This article appears in print in the January/February 2020 issue. See more about the winners of the 2020 Executive Excellence Awards here. Click here for a free subscription.
Beth McCaw is committed to philanthropy, diversity, equity and inclusion.
McCaw oversees the Washington Women’s Foundation, an organization that has invested more than $18 million in communities throughout Washington state since its inception in 1995.
During her five-year tenure, McCaw, a former shareholder in the Seattle law firm Stokes Lawrence, has led the foundation through a bold strategic planning process that made equity and inclusion central to its mission. She transformed the foundation’s grant-making criteria into a more equitable and inclusive structure.
She also led the effort to reclaim a $5 million endowment from a community foundation and invested the funds with an independent adviser, resulting in exceptional growth, allowing the organization to build stronger relationships with community organizations and become even more influential across the state.
McCaw’s influence extends nationally as well. She has served on numerous nonprofit boards over the years, and previously served as chairperson of the YWCA of Seattle-King County-Snohomish County. She is now the chairperson of YWCA’s national board. She co-chaired the Auction of Washington Wines from 2017 through 2019 and most recently raised $4 million to benefit Seattle Children’s hospital.
The Washington Women’s Foundation will host a national women’s giving conference in Seattle in February. The conference will attract more than 500 philanthropically minded women from around the country to learn how grant-making organizations can become more equitable in their giving.
