Steve Seleznow is a chief executive known for leadership across multiple sectors, including philanthropy, large-scale public education systems, and higher education. Over the 2023-2024 academic year, Seleznow served as a Distinguished Careers Institute (DCI) Fellow at Stanford University. Prior to the fellowship, Seleznow served 13 years as president and CEO of the Arizona Community Foundation, the largest charitable foundation in the state and one of the 25 largest community foundations in the U.S. Seleznow also served as program director and deputy director of U.S. programs at the Gates Foundation, leading implementation of a $2.5 billion strategy focused on education reform in states, districts, and networks across the country. He served as partner and chief investment officer of Venture Philanthropy Partners, one of the nation’s first charitable funds to apply the principles and best practices of venture capital to investments in the nonprofit sector. Seleznow served on the Visiting Committee of the Board of Overseers for the Harvard Graduate School of Education and held appointments as associate research professor and special assistant to the dean of the George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development. Seleznow earned a doctorate and M.A. from Harvard, a M.A. from the University of Maryland, and a B.A. from Boston University.

“Prior to moving from the east coast to Arizona in 2010, I was one of those people who took water for granted. Living in the Southwest, I very soon learned how misguided I was. This led me to become an informed water advocate and funder of initiatives to raise public consciousness about the value of water and the need for better water stewardship and equitable water policy. Serving on the Water Foundation board is a great opportunity to engage with exceptional experts and seasoned leaders to advance sound water policy and protect water resources, not only in the Southwest, but across the country.”