10/08/2001

New Turner Foundation president shares vision of improving Atlanta

By Maria Saporta – Staff, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

When he was superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, Michael V. Finley led one of many environmental groups seeking money from the Atlanta-based Turner Foundation. Little did Finley know he would one day become its new president. "I had been standing at the door of the Turner Foundation with my tin cup for a number of years," Finley said. At the same time, Finley and his wife, Lillie, also developed a close friendship with Ted Turner, and his former wife, Jane Fonda. The couples would go hunting and fishing together --- developing a mutual respect for each other''s views toward life. "We became friends that shared a common vision of what the world could be --- friends that felt that protecting the environment was our No. 1 responsibility for our children," Finley said. "Out of that spiritual alignment, trust and comfort, we developed a friendship." Then Ted Turner called last Christmas Eve asking Finley to consider helping the Turner Foundation. So Finley realigned his life''s course for the opportunity to work closely with Turner. "We just hit it off on a number of fronts," Turner said of Finley. "It was really important to have somebody who understands and has knowledge of the areas that the Turner Foundation is interested in --- the environment." The foundation will hold a reception on Thursday to welcome Finley to the Atlanta community --- which has been a major recipient of Turner''s philanthropy. All signs point to the foundation having a continued interest in helping Atlanta improve, or at least not further destroy, its quality of life. The Finleys have now moved to Atlanta, buying a home in Sandy Springs, partly because it is close to a MARTA station. "I''m here for the duration," Finley said. "I really don''t foresee a big change in the foundation''s giving. We give funding priorities to where Ted has property, and obviously he has great interest in Atlanta. His social and economic roots are in Georgia." Still, Turner is not so pleased with how Atlanta has developed. "I''m just concerned that Atlanta has gotten too big," Turner said. "The sprawl is just a nightmare. We''ve done a very poor job as far as planning is concerned. There is so much congestion. It really affects the quality of life. And there is so much concrete. The summers are 10 degrees warmer than when I was a kid." The Turner Foundation is dedicated to making the earth more environment-friendly. Because it is located in Atlanta, currently at CNN Center, Turner said, "We spend a lot of our money in the Atlanta area." As Finley sees it, the need for a Turner Foundation is greater than ever. "We are at a critical time in our nation''s history," he said. "We face an array of challenges. We support programs to protect clean water and air quality, alternative forms of transportation and fuels, strategies for infill development rather than continuing the pattern of sprawl and loss of habitat. The more you gobble up in a sort of a mindless path of development, then you have done more damage to your basic regional ecosystem." In addition to those goals, the Turner Foundation also is interested in slowing down population growth and preserving wildlife. The foundation will embark on a strategic planning process early next year to review its mission. But neither Turner nor Finley believe the foundation''s agenda will change substantially. All of Turner''s five children serve on the board of the foundation, and the seventh director is Fonda, who was re-elected this summer. It is the vehicle for the family to give back to society and continue Ted Turner''s environmental initiatives. But as Turner says, "I''m just one board member." But he''s an important board member. The foundation likely is only a shadow of what it will be in the future. The foundation has an endowment of about $350 million, but its annual giving ($50 million) is more in line with a $1 billion foundation. "It''s certainly going to grow quite a bit when I pass away, because the bulk of my estate is going to the foundation," said Turner, who will turn 63 in November. Conceivably, depending on the appreciation of Turner''s wealth, his family foundation could become one of the biggest in nation. Finley was hired partly to prepare the foundation for that possible outcome. "I see that one of the most important aspects of my job is to work with the board and staff to prepare the foundation for the day when it will receive a huge infusion in our endowment," Finley said. "I want to be a calming influence, and provide strategic leadership, partnership, collaboration and outreach for the foundation." For Finley, 54, becoming president of the Turner Foundation was a bit of a detour. After spending 32 years with the National Park Service, Finley had planned to move to a retirement home in Oregon next spring to work in international consulting. The opportunity to work with Turner changed all that. He is pleased to be living in Atlanta, an urban area with a host of cultural offerings, and not having to drive 80 to 90 miles to buy groceries. But it''s the work of the Turner Foundation that excites him the most. "This is intellectual candy for me," Finley said. "There is not one program of the foundation that I don''t have a personal and professional interest in working in and with." He recognizes his role. "The first rule I have is that I understand that this is not my money," Finley said. "These are really investments in the nation and the world''s future."

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