Board Retirement
Barbara P. Robinson
Ms. Barbara Robinson served as a dedicated member of the Board of Directors from 2005 through 2016. The Foundation is grateful for her expertise and talents that were generously applied across many areas of the organization.
During her tenure, Ms. Robinson participated in the audit and compensation committee as well the governance and nominating committees, leading the latter as committee chair for five years. Given the Foundation’s commitment to assessment of its grant-funded programs, she directed an effort to apply similar principles among its directors with the development of an annual Board assessment process. Ms. Robinson, an alumna and Trustee Emeritus of Bryn Mawr College, was a frequent participant in Foundation-sponsored gatherings with grantees and community thought-leaders committed to the advancement of liberal arts education.
Ms. Robinson is a retired partner of Debevoise & Plimpton. She was the first woman to serve as President of The Association of the Bar of the City of New York and was the first woman partner at Debevoise. An avid gardener, Ms. Robinson spent time during a sabbatical from the firm working for Rosemary Verey and is the author of the 2012 biography, Rosemary Verey: The Life and Lessons of a Legendary Gardener.
New Board Members
Ben Soraci
Ben Soraci joined the Board of Directors of the Teagle Foundation in February 2016. He serves as President of the ExxonMobil Foundation, where he is responsible for the primary philanthropic arm of the ExxonMobil Corporation. As a member of the ExxonMobil Foundation Board of Trustees, he manages the corporation’s philanthropic initiatives that focus on advancing math and science education in the United States, equipping women in developing countries with the resources they need to fulfill their economic potential and combatting malaria. He also serves as General Manager of Public and Government Affairs at ExxonMobil Corporation. In this capacity, Mr. Soraci is responsible for government affairs activities for all of its operational affiliates in the upstream, downstream and chemical sectors worldwide.
Saskia Levy Thompson
Saskia Levy Thompson joined the Board of Directors of the Teagle Foundation in May 2016. She is a program director within the Carnegie Corporation of New York's Education program, where she manages the New Designs to Advance Student Learning portfolio. Ms. Thompson oversees grantmaking aimed at advancing school and system models that enable students to develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed for future success.