Heather Johnson Kukla is President of Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (MACP). Founded by the late Margaret Cargill, MACP actively partners with organizations to make a lasting difference for individuals and communities, with particular attention to causes that have been historically overlooked or underfunded.
Heather’s leadership has helped shape and grow MACP throughout her 15-year tenure with the organization. She joined the Philanthropies in 2009 as director of legal affairs, and she was promoted to general counsel in 2015 where she also served as secretary to the boards of MACP’s two grantmaking entities. Heather was promoted to Vice President and General Counsel in 2017, expanding her role to include Board planning and operational responsibilities, and in 2023, she was promoted to President of MACP.
The combined assets of the Philanthropies’ grantmaking entities (Margaret A. Cargill Foundation and Anne Ray Foundation) place it among the largest foundations in the United States. As President at MACP, Heather’s responsibilities include guiding the strategic direction of the Philanthropies as well as overseeing the organization’s operations, investment portfolios, and more than $300 million annually in global grantmaking across seven domains: Animal Welfare, Arts & Cultures, Disaster Relief & Recovery, Environment, Legacy & Opportunity, Quality of Life, and Teachers & Students.
Before joining the Philanthropies, Heather practiced law with Hogan & Hartson LLP (now Hogan Lovells), first in Washington, D.C., and then in the firm’s New York office. While at Hogan & Hartson, Heather focused primarily on commercial litigation. She also spent considerable time serving pro bono legal clients in matters related to immigration and housing. Heather served as law clerk to the Honorable Ellen Segal Huvelle of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. She received her juris doctor from Georgetown University Law Center and her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of North Dakota.
In 2019, Heather completed the Council on Foundation’s Career Pathways program, an intensive leadership development program that “cultivates bold, representative, and inclusive decision-makers in the philanthropic sector.” This program nurtured Heather’s commitment to fostering diverse talent and excellence among the philanthropic sector’s senior executives. She is active in the Eden Prairie chapter of Young Men’s Service League and is a committed volunteer serving community youth sports and booster activities.