Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation. Photo credit: Shared Value Initiative, under Creative Commons license

Payments company Square has announced it’s appointed a new board member by the name of Darren Walker, who is best known for being the president of the Ford Foundation, a well-known American private foundation with an endowment in the tune of $13 billion. Walker has long been involved in philanthropic work, having previously been a vice president at the Rockefeller Foundation. He’s joining as Square’s 11th board member. His appointment notably comes on the heels of the George Floyd incident which has among other effects better highlighted racial and social justice issues in the US. Walker himself is black but first and foremost a veteran in the world of philanthropy and community development.

To give a hint of how well respected Walker happens to be, he’s earned more than 15 honorary degrees and university awards, including Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Medal. He serves on many community boards, including the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The National Gallery of Art, Carnegie Hall, Friends of the High Line, and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Walker is joining Square’s board, which currently includes among others CEO Jack Dorsey, co-founder Jim McKelvey, former U.S. Fed chairman Larry Summers, and famed venture capitalists Mary Meeker and Roelof Botha.