Forman Acton Foundation Announces Retirement of President & CEO Larry Van Meter
COO Kortney Swanson Davis Appointed Interim CEO;
Van Meter to Continue Advising Foundation as Newly Appointed Trustee Emeritus
SALEM CITY, NJ – The Forman Acton Foundation today announced the retirement of Larry Van Meter, its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective June 30, 2023. Beginning on that date, Van Meter will assume the role of Trustee Emeritus, a position to which he was appointed by the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. Kortney Swanson Davis, Esq., the Foundation’s Chief Operating Officer, has been appointed interim CEO as the search continues for Van Meter’s successor.
Van Meter initially joined the Foundation in 2015 as a Trustee, serving as Chair of the Board’s Scholarship and Grants Committees. He then assumed the role of President and CEO of the Foundation in January 2019. Since that time, he has led the Foundation through a period of tremendous growth, overseeing the expansion of the organization’s programs, staff and impact in the Salem community. In addition, he spearheaded the successful pursuit of a formal Memorandum of Understanding with the Salem City School District, designed to promote increased enrollment in the Foundation’s Acorn Fund. To date, the Foundation has invested $1.75 million in over 1,370 Acorn Fund college savings accounts and awarded $2 million to 45 Forman Scholars.
“I feel especially fortunate to have capped my career in education by leading an organization whose mission I believe in so deeply, especially in Salem, my parents’ hometown,” Van Meter said. “I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish during my tenure, and I strongly believe the Foundation is poised to have an increasingly profound impact on the students of Salem in the years to come.”
Before joining the Foundation, Van Meter served for 17 years as the Head of School at Moorestown Friends School in Moorestown, New Jersey. Prior to that, his career included seven years as the Headmaster of Darrow School in New Lebanon, New York, five years as the Director of Advancement at George School in Newtown, Pennsylvania, and two years as a teacher at The Mountain School in Vershire Center, Vermont.
“Larry’s service to the Foundation over the last four and a half years has been nothing short of transformative, and we are incredibly thankful for his strategic guidance, visionary leadership and steadfast commitment during such a critical period in the Foundation’s history,” said Darrell Edmonds, Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. “As we look to the future, Larry’s presence on our Board as a Trustee Emeritus will ensure that the Foundation continues to act in the best interests of Salem’s students, their families and the greater community.”
As the search for a permanent President and CEO continues, the Foundation’s Board of Trustees has appointed Kortney Swanson Davis, Esq., the Foundation’s Chief Operating Officer, to assume the responsibilities of CEO in an interim capacity. Davis has been a fixture of the Foundation’s leadership team for nearly six years, responsible for ensuring the prudent administration of the organization’s various programs and initiatives. An attorney by trade, she joined the Foundation following six and a half years as an Associate with Schachter Portnoy, LLC. She received an undergraduate degree in business administration from Howard University and a Juris Doctor from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
“Words can’t express the true impact Larry has made on the Foundation, and I speak for the Foundation’s entire staff when I say the celebration of his retirement is certainly bittersweet,” Davis said. “My goal is to navigate the Foundation through this time of transition and make sure we don’t skip a beat in providing the financial assistance and inspirational support that have made the Foundation such an integral asset to the Salem community.”
About the Forman Acton Foundation
The Forman Acton Foundation’s mission is to inspire, educate and empower Salem youth. Founded in October 2014, it is named after Forman S. Acton, a Salem resident, pioneering computer scientist, engineer and university professor who sought to provide children from his hometown with the same access to education that made him successful. Through his endowment, the Foundation provides educational opportunities through financial assistance and inspirational support that removes barriers and creates pathways for students to advance their education and achieve career success. Learn more at www.FormanScholars.org.
About the Acorn Fund
The Acorn Fund is an initiative to create and invest in college savings accounts for Salem City’s youth. Any child from birth through 12th grade who lives in or attends public school in Salem City is eligible to establish and receive money from an Acorn Fund college savings account.
About the Forman Scholars Program
The Forman Scholars Program is one of the Foundation’s cornerstone initiatives, through which exemplary 12th-grade students who live in or attend school in Salem City are awarded $50,000 for use toward their higher education expenses. In order to qualify for acceptance as a Forman Scholar, students must meet certain educational, financial and demographic requirements aligned with the policies of the program and the Foundation’s Certificate of Incorporation.