Darren Walker's Ford Foundation legacy reached far beyond its walls

abcnews.go.com:

Darren Walker, the outgoing president of the Ford Foundation, has had a far-reaching and profound impact on the philanthropic sector

NEW YORK — When Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation, exits the building on Jan. 1, 2026, he won’t be looking back on the institution he's led since 2013 and which has shaped his life for longer than that.

“I am taking my shoes with me and the next leader will bring their shoes, because those will be the right shoes for the next 12 years,” Walker said in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Sitting in his office on one of the upper floors of the Ford Foundation's building on the edge of the United Nations campus in New York, Walker said he was humbled, grateful and a little tired from fielding phone calls after his departure was announced on Monday.

“I’m going to walk out of this building and look forward. My mantra in life is to always live for the future,” Walker said, joking that he didn't want any emeritus title or rooms named after him at the foundation's headquarters.

Leaders of philanthropic foundations are rarely household names. While Walker may not be either, he has been profiled on “60 Minutes,” graced the cover of Town & Country magazine, and been one of Time’s “100 Most Influential People” for his work at the top of one of America's original foundations. His leadership has profoundly influenced other philanthropies, major donors and the work of nonprofits. It's a rare feat within philanthropy, especially for someone who is not themselves among the wealthiest people in the world like Bill Gates or MacKenzie Scott.

Walker said his campaign to influence philanthropy comes in part from his own biography of growing up in poverty and his experience