I am Brad Myers. Technically, these days, Dr. Myers, but please refrain from calling me that. Remington Weld is my shop.
For the record, these names were not just plucked out of thin air. Both "Remington" and "Weld" are family names on my maternal side. For someone who fancies himself somewhat expert in the ways of family philanthropy, it seemed a propos. Also, I read somewhere that it is always a good idea to honor your mother.
For almost 25 years I have helped foundations make smart and creative grants. Around the world I have witnessed the transformative power of philanthropy when it is aligned with quality, community-based nonprofits. I have developed strategy and worked collaboratively with diverse stakeholders to address complex challenges. I know what it means to pursue that ever-elusive “collective impact” wherein the whole is somehow more than the sum our individual efforts. For these opportunities I am enormously grateful, and I rest assured that the networks of expertise and communities of practice that I have helped to cultivate will continue to generate great amounts of good in this world for generations.
Through Remington Weld, I get to share what I have learned.
As for the academic bona fides, I am a proud alumnus of the Program for Political and Social Thought at Mr. Jefferson's University, was conferred my Masters in Religion and Social Ethics from the University of Southern California and received my Ph.D. in Theology and Religion from Durham University in the UK.
The Team
Viki McHugh
Viki McHugh has worked as a professional writer, musician (as VK Lynne) and teacher since 1997. She’s resided in Los Angeles for 22 years, and in that time has authored the novels 'Even Solomon' and 'A Pook is Born’, two poetry volumes, 'Crisis' and 'Revelation,' and countless songs that have been published through BMI, which she has also recorded and performed with her bands. Many moons ago, I was in one of them. As a musician, she has toured both the United States and Europe.Within philanthropy, Viki has worked for the Conrad N. Hilton Fund for Sisters as a proofreader and grants editor, and she has spent the last five years with me at the William H. Tilley Family Foundation, serving as Board Secretary and Assistant to the President, the late Nicole R. Tilley.
Kara Lemma
During my time as a Senior Program Officer at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Dr. Lemma was my faithful right hand, the Riggs to my Murtaugh, the Crockett to my Tubbs. Today, when she is not otherwise engaged with Remington Weld business, Kara is Senior Researcher at the Center for Catholic Education in the School of Education at at Loyola Marymount University. A finer person and sharper mind you will not find, at least this side of Viki McHugh.
Prior to joining the Hilton Foundation, Kara served as a Writing Associate for the Graduate Transition Center at Mount St. Mary’s College and taught undergraduate sociology courses at the University of La Verne. Kara is a Trojan through and through-- She received her BA, MA and Ph.D. (Sociology) from the University of Southern California.
The Brain Trust
The best thing about having my own shop is being able to surround myself with my favorite people who are also among the smartest people I know. They bring perspectives and ideas from outside the world of professional philanthropy and the social sector. Think of them as advisors to the advisor, "associates" of Remington Weld, or, preferably, the "Brain Trust." Chief among this clan is Mark Nance.
Mark Nance
In philanthropy it is common to hear about the importance of 'capacity-building' from people who have never built anything concrete in their lives. I am, frankly, one of those people, and having Mark around the shop keeps me grounded in reality. He is a professional engineer who has managed the construction of many things (some of them literally made out of concrete). Big things, like, the Embassy of the United States in N'Djamena, Chad and a variety of water infrastructure projects throughout the western United States, including water treatment plants, hydroelectric facilities, dam outlet works, and irrigation water conveyance systems.
Mark is a consummate systems thinker, and while I am a pretty adroit project manager, I have never received a Superior Honor Award from the US Department of State for "superior performance, outstanding integrity, dedication, and professionalism." Mark has. He was also granted Top Secret security clearance. Pretty cool.
All told, Mark brings over 21 years of engineering experience to the workbench, having overseen the planning, evaluation, design, and construction of government, commercial, municipal, and international projects. He's a product of the University of Colorado at Boulder. I'm lucky to be able to call him a friend.
Eric Myers
In the interest of full disclosure, there is a high probability that this handsome gentleman is related to me. My man in Arizona and go-to creative, Eric Myers has tackled everything from content development and facilitation for top-ranked Fortune 500 companies to training police recruits across multiple agencies. In a word, he's versatile. When it comes to cultivating high-performing teams, developing organizational culture and grooming executive leaders, you are not going to do better than my brother. As a graduate of Arizona State University, he helps to solidify the unapologetic Pac-12 (RIP) bias that is implicit in our practice.
Steve Daskal
Remington Weld prides itself on its "philosophical" approach to philanthropy, so it helps to have a bona fide philosopher in Steve Daskal on call. Dr. Daskal is Associate Professor of Philosophy (Ph.D., University of Michigan) at Northern Illinois University. He teaches, among other things, Ethics and Social and Political Philosophy. He wins awards for being really, really good at doing so. He also knows more than a little about Friedrich Schleiermacher. Steve and I have studied lots of the same kinds of things, but he is a whole lot smarter than I. Fortunately for me, he suffers fools well. I am thankful he continues to suffer me as his friend.
Sr. Marcia Sichol
Catholic sisters have played an enormous and formative role in my personal and professional life, so it should surprise no one that there is a special place in the Brain Trust reserved for a very special one. Sr. Marcia Sichol served (twice) as Executive Director of the Conrad N. Hilton Fund for Sisters, where I first cut my teeth in philanthropy. She is responsible for introducing me to the field and the idea that I might pursue a meaningful career in it.
Sr. Marcia's accomplishments are too numerous to list succinctly. You want high-level administrative experience? She has served as Provincial, Communication Director and Treasurer General of her religious institute (The Society of the Holy Child Jesus). You want brains? She received her Ph.D. in Philosophy from Georgetown under the direction of the legendary John Langan, SJ. Her dissertation was published as The Making of of Nuclear Peace: The Task of Today's Just War Theorists by Georgetown University Press. Not exactly bedtime reading, but highly recommended. As my aunt, she is one generation closer to both the Remingtons and the Welds. Thus, it is fitting that she has chosen to be part of this family practice of sorts. I am ever grateful for her guidance.