Heinz Endowments appoints its first chief program officer

PITTSBURGH — Justin Maxson has been named chief program officer of the Heinz Endowments following a national search.

In this newly created position, he will lead the grantmaking program team as the foundation refines and focuses its grantmaking strategy and evaluation approaches to best meet the needs of the 10-county southwestern Pennsylvania region it serves.

Maxson brings more than 25 years of experience in community, nonprofit, philanthropic and federal government leadership and 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.