECCF’s next leader,” he said. “What happens in Essex County matters to me, and I am thrilled for this opportunity to build on the foundation’s 25-year history of collaborative work to create a vibrant and thriving region. The ECCF team comes to work every day ready to roll up their sleeves for our communities. It’s an incredible privilege to work alongside them and ECCF’s family of passionate fund advisors and donors, our many diverse partners and the larger community so together we can continue to build a sense of belonging and opportunity for every person who calls Essex County home.”
ECCF’s works with donors as they seek to elevate their philanthropy to building new systems of support to meet pressing challenges. Lloyd has played a significant role in leveraging relationships to build a shared commitment to a sustainable and resilient region.
“It’s clear that the role of our community foundation is to act as an anchor organization in the community, a place where we can come together across differences and create change together,” said Lloyd. “I look forward to strengthening the partnerships we’ve built and creating new relationships that can expand our collective work and impact. That’s how we’ll continue to move forward as a region.”
Since joining ECCF, Lloyd has played a key role in ECCF’s growth and success. His work and accomplishments as the organization’s executive vice president and COO include:
Prior to joining ECCF, Lloyd served as executive vice president of product management, business development and customer operations at EBSCO Information Services in Ipswich (2004-2018) and as senior product line manager at Siebel Systems Inc., in Seattle, WA (2000-2004). He is also the founder of First Look Inc. (today, known as Youthserve), a global youth service-education company. Lloyd graduated from Yale University and from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration.
Today, Essex County Community Foundation is home to 330 charitable funds and is a place for donors to explore their philanthropic interests and potential for community impact. It is a thriving hub of collaboration, systems change and innovation.
“We are confident that under Stratton’s guidance, ECCF will continue to be the leader Essex County looks to when facing our region’s greatest social challenges,” said Sumberg. “We are hopeful and optimistic about ECCF’s future – and the unlimited potential of Essex County – as we enter into this new era of leadership.”
