Perrin Wicks

Perrin Wicks serves as Mellon's director of talent management. She is charged with expanding the Foundation's capacity for human resources planning in concert with organizational structure and growth and in support of talent recruitment and development. Ms. Wicks brings over twenty-five years of experience in progressive organizations committed to social justice, in roles spanning talent and culture, capacity building, and senior leadership.

Most recently, Ms. Wicks led talent management at Children's Aid, one of New York City's oldest, largest, and most respected nonprofits committed to children, youth, and families impacted by poverty. She guided the recruitment team to deepen its focus on strategic partnerships with organizational divisions, on sourcing capacity, and on consistent and equitable hiring practices. She spearheaded learning and development efforts to connect employees to core organizational culture and served as a member of Children's Aid's inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion advisory council.

Previously, Ms. Wicks worked for the ASPCA, supporting team leaders, managers, and staff to create environments where every employee had meaningful opportunities to learn and grow. From 2006–2017, she served as director of partnerships and then chief of staff at The Urban Assembly, a rapidly growing education support organization that founded and developed a network of 21 New York City district public schools. As chief of staff, she was a member of the senior leadership cabinet, championed organizational coherence and culture, and managed strategic planning and goal-setting, special projects, and hiring for senior positions.

Ms. Wicks's earliest professional roles were in educational theater, following her college experience as a member of a children's theater improvisational storytelling troupe. She holds a BA in art history from Yale University and an MPA in public and nonprofit management from NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.