Quinn Delaney ’76; photo credit: Akonadi FoundationClaremont, Calif. (July 20, 2022)—President Joe Biden has appointed Pitzer alumna and former trustee Quinn Delaney ’76 as a member of the Commission on Presidential Scholars. The Commission “is a group of eminent private citizens appointed by the president to select and honor the presidential scholars,” according to a White House press release.
Commissioners are chosen from across the country, representing the fields of education, medicine, law, social services, business, and other professions, to make the final selection of the 161 presidential scholars.
Delaney and her husband, Wayne Jordan, founded the Akonadi Foundation in 2000. Located in Oakland, CA, the foundation supports the development of powerful social change movements to eliminate structural racism and create a racially just society. Delaney, who serves as the foundation’s board chair, has spent over 35 years working in social change philanthropy.
In addition to her work with the Akonadi Foundation, Delaney currently serves on the boards of East Bay Community Foundation, the Oakland Museum of California, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Women Donors Network Action, and Smart Justice California, which works on criminal justice reform. She has served on many other boards, including the ACLU of Northern California, Community Change, the Democracy Alliance, and Tides Foundation. In 2019, Delaney was appointed to the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, where she continues to serve as a commissioner championing the power and strength of women and girls.
Delaney earned a bachelor’s degree in art history from Pitzer College and a law degree from the University of Houston. As strong supporters of Pitzer, she and Jordan established the Quinn Delaney General Endowment Fund in 2003 and the Agnes Moreland Jackson Diversity Program Endowed Fund in 2006. They have also made significant gifts to the College’s Residential Life Project and Pitzer Fund, among other generous donations. Delaney served as a Pitzer trustee from 1991 to 1994.
