Jay Kim has been selected to lead the Foundation for MetroWest as the organization’s new executive director.

Kim previously oversaw day-to-day operations as the foundation’s chief operating officer and replaces Judy Salerno, who served as executive director for 15 years. Salerno has retired from this leadership role, but will continue to work for the foundation in a part-time capacity and help to ensure a smooth leadership transition, which had been planned for several years.

“The Foundation for MetroWest has been a critical connector and partner for the cities and towns that comprise our region for the past 25 years, and I am passionate about ensuring our communities have a strong community foundation,” Kim said. “While I am excited and humbled by the opportunity to lead this remarkable organization, I am indebted to Judy for her steadfast leadership, vision, and determination, which have molded the foundation into the essential resource that it is today. We are committed to improving the quality of life for everyone in our area and will continue to advance that important mission.”

“Since 2017, Jay has led the foundation’s daily operations, playing a key role in ensuring our organization connects philanthropic opportunity with demonstrated need within our community,” Salerno said. “As chief operating officer, Jay maximized the impact of our donors’ giving, positioned our community foundation as a valuable resource for local nonprofit organizations, and improved the quality of life for MetroWest residents. While I am deeply proud of my work with the foundation and will profoundly miss leading the organization, I am eager to help support Jay in his new role and to watch him make his own imprint on our foundation and our region.”

Kim intends to build on the foundation’s recent momentum and solidify its role as the go-to organization for anyone who wants to support and strengthen the region. He will work to ensure that the foundation lifts up the area’s most vulnerable populations through partnerships with nonprofit organizations, municipalities, businesses, and more.

The foundation is the the only community foundation serving the MetroWest region of Greater Boston. Its extensive emergency relief grantmaking, which led to the distribution of more than $4 million in funding in 2020, will continue to play a significant role in its efforts in 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect MetroWest individuals and families.

Kim also plans to expand Impact MetroWest, the Foundation’s interactive website featuring a trove of enlightening data specific to the region’s communities, amplify diverse organizations and voices across the region, and continue educating the public on the foundation’s critical role in the community.

“Over the last several years, Jay has successfully overseen the day-to-day operations of the foundation, worked hard to gain the confidence of the staff, trustees, and MetroWest organizations, and demonstrated his devotion to the future success of the foundation,” said Louis Crosier, Board of Trustees Chair for the Foundation for MetroWest. “There is no better person to lead the Foundation into a new era.”

Kim is a member of the Newton-Needham Regional Chamber’s Board of Directors and was recently named one of the 50 Most Influential Business Leaders of Color in Greater Boston’s Western Suburbs.

Prior to joining the Foundation in 2017, Kim led fundraising and development work for nonprofit organizations in the Greater Boston area. He has previously fundraised for specific programs at the Boston Foundation and worked in corporate philanthropy at Target Corporation. Kim also managed homelessness initiatives at the Fannie Mae Foundation and worked for Public Allies, a national AmeriCorps program. He began his career as a Corps Member at City Year Boston. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandeis University and currently lives in Sherborn with his wife and two children.

Established in 1995, the Foundation for MetroWest is the only community foundation serving the cities and towns in the region, encompassing 700,000 residents from Westborough to Waltham and Acton to Walpole. The foundation promotes philanthropy across the area, helps donors maximize the impact of their local giving, serves as a resource for local nonprofits and enhances the quality of life for all our residents.

The foundation is supported by a wide range of businesses, individuals, community groups and other philanthropic organizations. Since inception, the foundation has granted $23 million to its nonprofit partners and currently stewards more than $26 million in charitable assets for current needs and future impact. To learn more, please visit http://www.foundationmw.org/ or call 508-647-2260.