Michael Layton

Senior Advisor

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Michael serves as the W.K. Kellogg Community Philanthropy Chair, the nation’s first endowed chair focused on community philanthropy, at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy, Grand Valley State University.

Michael brings a wealth of experience to this role, including his work as a researcher, teacher, executive director, and consultant. He has worked closely with a broad array of philanthropic and development organizations, including the Inter-American Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, Hispanics in Philanthropy, FHI 360, and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). After teaching at Wesleyan and Yale Universities, he founded and directed the Philanthropy and Civil Society Project at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) in Mexico City.

Michael earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in political science from Duke University, holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Haverford College, and is a proud graduate of Philadelphia’s Central High School.