PUBLISHED: DECEMBER 9, 2015

We write in sadness to inform ICNL’s friends and colleagues of the death of Barnett Baron.

Barnett served with tremendous distinction for many years as Executive Vice President of the Asia Foundation, where he led the transformation of the Foundation’s programming and its expansion into new program areas and countries. He pioneered the first key regional initiative on philanthropy in Asia, the Asia Pacific Philanthropy Consortium (APPC), working closely with Tadashi Yamamoto of the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) and colleagues throughout Asia.  He was the guiding spirit behind Give2Asia, the first giving bridge connecting U.S. donors with nonprofit and civil society organizations in Asia.  Earlier he held international leadership positions at Save the Children, and the Population Council.

Barnett was a close friend and colleague to many who work on philanthropy and the nonprofit sector in Asia and the United States, including ICNL.  He was a kind mentor and friend to many in our fields, a dedicated practitioner, and a pioneering scholar.  His published work includes the first comparative volume on philanthropy in Asia, Philanthropy and the Dynamics of Change in East and Southeast Asia (Columbia, 1991), which set the standard and paved the road for what has now become an entire field, and many other contributions.

ICNL mourns the loss of this outstanding leader, friend and colleague. We send our condolences to Barnett’s wife Dha and their daughter Kathryn.