PITTSBURGH, June 9, 2026 – Justin Maxson has been named Chief Program Officer of The Heinz Endowments following a national search for a strategic professional to inspire and lead the team of experienced grantmakers working for a sustainable, exemplary Pittsburgh region where everyone prospers and belongs.
Maxson brings more than 25 years of experience in community, nonprofit, philanthropic and federal government leadership to the position. He most recently was Executive Director of BuildUS, a national philanthropic collaborative. He oversaw a $60 million pooled fund that made grants to support technical assistance, local organizing and expert guidance for workers and communities working to advance affordable, clean energy through federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act.
Maxson will lead the Endowments’ grantmaking program team as the organization refines and focuses its grantmaking strategies and evaluation approaches to best meet the needs of the 10-county southwestern Pennsylvania region it serves.
The Endowments made grants totaling $92 million in 2025, with investments to uplift the region’s visual and performing arts communities; preserve and rebuild trust in democratic institutions; expand economic and social opportunities for youth and young adults; and restore and protect the natural environment on which our health depends.
“Justin combines passion with a proven record of results through building trusted partnerships between communities, nonprofits, philanthropy and civic institutions,” said Endowments President Chris DeCardy. “His experience spanning federal policy to direct implementation in rural communities is a terrific fit for our team and the leaders and doers in our community committed to collaborating for a future that works for everyone who lives in and loves this place.”
Maxson previously served as senior adviser at the Amalgamated Foundation, where he helped build Resource Rural, a grant-making and technical assistance organization focused on helping rural and Tribal communities access federal resources and implement clean energy and infrastructure projects. He was Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the Biden administration, where he oversaw the distribution of $38 billion to strengthen rural housing, drive economic development, and advance climate outcomes.
He also served as CEO of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, promoting economic opportunity and racial justice in the urban and rural South; President of the Mountain Association, a community development financial institution (CDFI) that supported sustainable economic development in central Appalachia; and founder and Executive Director of the Progressive Technology Project, which focused on providing technology capacity for grassroots organizing.
“My career has been grounded in advancing equity, community economic development, and climate solutions — from investment at USDA to small business development in central Appalachia to philanthropic investing in communities across the south — and I’m excited to bring that experience to Pittsburgh, a region that has continually reinvented itself,” Maxson said.
A common thread throughout Maxson’s career has been a deep belief in the importance of building trusted, ongoing relationships with partner organizations and community.
“One of the things that I most appreciate in Justin's leadership when he worked at BuildUS was his insistence that community perspectives shape the work,” said Gretchen Phillips, Senior Vice-President of Strategic Partnerships at Omidyar Network and Co-Chair of BuildUS’s board when Maxson was hired as its Executive Director. “That commitment was visible across every aspect of his engagement with us and made for a wonderful partnership.”
Maxson’s peers have experienced firsthand his openness to innovative solutions as a powerful leadership approach.
“Justin is the rare human who excels at collaborative innovation,” said Xochitl Torres Small, former Deputy Secretary, United States Department of Agriculture and current Executive Director of the Quivira Coalition “He is unafraid to go big, but always with a focus on the people and communities that turn big investments into lasting opportunity.”
The Endowments’ long history of tackling major environmental, health, workforce and community development issues in southwestern Pennsylvania was a major draw for Maxson.
“Moving to Pittsburgh to join The Heinz Endowments is an opportunity to work at the intersection of legacy and possibility, where serious resources meet a deep commitment to equity and community transformation,” he said. “It’s the kind of place where your work doesn’t just support change—it helps define what’s possible for an entire region.”
About The Heinz Endowments
The Heinz Endowments works to grow an exemplary, sustainable Pittsburgh region where everyone prospers and belongs. We invest in organizations working to uplift the region’s visual and performing arts communities; preserve and rebuild trust in democratic institutions; expand economic and social opportunities for youth and young adults; and restore and protect the natural environment on which our health depends. The Endowments made grants totaling $92 million in 2025.
Contact:
Scott Roller
[email protected]
412-725-0023