The Shapiro Family
We are Ed & Barbara Shapiro, and along with our two young-adult children, we make up The Shapiro Family. Our philanthropic work through the Foundation is an incredible labor of love and each one of us invests considerable time into the meaningful projects that we get involved with.
We are inspired by Nelson Mandela's quote: "History will judge us by the difference we make in the everyday lives of children." And for the first 15 years of our Foundation, we did so largely passively, through our initial significant grantees: Boston Children's Hospital, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Horizons for Homeless Children and scholarships to The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and UCLA Anderson School.
2016 marked a turning point for our Foundation. Ed and Barbara led a successful community-wide effort--including local, regional and national partners—to sponsor Syrian refugee families being resettled in Greater Boston. This program convinced Ed to start his next chapter, retiring from his 27-year investment management career in order to devote himself full-time to tackling the global refugee crisis.
Ed carried the highly focused approach he used during his investment career to the family's philanthropy and decided to concentrate almost exclusively on refugees and immigration.
As an investor willing to make concentrated commitments to organizations/management teams he believes in, he has spent the past several years immersing himself in all aspects of the refugee crisis--from understanding the causes of migration, legal and political responses, the impact on the economies of settlement countries, the history of resettlement, the role of UN agencies, national and local governments, and the opportunities to identify and support "win-win" opportunities for bottom-up, community sponsorship to support resettled refugees.
Ed and Barbara are honored to make this next chapter count by serving the most vulnerable and ensuring their philanthropy is as impactful as possible
Ed Shapiro, Trustee
Barbara Shapiro, Trustee
Barbara Shapiro, Trustee
Edward Shapiro is a trustee for The Shapiro Foundation. For nearly 20 years, he was a Managing Partner and Portfolio Manager at PAR Capital Management, Inc., a Boston-based investment management firm.
At the end of 2016, Ed retired from PAR Capital Management in order to devote his attention to his family's philanthropic activities and t
Edward Shapiro is a trustee for The Shapiro Foundation. For nearly 20 years, he was a Managing Partner and Portfolio Manager at PAR Capital Management, Inc., a Boston-based investment management firm.
At the end of 2016, Ed retired from PAR Capital Management in order to devote his attention to his family's philanthropic activities and to keenly focus their work on the global refugee and resettlement crisis.
Ed's commitment to the Foundation's mission to support refugees stretches beyond the on-going gifts that the family awards throughout the year. He is an active member on the boards of Combined Jewish Philanthropies, RefugePoint and Social Finance. He also sits on the board of United Airlines.
Ed earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and an MBA from UCLA's Anderson School of Management.
Barbara Shapiro, Trustee
Barbara Shapiro, Trustee
Barbara Shapiro, Trustee
Barbara Shapiro is a trustee of The Shapiro Foundation, a tireless community volunteer, and an advocate for the rights of refugees and the support of children from underserved communities.
After a 12-year business career focused in advertising and marketing, Barbara retired to become a full time mother and community volunteer. Currently,
Barbara Shapiro is a trustee of The Shapiro Foundation, a tireless community volunteer, and an advocate for the rights of refugees and the support of children from underserved communities.
After a 12-year business career focused in advertising and marketing, Barbara retired to become a full time mother and community volunteer. Currently, Barbara serves on the boards of Horizons for Homeless Children and Beaver Country Day School in Boston, Massachusetts.
For over 11 years, Barbara has dedicated much of her time supporting the work at Horizons for Homeless Children. Since 2016, she has been a lead voice and activist of The Jewish Family Service of Metrowest Syrian Refugee Resettlement Program in Framingham MA.
Barbara holds a BA from The University of Vermont.
Larry Tobin, Director
Barbara Shapiro, Trustee
Larry Tobin, Director
Larry Tobin, has served as the Director of The Shapiro Foundation since 2017. In this role he works closely with Ed and Barbara on the strategic direction, partnerships and philanthropic gifts made by the Foundation.
For the decade prior to joining the Shapiro family, Larry worked at Combined Jewish Philanthropies, most recently leading
Larry Tobin, has served as the Director of The Shapiro Foundation since 2017. In this role he works closely with Ed and Barbara on the strategic direction, partnerships and philanthropic gifts made by the Foundation.
For the decade prior to joining the Shapiro family, Larry worked at Combined Jewish Philanthropies, most recently leading their major giving efforts. While there Larry led the team responsible for raising $38M in annual support and co-led The Community's $30M endowment effort to make Jewish Day School education more affordable.
Larry has served on the boards of many Shapiro Foundation grantees including The HOME Project, Humanity Rises, Jewish Family Service of Metrowest and The Rashi School.
Larry and his family have sponsored newcomers from South Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria & Venezuela.
Sarah Wiseman, Canada
Ale Okret, Latin America & Europe
Larry Tobin, Director
Sarah has been working with The Shapiro Foundation as the point of contact for our Canadian activities, since 2021.
Sarah works closely with our refugee-serving NGO partners; provincial and federal governments; and employers and sector associations, with a particular focus on supporting scale-up of Canada’s refugee labour mobility progra
Sarah has been working with The Shapiro Foundation as the point of contact for our Canadian activities, since 2021.
Sarah works closely with our refugee-serving NGO partners; provincial and federal governments; and employers and sector associations, with a particular focus on supporting scale-up of Canada’s refugee labour mobility program.
In her previous career, Sarah was a Partner in a regional Nova Scotian law firm, where she practiced management-sided Labour & Employment law for fifteen years. Then, as CEO of an economic development organization, she oversaw Canada’s first community driven pilot of the Economic Mobility Pathway Program, which enabled skilled refugees to immigrate to Canada through economic immigration streams.
In 2015, at the height of Canada’s Syrian refugee resettlement effort, she co-founded and Chaired a local community refugee sponsorship group, Pictou County Safe Harbour, which has since welcomed and settled 12 refugee families in rural Nova Scotia.
Ale Okret, Latin America & Europe
Ale Okret, Latin America & Europe
Ale Okret, Latin America & Europe
Ale Okret, joined The Shapiro Foundation in 2022 to begin the foundation's work in Europe following the war in Ukraine. Since that time, Ale's work has expanded to also lead our work in Latin America.
For the decade prior to joining the Shapiro Foundation, Alejandro worked in community development at c-suite / executive level and managing
Ale Okret, joined The Shapiro Foundation in 2022 to begin the foundation's work in Europe following the war in Ukraine. Since that time, Ale's work has expanded to also lead our work in Latin America.
For the decade prior to joining the Shapiro Foundation, Alejandro worked in community development at c-suite / executive level and managing complex international programmes. Alejandro currently lives in England, and is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Alejandro has worked for a diverse range of organizations including in the NGO sector, academia, and government. As a changemaker, Alejandro has vast experience in improving performance and developing positive and healthy organisational culture.