wallis annenberg

Wallis Annenberg is the Vice President and Trustee of the Annenberg Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the United States.

Based in Los Angeles, Wallis is a visionary who strives to improve the well-being of people and communities throughout the world. She has spent much of her life focused on philanthropy and is dedicated to education; communications; arts and culture; medical research; animal welfare; social justice and environmental stewardship.

The work of the Los Angeles office of the Annenberg Foundation, which was established within the past five years, builds upon the legacy of its founder, Ambassador Walter H. Annenberg. Wallis serves on the Foundation’s Board of Trustees along with Mrs. Leonore Annenberg, Lauren Bon, Charles Weingarten and Gregory Weingarten. Her keen vision for philanthropy furthers the core values of the Foundation -- openness, accessibility, fairness and relationship building.

Under Wallis’ leadership, the Los Angeles office of the Foundation has given more than a quarter billion dollars to over 500 organizations. Complementing this wide and high impact grant making are special projects and initiatives, which are pushing the boundaries of traditional philanthropy while serving the Los Angeles community.

The Foundation is expanding its environmental stewardship in greater Los Angeles and beyond through a newly established initiative called Blue Planet. Wallis’ commitment to building community space can been seen through the creation of the Annenberg Community Beach Club located on the grounds of the former Marion Davies estate at 415 Pacific Coast Highway, and the innovative Universally Accessible Treehouse project in Torrance, California. To strengthen the nonprofit community, executive leadership training is offered several times a year free of charge through the Annenberg Leadership Seminar. The Foundation recently moved to larger quarters in Century City in response to its growing involvement with the greater Los Angeles community. With its move to the new space will come the operation of an adjacent cultural center located at the site of the former Shubert Theater.

Wallis is the longest serving Trustee at the University of Southern California. She serves on a number of Boards including the Museum of Modern Art in New York; the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education’s Board of Councilors; the California Science Center; the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County; the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Wallis is the proud mother of four children and five grandchildren. She enjoys politics, photography, professional sports and yoga.