Dec 15, 2020
This episode of The Third Act Podcast features Steve Wilcox. We’ve titled this episode The Conscientious Giver, as Steve and his wife, Peg, have deliberately given to and worked for charitable causes while leading incredibly busy family and professional lives.
Steve retired from a hard-charging career as a Managing Director at Accenture and is now the Chancellor of the Catholic Diocese of Oakland; quite a pivot. In this episode he talks about his lifelong involvement in charitable giving, inspired by his mother, and how he’s adapted his style to religious nonprofit work. He’s also passed on his legacy of giving to his three sons, who now run a family foundation.
Host Liz Tinkham affectionately refers to Steve as the “compassionate hard-ass”. His is an inspiring story of how to be very successful at work while not forgetting what’s important - family and faith.
(01:40) Act 1: Stonehill College as a first generation college student
(03:32) Carnegie Mellon creating and analyzing public policy
(04:28) Think before you speak: lessons from the CIA
(06:11) Act 2: Arthur Anderson and a mini computer can make history
(09:23) Director of Technical services of the NYC Transit Authority
(13:11) Back to consulting for communication
(14:14) Extended family and the extent of its impact: there’s always another place at the table
(17:02) Covenant House: a charity for youth experiencing homelessness
(17:58) Tithing with checks and wine
(20:14) Making it work with teenage kids and traveling
(21:17) Act 3: building a family foundation
(21:40) When it’s time to pivot
(25:42) Bishop of the Archdiocese of Oakland and the start of Cristo Rey
(30:59) The Compassionate Hard-Ass hard at work
(31:28) Authority and power in a nonprofit, from the perspective of a nonreligious person in a religious organization
(33:27) Advice to high-charging people to religion: get involved
Listeners can get in touch with Steve on LinkedIn or by email here.