WASHINGTON – The James W. Foley Legacy Foundation announced today that David Levinson has been unanimously elected as Chair of its Board of Directors, succeeding Ellen Shearer after four years of leadership in the role.
A member of the Foundation’s Board since 2022 and former Chair of its Governance and Nominations Committee, Levinson will help guide the organization’s strategic direction as it advocates for Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad, promotes journalist safety, and inspires moral courage.
“I am deeply grateful to Ellen Shearer for her dedicated leadership of the Board of Directors and to David Levinson for generously bringing his expertise and passion into this new role,” said Diane Foley, Founder and President of the Foley Foundation. “I’m forever grateful to both of them.”
Ellen Shearer, outgoing Board Chair, said, “The future of the Foley Foundation is in good hands under David, whose dedication to the Foundation’s mission and Jim Foley’s legacy is unwavering. I have been honored to lead the Board over the past four years as we expanded the Foundation’s impact and reach.”
David Levinson, the Foundation’s newly elected Board Chair, said:
“It is an extraordinary honor to serve as Chair of an organization that carries James Foley’s name. Jim’s life reminds us of the importance of standing with people who are vulnerable, of telling the truth when silence would be easier, and of acting when others might look away.
“This mission is especially personal to me. When my father was taken, my family learned how isolating and overwhelming it can be to fight for someone you love while navigating systems that were not fully prepared for the crisis in front of them. I know what it means for a family to need both compassion and determined advocacy, and to need a government and institutions willing to learn, improve, and be held accountable.
“I am deeply grateful to Diane Foley for transforming unimaginable loss into a force for change and to Ellen Shearer for her exceptional leadership of the Board over several years. I look forward to working with our staff, Board, Advisory Council, and partners to ensure that hostage families are never left to carry this burden alone, that our government continues to strengthen its response, and that journalists are better prepared and protected. Together, we will reinforce the spirit of Jim’s legacy of moral courage.”
David Levinson is a nonprofit and organizational leader with experience in strategy, performance management, talent development, governance, and team leadership, including through his work with Teach For America. The son of Robert Levinson, a retired FBI agent who was taken captive in Iran in 2007, David and his family have spent nearly two decades advocating for stronger systems to address hostage-taking and wrongful detention. He has worked alongside hostage families, advocates, government officials, and nonprofit leaders to elevate the experiences of families and advance meaningful reform.
ABOUT THE JAMES W. FOLEY LEGACY FOUNDATION
Conflict journalist James W. Foley was taken hostage by ISIS terrorists in 2012 while covering the Syrian civil war. His captors tortured and ultimately brutally murdered him in 2014. The Foundation was established less than three weeks after his death. Inspired by the moral courage of James Foley, the Foundation advocates for American hostages and wrongful detainees held abroad and promotes journalist safety.
For more information or to learn how you can make an impact, please visit jamesfoleyfoundation.org or contact us here. Charitable donations to support the Foundation’s work may be made here.
