Shared Effort

Scott Taylor graduated from Princeton in 1975 with an economics degree. He also holds an MBA in finance from Columbia Business School.  He manages a personal family foundation and was formerly a partner in Mansion Partners, LP, an investment fund.  Previously, he had been in institutional sales with Citigroup Asset Management, Bear, Stearns & Co., and Morgan Stanley & Co., and was a financial analyst with General Motors Corp.  Scott is a member of the Project 55 Board of Directors. He and his wife, Courtney Finch Taylor, Wellesley ‘79, live in New York; where she, of course, favors black, while he adds, much to her chagrin, some orange.

How/Why did you get involved with Princeton Project 55? Did it surprise you to learn that Princeton Project 55 is a multigenerational organization?

I got involved around the time of the 10th anniversary of P55, when I responded to a piece in the Princeton Club of NY newsletter, looking for mentors.  I had always done a fair amount of alumni job counseling, focused on Wall Street.  But the civic engagement angle in the not for profit sector was enticing.  Helping young people help society seemed to make a lot of sense.  It wasn’t until I was a bit more involved that I saw that the founders were beginning to include the former fellows in preparing for leadership roles.

What is your background regarding nonprofits/volunteering? How have you demonstrated “Princeton in the Nation’s Service?”

My first job out of Princeton was on the business side of a small children’s services agency in Queens, New York.  That was relatively short-lived, but working with PP55 now gives me another opportunity to “give back.”

What’s the most important thing you look for when supporting an organization or serving on a nonprofit board?

I’m a numbers guy, so I am interested in organizations that serve the largest number of constituents in an efficient way.  Bang for the buck!

Please discuss the importance of what PP55 does for the Princeton community and communities across the country.

I like to think of the whole structure of PP55 as a form of what I call “leveraged philanthropy”.  Through our work and financial contributions, we engage fellows who both help their partner organizations help many constituents, and either grow in their careers helping a number of not-for-profits, or move on in the for-profit world and become dedicated philanthropists supporting PP55 like organizations.

For 2009-10, PP55 placed 46 fellows. What would your advice be for our newest class of PP55 fellows, and to those Princetonians who are still looking for a job next year?

Use the Princeton network!  Pick up the phone and make the calls!  You will almost always get a positive response, probably some help, and often some referrals, but it will rarely be a hard call to make.

As we celebrate our 20th Anniversary, what is your hope for the next 20 years at PP55?

Having just joined the Board of PP55, I am very encouraged by the steps being taken by the founders to involve new leaders in sustaining not just the Public Interest Program, but looking new programs whereby all Princetonians can have a meaningful, positive impact on society.