The John Templeton Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Linda Kiraly Gilbert, MBA, as Chief Financial and Operating Officer. In this role, Ms. Gilbert will lead the Foundation’s operational and administrative areas, including Finance and Accounting, Human Resources, Facilities, Program and Grant Operations, and Information Technology.
She joins the John Templeton Foundation at a time when the Foundation has established itself as a significant funder of inter-disciplinary research that pushes the boundaries of scientific and spiritual understanding. Over the past ten years, the John Templeton Foundation has built a robust grant making infrastructure, coalesced around a distinct set of funding areas, and created a multi-dimensional communications platform called Templeton Ideas. Ms. Gilbert will leverage these successes to align the Foundation’s operational model with its strategic vision for the future.
According to Foundation president, Heather Templeton Dill, “Linda is an experienced financial officer with a background and track record of sound financial management, a keen understanding of financial systems and an ability to identify the most important information when evaluating financial and operational complexities.” She is also an inclusive and collaborative leader with experience leading human resources, information technology, and grant administration.
Most recently, Linda served as the Vice President, Administration and Finance at Widener University, where she oversaw financial planning and analysis and fiscal operations, including accounting, accounts payable, budget, compliance, procurement, payroll, and risk management; dining services; human resources; campus safety; and facilities and real estate services.
Prior to her roles at Widener, Linda held various accounting-related positions before taking a job at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts where she worked full time while pursuing her MBA. After completing her MBA, Linda moved to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and worked her way through four different positions at Penn before taking a role as Assistant Vice President, Finance and Administration at LaSalle University. She was then recruited from LaSalle to Widener to serve as Associate Vice President for Administration and Finance. She became Vice President, Administration and Finance in 2021.
Linda earned her B.S. in Accounting from the State University of New York College at Geneseo and her MBA in Finance from Temple University’s Fox School of Business.
