Are you interested in hiring Darren Walker to speak at your event, conference, trade show, meeting, or convention?
As a keynote speaker, he knows how to command a stage where he can deliver a powerful presentation that will captivate your audience.
On this page you can contact Darren Walker’s speaker booking agency to learn more about his speaking fees and availability.
A booking agent will respond to you within two business hours to let you know if they are available and how much they cost.
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Darren Walker currently serves as the 10th president of the Ford Foundation, an international social justice foundation with a $16 billion endowment and $600 million in annual grantmaking. During the COVID-19 epidemic, Walker Ford Foundation issued a $1 billion designated social bond as the first charitable institution in the United States’ history.
During this time, he served as chair of the charity committee responsible for resolving the historic bankruptcy of Detroit. As a member of the US Alliance on Impact Investing’s founding board, Walker serves as its chair.
Walker began his legal career in 1986 at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, an international law company. For seven years, he worked in the capital markets business of the Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS). In 1995, he left corporate life to spend a year volunteering at an elementary school in Harlem.
Walker served as the Rockefeller Foundation’s vice president for foundation initiatives from 2002 to 2010, where he was responsible for numerous programs both domestically and abroad.
The Rockefeller Foundation’s Rebuild New Orleans campaign following Hurricane Katrina was one of Darren’s previous responsibilities as vice president. Over 1,000 units of affordable housing were built, and Harlem’s first major commercial development since the ’60s was both completed under his watch as COO of the Abyssinian Development Corporation, Harlem’s largest community development organization, in the 1990s. He formerly worked with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and UBS in international law and finance for a decade.
Darren is a member of the New York City Commission on City Art, Monuments, and Markers, the Riker’s Island Correctional Institution Commission, and the United Nations Commission on the Future of Work. The Carnegie Hall, the High Line, and the Committee to Protect Journalists are among the many organizations on whose boards he serves. Members of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal from Harvard University is among the many honorifics and degrees he’s received throughout his distinguished career.
As a student in Head Start in 1965, Darren was awarded the University of Texas at Austin’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2009, which is the university’s highest recognition for alumni. Times annual list of the 100 the Most Influential People in the World, Rolling Stone’s 25 People Shaping the Future, Fast Company’s 50 Most Innovative People, and OUT Magazine Power 50 are just a few of the annual media lists in which he has appeared.
Walker is an openly homosexual person. Aortic dissection claimed the life of David Beitzel, his longtime partner of 26 years, on January 20, 2019.
Walker wrote a book in 2019 titled From Generosity to Justice: A New Gospel on Wealth, which is available on Amazon. In his book, he articulates a bold vision for philanthropy in the twenty-first century, which is supported by a diverse group of thinkers, activists, and leaders from every field, sector, and walk of life. When it comes to philanthropy, it brings together some of the most influential voices to ask and provides answers to a critical question: If there is a continuity between generosity and justice, how can we move our efforts closer to the latter?
Request SpeakerSpeaking Fees
Darren Walker’s speaking fees can vary depending on the type of event you are producing and where it is located.
His speaking fee can also vary depending on whether you need them to deliver a live or virtual presentation.
Please note we do not work with organizations looking for speakers to speak for free, do podcasts or interviews, or do non-paid charity work.
Contact Darren Walker
To inquire about his speaking fees and costs, contact Keynote Speakers Agency today to book Darren Walker for a live or virtual event, meeting, special appearance, conference, or trade-show.
Our agent will respond within two business hours.