The at the University of Notre Dame has named Holly Kuzmich as its next managing director following a national search. She will begin her role on July 7.
Kuzmich brings experience across venture philanthropy, national policy and organizational leadership. Most recently, she served as a managing director at the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, where she partnered with social entrepreneurs to help scale high-impact organizations.
Previously, Kuzmich was executive director of the George W. Bush Institute, where she led a 45-person team and guided the organization鈥檚 strategic direction. She also held senior roles in the federal government, including assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Education and associate director of the White House Domestic Policy Council.
鈥淗olly brings an exceptional combination of leadership, policy expertise and commitment to evidence that will help shape LEO鈥檚 next chapter,鈥� said Jim Sullivan, co-founder of LEO and director of the . 鈥淎s we expand our partnerships and deepen our impact, her experience scaling organizations and navigating complex systems will be critical to ensuring that what we learn translates into meaningful change for the communities we serve.鈥�
Her work has focused on using data and evidence to inform decision-making and improve outcomes at scale 鈥� an approach closely aligned with LEO鈥檚 mission to reduce poverty through evidence-based solutions.
鈥淭he evidence that LEO produces is vitally important to our nation鈥檚 poverty-fighting organizations 鈥� and, most importantly, to those living in poverty 鈥� as well as policymakers and philanthropy,鈥� Kuzmich said. 鈥淟EO has quickly become a national leader, and I鈥檓 excited to build on its foundation and scale what works. I can鈥檛 imagine a better institution than Notre Dame to take on this bold and important mission.鈥�
Kuzmich will relocate to South Bend, her childhood hometown, as she steps into the role. She joins LEO as the organization continues to expand its partnerships and advance the use of evidence in policy and practice.
Originally published by at on April 28.
Contact: Tracy DeStazio, associate director of media relations, 574-631-9958 or tdestazi@nd.edu