Staff: Ellen M. George | Teresa Bonner | Diane B. Neimann | Jeneen Hartley Sago | Sara Whitehead

Associates: William P. Massey | Charles D. Terry | Constance Pechura | Bill Henry

Charles D. Terry
Senior Philanthropic Advisor

Charles Terry is an associate of Family Philanthropy Advisors and provides consulting and advisory services to the firm's clients. He shares a commitment to working closely with each donor to identify and implement strategic and meaningful philanthropic programs. He works with private and family foundations, individuals and groups of philanthropists to help them clarify and deepen into their objectives, and to help them be more effective in making a difference in their communities and in society in general.

During the 1990's Charles served as Director of Philanthropy for the Rockefeller Family Office and Rockefeller Financial Services in New York City, and as President of The Philanthropic Collaborative, a public charity developed by the Rockefeller Family Office to promote and facilitate philanthropy for individuals and families. In these capacities he worked closely with two generations of Rockefeller family members and with several other philanthropic families, and was responsible for advising on and overseeing more than $60 million of grantmaking annually. His work has included local, national and international philanthropy, ranging from the a next generation family project promoting and protecting community gardens in poor neighborhoods throughout New York City, to the start-up and operation of a $300 million foundation with the mission of alleviating poverty, improving health and education in Trinidad and Tobago, Portugal, Madeira and Portuguese communities in North America.

Charles has extensive experience in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector, serves and has served as a trustee, advisor and facilitator for charitable trusts, families, foundations and nonprofit boards. He has advised families on establishing and/or expanding their foundations, on identifying and implementing mission and goals, on intergenerational issues and transitions, and on all matters related to grantmaking. His current work focuses on helping individuals, families and foundations clarify their intentions regarding philanthropy, find common ground, and work strategically to implement their priorities. He has worked extensively in building collaborations among groups of philanthropists, foundations and nonprofit leaders to achieve specific objectives.

Prior to his work with the Rockefeller family, Charles was Vice President of the International Center for Integrative Studies (ICIS), a nonprofit organization promoting greater communication and collaboration among leaders in diverse disciplines. He served for more than a decade as a NGO delegate to the United Nations, participated in numerous conferences, briefings and programs related to the work of the UN, and played an active role in the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development which initiated work on many of the major global issues in the forefront today. Earlier, he helped found and served for 10 years as the Executive Director of The Door - A Center of Alternatives in New York City, an internationally recognized multi-service health, education and arts center for youth, serving 5,000 inner city teenagers annually.

Charles is an honors graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. He practiced law at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison, served as law clerk for J. Edward Lumbard, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and for a number of years practiced urban, community and poverty law in New York City. He was a Professor of Law at New York University School of Law where, in addition to regular teaching, he founded and directed the Urban Law Clinical Program, which became one of the most popular courses at the law school. Charles and his wife, Betsy MacGregor, MD, reside on Whidbey Island in Washington State.