Ross Comstock named vice president for information systems and technology at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation

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Jun 06, 2014, 10:14 ET

BATTLE CREEK, Mich., June 6, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) announces the selection of Ross Comstock as the vice president for technology and information systems. He will join the foundation on June 16 and report to President and CEO La June Montgomery Tabron.

Comstock will be a member of the foundation's executive team and will lead the foundation's information systems and technology functions. He also steps into an opportunity to align the IT strategy with the organizational strategy and mission, and conceive of, design and build a new technology platform to transform the effectiveness of philanthropy at WKKF.

"We have an extensive network of grantees and partners so managing both relationships and the business of grantmaking can benefit greatly from an integrated and effective technology platform," said La June Montgomery Tabron, WKKF CEO. "Ross brings tremendous talent and capabilities in this arena, as well as a real commitment to making change on behalf of vulnerable children, we are delighted to have him join the Kellogg Foundation team."

Most recently, Comstock was the director of information technology and quality at Direct Relief in Santa Barbara, California, where he was responsible for the formation and implementation of a completely new IT infrastructure to enable and support the continued growth of the more than 60-year-old organization. There, he worked to develop a commercial-grade technology framework to underpin the work of the organization and to put in place a quality management system to drive continuous improvement. Under his leadership, Direct Relief received the Peter F. Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation, the Esri President's Award for GIS and was selected twice as a Computerworld Honors Laureate.

"I am excited to join the Kellogg Foundation. Helping vulnerable children to thrive and reach their full potential is a mission that I care deeply about," said Comstock. "A thoughtful and creative application of technology can help to support this important mission. The challenge is to find innovative ways to use technology to strengthen communities and to support vulnerable children," he added.

Comstock comes to WKKF with more than 25 years of experience in helping organizations do more with technology, including experience in a range of business verticals including Defense (Raytheon and AAI), Semiconductor Manufacturing (Hampshire Instruments), Geographical Information Systems (Kork Systems, now Boeing Autometric), Higher Education (University of Maine), Video Games (MBL Research), Construction (Cianbro) and nonprofits. He was also a founder of Networks Northeast (purchased by Cianbro) and has a passion for business as well as technology.

Comstock holds bachelor's degrees in computer science and discrete applied mathematics from the University of Maine. He is a member of the American Society for Quality and the Production and Operations Management Society (POMS).

About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation 
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal pioneer Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life.

The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Mich., and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special emphasis is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. Learn more at www.wkkf.org.

SOURCE W.K. Kellogg Foundation