CONCORD, NH – Richard Ober, president and CEO of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, announced Wednesday that he plans to retire by June 2026. The board of directors will begin a search for his successor this fall.
Ober, 65, was appointed in 2010. He succeeded Lewis Feldstein and is just the fifth person to lead New Hampshire’s statewide community foundation since its founding in 1962.
Ober has guided the Foundation through a period of significant growth and impact. Donor contributions and investment returns combined to increase the Foundation’s assets from $465 million in 2011 to $1.2 billion today. During that same time period, the Foundation awarded more than $660 million in grants and scholarships, supporting thousands of nonprofits and students across New Hampshire. Today, it stands as the largest provider of nonprofit support and of publicly available scholarships in New Hampshire, and as a civic leader on important issues affecting the state.
Under Ober’s leadership, the Foundation adopted its long-term “Together We Thrive” strategy, which focuses on building a New Hampshire community where everyone can thrive by advancing equity, racial justice and economic security across all areas of its work.
“Dick is an exceptional leader who has guided the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation with vision, creativity, and a passion for building inclusive, equitable and vibrant communities,” said Joe Morone, chair of the Foundation’s board of directors. “All of us who have served on the board with Dick these past 15 years have been inspired by his deep personal commitment to make New Hampshire a better place to live for every Granite Stater.”
The Foundation’s board of directors has appointed a search committee comprised of Foundation board members, led by Morone, and has engaged national search firm Kittleman & Associates to assist in selecting the Foundation’s next president and CEO. Ober will remain in his role until his successor is in place.
“Serving this remarkable Foundation and New Hampshire communities is the most rewarding and humbling experience of my professional life,” Ober said. “I am as grateful and inspired today as I was 15 years ago to have been asked to serve in this role. Thanks to our deeply experienced and talented staff and board of directors, the Foundation is well-positioned to welcome a new leader next year and continue to make New Hampshire a community where everyone can thrive.”
Under Ober’s leadership, the Foundation launched “New Hampshire Tomorrow,” a broad effort to increase opportunity for young people and families in New Hampshire. The Foundation’s longstanding work to address substance use disorders and behavioral health was expanded, and long-term initiatives created to focus on early childhood and family supports, civic health, basic needs, environment and climate, and education and career pathways.
During the global pandemic, Ober led the Foundation as it adapted and responded to community need. The Foundation raised and distributed more than $11 million in pandemic relief to New Hampshire nonprofits and worked in partnership to administer the state’s Nonprofit Emergency Relief Fund — helping to direct an additional $40 million in federal aid to nonprofits.
A respected leader in community philanthropy, Ober co-founded the national Community Foundation Opportunity Network, chaired the board of CF Leads, a national network of community foundations, and served on the board of the Center for Effective Philanthropy. He has repeatedly been named among the most influential leaders in New Hampshire by New Hampshire business publications. He held previous senior leadership positions at the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests and the Monadnock Conservancy.
About the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, New Hampshire’s statewide community foundation, is dedicated to making New Hampshire a more just, sustainable and vibrant community where everyone can thrive. We are the place where generosity meets the dedication and ingenuity of nonprofits and the potential of New Hampshire students. For six decades, thousands of people have entrusted their charitable resources to the Foundation, creating a perpetual source of philanthropic capital and making it possible for the Foundation to award more than $70 million in grants and scholarships every year. For more information, please visit nhcf.org or call 603-225-6641.