Teresa Heinz says sons to take turns leading Heinz Endowments

Billionaire ketchup heiress and philanthropist Teresa Heinz Kerry on Monday released a plan for her three sons to succeed her in assuming the most powerful post at The Heinz Endowments.

Starting in October, Andre Heinz, 46, of Fox Chapel will chair the 14-member board that oversees Western Pennsylvania's second-largest grant-making foundation. His siblings will follow in consecutive four-year board chairmanship terms: Chris Heinz, 43 — who plans to relocate his family from New York to Pittsburgh this summer — in 2020 and John Heinz, 49, of Bucks County in 2024.

“All three are exceptional men who have deep concern for community and a passion for this organization,” said Grant Oliphant, president of The Heinz Endowments. “I'm intrigued to see how their interplay will affect our thinking over the next decade.”

With $1.6 billion in assets, The Heinz Endowments ranks among the Top 50 grant-making foundations nationwide and is eclipsed locally only by the R.K. Mellon Foundation's $2.4 billion in assets. The Heinz Endowments has funded everything from early childhood education and small arts groups to “green” designs and renovations at Pittsburgh institutions such as Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts and the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

“Even though they have a huge mass of money, it's still finite,” said Peggy Outon, director of the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management at Robert Morris University.

“The board controls the funds, so who is on that board and what they value and how they want to make the community better” can have far-reaching impacts on the region, Outon said.

Andre Heinz previously stepped up to take a greater leadership role in the foundation when his mother grappled with health problems, though Oliphant said “there was never a point where there was a critical decision that she couldn't make herself.”

Heinz Kerry, 77, was treated for breast cancer in 2009 and hospitalized briefly after having a seizure in July 2013. Doctors at the time expected a full recovery, and Oliphant confirmed her health issues were not linked to the succession plan.

The Heinz Endowments has distributed nearly $1.5 billion in grants since Heinz Kerry assumed the foundation's leadership post in April 1991, weeks after her husband, Sen. H. John Heinz III, died in a plane crash.

She married Secretary of State John Kerry in 1995.

The foundation expanded its role into environmental issues during her tenure, tackling issues such as air quality and “smart” urban planning that takes into account social consequences of design. She heightened efforts around health and human rights issues and sharpened the foundation's focus on early childhood education.

“I've seen her change not only this organization but change Pittsburgh in the time she's been here,” Oliphant said.

Heinz Kerry said she intends to stay involved on the board and its executive committee as her sons take the board's reins.

“This is an enormously proud and fulfilling moment for me,” she wrote in a statement. “For some while, I have considered how our family's deep and extensive philanthropic legacy will continue to grow and to strengthen over time, and I am delighted that the groundwork is laid for the next generation to engage in the leadership of the foundation.”

Oliphant said Heinz Kerry approached him about developing the succession plan two years ago.

“The family stated a very clear goal: They want the foundation to be a cause that keeps them together and working jointly on behalf of Pittsburgh,” Oliphant said.

The foundation's roots date to bequeathments from Howard Heinz in 1941 and Vira I. Heinz in 1983. It started with a focus on arts and culture, and has since expanded into a range of issues affecting communities and a goal of cultivating a “just Pittsburgh.”

“We haven't shied away from the difficult injustices that hamper progress in Pittsburgh, including around race and around gender,” said Oliphant, “and we're not afraid to talk publicly about those issues and to try and get the community to actually move on them.”

Chris Heinz has been known to have an affinity for veterans' issues, and Andre is known for his work in promoting renewable energy.

“I'm sure we'll see more of their personalities and priorities rising to the floor,” Oliphant said, “but what I think all three sons are very clear on is that in this shared-leadership model it is not about one person's agenda.”

Natasha Lindstrom is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 412-380-8514 or nlindstrom@tribweb.com.