Howard University's News & Stories Hub

Biography

Ms. Depelsha McGruder (BA ’94) is the chief operating officer and treasurer of the Ford Foundation. Based in New York, she oversees Ford’s global operations and finances.  Prior to joining the foundation in 2020, Ms. McGruder served as COO of New York Public Radio (NYPR), where she oversaw internal operations and strategic planning for WNYC, WQXR, Gothamist.com, The Greene Space and New Jersey Public Radio.  She also partnered with senior leadership to chart the course of local news, talk and cultural programming, as well as digital content, to build a sustainable future for NYPR amidst a rapidly changing media landscape. Before her tenure at NYPR, Ms. McGruder spent 17 years at Viacom in senior leadership positions at both MTV and BET Networks.  During that time, she launched mobile, broadband, and video-on-demand businesses for MTV.  In addition, she developed and operated two new cable television networks with programming designed to serve underrepresented Latino, African American and youth audiences, resulting in triple-digit growth in both audience and revenue.  She started her career as a broadcast journalist, working as an on-air reporter, anchor, and producer for two commercial television stations in Georgia.  Ms. McGruder is the founder and president of Moms of Black Boys United and MOBB United for Social Change, sister organizations dedicated to positively influencing how Black boys and men are perceived and treated by law enforcement and in society. She serves on the boards of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, the Billie Holiday Theatre, the Harvard Business School Club of New York, Oaktree Capital Management, and Classy.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts in broadcast communications from Howard University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.