Doug Bitonti Stewart

Doug Bitonti Stewart

Executive Director, Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation, NCFP Fellow (2015–2018)

Doug Bitonti Stewart is the first Executive Director of the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation in Detroit, Michigan.

Prior to assuming that role in 2007, Doug had served organizations such as Michigan State University, Michigan Nonprofit Management Institute, the Arthritis Foundation, Children’s Hospital of Michigan and as Director of Development for Children’s and Women’s Health at the University of Michigan Health System.

Doug serves the philanthropic field and social impact sector through his work on the CEO Advisory Board of the National Center for Family Philanthropy, the Committee to Transform Michigan Philanthropy through Diversity and Inclusion of the Council of Michigan Foundations, and Development Summer Internship Advisory Board at the University of Michigan where he also served as a guest lecturer in the Org Studies program.

He serves on the boards of the Jewish Funders Network; Excellent Schools Detroit; is immediate past chair of The League Michigan, an organization promoting youth service and leadership throughout Michigan; and served on the 2014 and 2015 American Express NGen Leadership Award Selection Committee.

He earned his Master of Business Administration from the Max M. Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University and holds an undergraduate degree in Finance from Michigan State University.

Contributions

Voices from the Field

Five Questions for Doug Bitonti Stewart

Posted on September 21, 2022 by Doug Bitonti Stewart

Anniversaries are times for reflection on and celebration of the past, as well as an opportunity to imagine the future. As the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP) celebrates our 25th anniversary, we are speaking with community members about their reflections on the evolutions of their own philanthropy, the sector, and NCFP as well as their hopes for the future. … Read More

Impact Investing: Aligning All Capital for Good

Posted on December 7, 2021 by Erika Seth Davies, Kathleen Simpson, Melanie Audette, Doug Bitonti Stewart

Impact investing is a powerful tool to align and maximize assets for good. The practice is growing increasingly common, yet many families are in search of guidance on how to begin or accelerate their impact investing pursuits. Join us to explore the fundamentals of impact investing, and learn more about structures like mission- and program-related investments as well as legal… Read More
Voices from the Field

The Value of Problem Solving With Peers

Posted on October 8, 2021 by Doug Bitonti Stewart

When I started as the first executive director of the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation, the National Center for Family Philanthropy was one of the first groups I was introduced to by my board lead at that time, Julie Fisher Cummings. Feeling welcomed by this organization and its leaders, I benefited from listening to those who had done… Read More

Building Bridges: A Conversation with NCFP’s New Fellows on Racial Equity

Posted on December 13, 2018 by Mary Mountcastle, June L. Wilson, Kelly D. Nowlin, Doug Bitonti Stewart

Are you breaking or bridging? We all have been affected by structural racism. NCFP’s own 2019 Fellows have dedicated themselves to getting proximate to the people, to the issue, to our families, to the field, and to thinking about how we have been impacted by racial injustice and inequity. From our Imagining the Future cross country focus groups we have heard… Read More

20th Anniversary Symposium: Imagining the Future of Family Philanthropy

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Virginia M. Esposito, Carol S. Larson, Ayelet Baron, Sierra Clark, A. Sparks, Didier Sylvain, Farhad Ebrahimi, Kelly Chopus, Richard Woo, Mary Mountcastle

In addition to a celebration of NCFP’s 20th Anniversary, the Symposium will explore key themes, trends, and bold ideas generated over the year by the Imagining the Future initiative. We will also unveil several new NCFP research initiatives including Pride of Place, a report exploring how boards stay true to the original geographic focus of the family foundation after trustees have moved away.  … Read More

Trends in Family Philanthropy: A Conversation with NCFP Fellows Katherine Lorenz and Doug Bitonti Stewart

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Virginia M. Esposito, Katherine Lorenz, Doug Bitonti Stewart

This webinar features two of the field’s emerging leaders, former NCFP Fellows Katherine Lorenz & Doug Bitonti-Stewart. Doug and Katherine will reflect on a variety of issues they have explored with NCFP and will discuss important trends in the field at large. Moderated by NCFP President Ginny Esposito, their conversation highlights issues and topics of interest to all family funders,… Read More

2016 NCFP CEO Retreat: a Joint Retreat for Family and Non-Family CEOs

Posted on September 20, 2016 by Virginia M. Esposito, Katherine Lorenz, Doug Bitonti Stewart

The role of a family foundation CEO is unique, often bridging generations of family members, community leaders, staff, advisors, and partners. Expectations can be challenging to meet and boundaries are sometimes vague and ever-changing. Success in this role requires a cadre of specialized leadership skills. This 3-day retreat, to be held at the family home of David and Lucile Packard,… Read More
Featured Article

Gratitude and Humility in Philanthropy; from a Story, to a Value, to Action

Posted on September 6, 2016 by Julie Fisher Cummings, Doug Bitonti Stewart

Authors and leaders throughout the field have published articles and tools (e.g. Grandparent Legacy Project) aimed to help families ask questions to elicit the core values of our founders. When we are able to connect our founders’ values to real-life stories, it can have a profound impact on our families and those we serve… Read More
Ask NCFP

Why is it Important to Have an Internal Mission That is Separate and Distinct from an External Mission?

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Julie Fisher Cummings, Linda Tracy, Doug Bitonti Stewart

This month we are delighted to feature a question recently asked in our May webinar, Balancing internal vs. external missions in family philanthropy. This in-depth conversation on successful strategies for thoughtfully defining, measuring, and tracking both internal and external missions in family foundation features Julie Fisher Cummings and Doug Bitonti Stewart from the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation and Linda Tracy from the Tracy Family Foundation… Read More