Rockefeller Brothers Fund Names Ian H. Solomon President and CEO

Joseph Pierson, chair of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund Board of Trustees, announced the appointment of Ian H. Solomon as the Fund’s eighth president and CEO. Solomon will assume the role in September 2026, succeeding Stephen Heintz.

Ian Solomon is currently the dean of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia.

“We are delighted that Ian Solomon will lead our 85-year-old family foundation into its next chapter,” said Joseph Pierson, chair of the board of trustees of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF). “Ian’s extensive experience in law, policymaking, diplomacy, and education spans the range of RBF’s work globally, and his distinctive skills in negotiation, collaborative problem-solving, and conflict resolution position him perfectly to lead the RBF at this pivotal moment in history.”

“Throughout the search process, we heard time and again of Ian’s openness, his commitment to active listening, and his willingness to grapple with multiple truths and conflicting ideas,” said Janai Nelson, an RBF trustee, member of the search committee, and president and director-counsel of the Legal Defense Fund. “Ian embraces complexity—a critical quality for a global philanthropy navigating the cascading environmental, political, social, economic, and technological challenges of the 21st century.”

At the Batten School, Solomon led a multidisciplinary faculty of scholars and practitioners committed to creating new knowledge, developing ethical and effective leaders, and advancing solutions to humanity’s greatest policy challenges. He oversaw significant growth in the school’s student enrollment and the accessibility of its academic offerings.

Solomon emerged as a leader at UVA as the campus community navigated a series of challenges, from the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide racial reckoning to the 2022 shooting that killed three UVA students and wounded two others. He gained national recognition for his powerful personal essay written after the murder of George Floyd, which encouraged students to “do the hard work, have the hard conversations, make the hard choices, and … believe in the power of us.”

Solomon has taught public policy, law, and negotiation at Yale Law School and the University of Chicago. As vice president for global engagement at the University of Chicago, he supported international programs, research collaborations, and global education opportunities.

“I am honored by this opportunity to lead the Rockefeller Brothers Fund,” said Ian Solomon, incoming president and CEO of the RBF. “I have long admired the Fund, whose commitment to the greater good has touched many of the causes and organizations that inspire me. I am energized by the prospect of close collaboration with the leaders inside and outside the organization who are charting the path to a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world, and I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together.”

Solomon’s appointment follows an extensive search led by the board of trustees and Russell Reynolds Associates, which began in the summer of 2025 when Stephen Heintz announced plans to retire after 25 years as president and CEO of the Fund.

Heintz coined the term “acupuncture philanthropy” to describe his philanthropic approach of leveraging modest financial assets to trigger larger systemic change on critical issues. After joining the RBF in 2001, he initiated the Track II dialogue that helped lay the groundwork for the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal, set in motion the Rockefeller family philanthropy’s widely publicized divestment from fossil fuels, and cofounded the Trust for Civic Life to facilitate national philanthropic funding for local democracy efforts. Heintz has been given the title of President Emeritus, effective July 1, as he steps back from his full-time leadership of the RBF. He will continue to serve as president and CEO on a part-time basis until Solomon assumes the role in September.

“I extend my enthusiastic congratulations to Ian,” said Stephen Heintz, outgoing president and CEO of the RBF. “With his reputation as a strategic, curious, empathetic, and visionary leader, Ian’s appointment gives me great confidence that I leave this organization, which has profoundly shaped my own life, in the best hands to advance its long record of positive impact.”

Before joining the Batten School, Solomon led his own international consulting practice, which supported businesses, multilateral organizations, government agencies, academic institutions, and nonprofits on conflict resolution and collaboration. He held several positions in the federal government, including four years as legislative counsel to then-Senator Barack Obama and, later, as a senior adviser to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. In 2010, he was unanimously confirmed by Congress as the U.S. executive director for the World Bank Group, where he negotiated multi-stakeholder agreements related to global food security, private-sector development in Africa, data accessibility, and more.

Originally from New York City, Solomon earned his AB from Harvard University and his JD from Yale Law School. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, and a trustee of the Henry Luce Foundation.