Ciresi Walburn Foundation for Children Announces New Executive Director
Twin Cities native and education advocacy leader Daniel Sellers hired to advance the Foundation’s impact and accelerate progress towards the Foundation’s mission.
The Ciresi Walburn Foundation for Children has hired Daniel Sellers to serve as the Foundation’s first-ever Executive Director. Daniel began serving in the new role on April 1, 2020.
For more than 20 years, the Ciresi Walburn Foundation for Children has been a catalyst for change, promoting programs, practices, and policies that work toward ensuring all of Minnesota’s young people—especially youth of color and others who have been historically underserved—have the opportunity for the very best education and opportunities. As Executive Director, Daniel will oversee the Foundation’s programming, community partnerships, grantmaking, finance and accounting, and marketing and communication.
“I’m thrilled to join a Foundation with an unwavering commitment to equitable opportunities for all Minnesota youth, and a willingness to be bold and pacesetting in their grantmaking, communications, and activities,” said Daniel. “I hope to support the Foundation in taking their work to the next level of impact, as the need to do so has never been greater.”
Daniel’s background and expertise are well-suited for this new role. Daniel is an educator, social entrepreneur, and advocate. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Daniel has spent the last 12 years as Executive Director of three highly-impactful Twin Cities-based education nonprofits: Teach For America—Twin Cities, MinnCAN, and EdAllies.
“Over his years of leadership, I’ve had the opportunity to watch Daniel succeed in each of his endeavors and know first-hand his commitment to promoting educational excellence, while supporting families, community groups, educators, and high-impact organizations,” said Board Chair Michael Ciresi.
Before hiring Daniel as Executive Director, the Foundation partnered with The Minneapolis Foundation, which provided staffing and other services. “We’re incredibly grateful for the many years of partnership and support from the Minneapolis Foundation, which has allowed the Ciresi Walburn Foundation to positively impact tens of thousands of young lives,” said Board Secretary and Treasurer Roberta Walburn. "Mike and I want to thank The Minneapolis Foundation for the years of work together."
About the Foundation
The Foundation was founded in 1998 with a $30 million commitment as a result of fees earned from the Minnesota Tobacco Litigation. As the litigation aimed to protect our state’s children, the Foundation focuses its giving on improving the lives of all Minnesota children. Originally named the Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi Foundation for Children, we changed our name in 2018 to honor the two veteran attorneys who spearheaded the tobacco litigation: Michael V. Ciresi and Roberta B. Walburn.
To date, the Foundation has granted more than $23 million to further its mission of serving as a catalyst for creative, innovative, and societal-changing programs and policies to promote education and equitable opportunities for all of Minnesota’s children and youth.