Google.org To Refocus Philanthropy

From The Wall Street Journal blogs:

Larry Brilliant, the executive director of the Google non-profit arm Google.org is stepping aside, as the company said it would narrow the scope of its philanthropic efforts.

In a blog post, Brilliant said that Google has decided to focus on projects that “make the most of Google’s strengths in technology and innovation.” He cited an existing project that uses Google’s aggregated search data to track flu activity and another designed to help produce cheaper electricity as examples. . . .

Megan Smith, Google’s vice president of new business development, will [take on] day-to-day management of Google.org.

Smith will immediately focus on “aligning Google.org more closely with Google has a whole,” wrote Billiant, noting that Google would start by putting more engineers and technical talent on philanthropic problems.

Full article here.

Filed under: careers, technology

Casserly to Carnegie Foundation For Advancement Of Teaching

From the Carnegie Foundation For The Advancement Of Teaching:

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching today named Catherine M. Casserly as Senior Partner effective April 2009. Casserly was director of the Open Educational Resources Initiative at The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, where she managed grants to harness the power of the World Wide Web to equalize access to knowledge. Leading the strategic direction of this now worldwide movement, Casserly worked to raise global awareness of these educational resources and to coordinate participants and their projects.

As the first full-time Senior Partner appointed by Carnegie President Anthony S. Bryk, Casserly will be responsible for new program initiatives and will manage the strategic direction of Carnegie’s work in Open Educational Resources. In leading efforts to build a new field of Design, Educational Engineering and Development, Carnegie provides an ideal combination of timing and place to extend the knowledge and evidence base regarding the effectiveness of innovation and Open Educational Resources for learning.

(Links added.)

Full release here.

Via @CarnegieFdn.

Filed under: careers