Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Names Leslie Winner Executive Director

Winston-Salem (October 11, 2007) - The Board of Trustees of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation has selected Leslie Winner to become Executive Director of the Foundation. Winner, currently Vice President and General Counsel of the University of North Carolina, has long been an advocate for the poor and under-represented in North Carolina.

In making the announcement, Jock Tate, Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation President, said, "Leslie Winner is a native North Carolinian and has exceptional experience in a broad range of issues that are important to the people of our state and the work of the Foundation.  She was an effective Senator who had the respect of her constituents and colleagues and provided leadership on key initiatives that have had an impact on the whole state.  Prior to that, she was a partner in one of the state's most respected law firms, especially in its work on behalf of civil rights and human rights.  Later, she provided keen, sensitive leadership as legal counsel to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education.

"Most recently, in her work at the University of North Carolina, she has provided legal advice to the Board of Governors, its president, and the University's senior administrators concerning matters of great importance to the 17 constituent institutions," Tate said.

"Throughout her career Leslie has been in touch with the people of North Carolina.  She has been equally effective in her work with the corporate community and with local, grassroots organizations.  In addition to her experience, what is most impressive about her is her sensitivity to the concerns and needs of all North Carolinians," Tate said.

Winner said, "Our state is facing great challenges as a result of population growth, stresses on our environment, and changes in our economy.  I share the commitment of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation to addressing these challenges in a way that is fair and just and builds community, promotes sustainable solutions, and bridges economic and ethnic gaps. I believe, as do the Trustees, that the nonprofit community is one of the state's greatest assets.

"Working as the Executive Director of the Foundation will allow me to use my experience as a lawyer and as a public servant, working together with the Board and with community-based and statewide groups, to address issues of educational and economic opportunity as well as to promote community and preservation of the state's natural resources," she said.

"The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation has been the most consistent catalyst of positive progressive change for the people of North Carolina for more than 70 years. I am thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to help carry that tradition forward," Winner added.

She will join the Foundation in January of 2008.  Until then, Joseph D. Crocker, Director of Operations, will continue to serve as Interim Executive Director.

Winner received the A.B. degree from Brown University and the J.D. degree from Northeastern University School of Law.  A native of Asheville, she has spent her entire life in North Carolina except for the time she was in college and law school.

UNC President Erskine Bowles said of Winner's appointment, "While this is a great loss for the University of North Carolina, I know in my heart that Leslie Winner was born to lead the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.  She is a brilliant and respected lawyer, but she also knows this state and its people, she knows education, and she knows how to get people of different backgrounds and viewpoints to work together toward a common goal.  Most importantly, she cares and cares deeply about the causes and the people the Foundation supports.  All the people of North Carolina will benefit from Leslie's passion and determination, her proven commitment to fairness and social justice, and her sound judgment."

Of her work at the University, Winner said, "It has been a privilege to serve as the General Counsel of the University of North Carolina for the past seven years.  We in North Carolina are fortunate to have this wonderful University that provides accessible and affordable higher education, and all the opportunities that come with that, to all the citizens of our state.  I thank the Board of Governors and Presidents Molly Broad and Erskine Bowles for giving me the opportunity to work with them to make sure the citizens of North Carolina get the full benefit of this great University."

With offices in Winston-Salem, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation is one of North Carolina's largest and most influential private foundations.  The Foundation is funded by two trusts with assets of more than $470 million.  It was established in 1936 as a memorial to the youngest child of R.J. Reynolds and Katharine Smith Reynolds. During its history, it has made grants of more than $400 million to projects in all 100 counties.  Although it makes grants to a wide range of projects, it now gives special attention to five focus areas - community economic development, the environment, democracy and civic engagement, pre-collegiate education, and social justice and equity.

Its Board of Trustees makes grants twice a year, in May and November.

Winner will succeed Thomas W. Ross, who is now the President of Davidson College. Ross served as Executive Director of the Foundation from January 2001 through July 2007.

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For more information, please call

Ralph Simpson, Ralph Simpson & Associates, 336.761.0711 or

Joseph Crocker, Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, 336.725.7541