Marguerite H. Griffin

Marguerite H. Griffin is a Senior Vice President at Northern Trust. As Director of Philanthropic Advisory Services, Marguerite is responsible for developing and delivering Northern Trust’s philanthropic advisory services to Wealth Management clients. She specializes in managing charitable trusts and private foundations, facilitating family philanthropy retreats, and creating strategic philanthropy plans for multigenerational families. She also advises clients regarding impact investing, international philanthropy, family succession planning, and board governance and risk management for nonprofit organizations. Before joining Philanthropic Advisory Services, Marguerite was a Senior Trust Administrator and Relationship Manager in the Personal Trust Administration Department where she was responsible for the administration of large, complex trusts for individuals and families, charitable trusts and private foundations. Her duties involved working with sophisticated estate plans, sensitive family situations and complex property transfers.

Prior to joining Northern Trust as a Vice President in November 1999, Marguerite was a Vice President and Trust Administrator within the Private Clients Division of Bank One. Before joining Bank One, she practiced law as an Associate with Vedder, Price, Kaufman & Kammholz where she specialized in estate planning, nonprofit organization law, charitable trusts and private foundations.

Marguerite received a B.A. degree from Washington University in St. Louis and a J.D. degree from Northwestern University School of Law. Marguerite is a member of the American Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, and the Chicago Estate Planning Council. Marguerite is admitted to practice before the Illinois Supreme Court. Other credentials include mediation training with the Center for Conflict Resolution.

Marguerite is a sought-after speaker in the areas of impact investing, private foundations, family legacy philanthropy and nonprofit board governance. Marguerite is a board member with Chicago Shakespeare Theater and an active volunteer, and planned giving advisor with several charitable and cultural institutions and giving circles, including the Art Institute of Chicago, The Celebrant Institute and Foundation, Chicago Foundation for Women, The African American Legacy at The Chicago Community Trust, the Ravinia Festival, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Shriver Center on Poverty Law and WTTW/WFMT. She is a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow (Class of 2004) and member of the Leadership Fellows Association.

Marguerite is certified as an English language instructor for non-native speakers. She is fluent in French and Spanish, and has begun language studies in Portuguese and Ukrainian. She is a Life-cycle Celebrant®, a former triathlete and yoga instructor.