ABOUT
Margaret Newberry McCreary Seguin is President of the Newberry Group. Margaret’s professionalism and discretion enable her to quickly earn the trust and confidence of her clients. As a former Vice-President and Investment Advisor at JPMorgan Chase’s Private Wealth Management division, Margaret was responsible for handling the delicate family issues of high-net-worth families. Privacy and confidentiality were crucial as was a compassionate understanding of unique family dynamics. After JPMorgan, Margaret joined the Charles Koch Foundation/Institute, working as a Senior Program Manager. At the Koch Foundation, Margaret created a curriculum to teach business and management skills to the vast network of nonprofits the Foundation supported. This undertaking provided Margaret with insight into the numerous ways private foundations can assist nonprofits and create constructive, mutually beneficial partnerships.
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Margaret's knowledge of business and finance allows her to relate to the many philanthropists who have created wealth in the business world. She holds an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University with a double major in both Finance and Accounting. After graduate school she served as a Senior Financial Analyst at Kraft Foods' $2 billion food service division, focusing on analyzing the profit and loss of its products.
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Margaret’s received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Wellesley College and holds a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® designation from the American College of Financial Services. Her private sector work involving high-net-worth individuals combined with her work at a large private foundation makes her uniquely qualified to assist families with their philanthropy.
History
Philanthropic interests and endeavors have been an integral part of Margaret’s family history. Her relative, Walter Loomis Newberry, created through his will the Newberry Library of Chicago, one the city’s most historical institutions. It is a world-renowned reference library which, uniquely, is free and open to the public since its inception in 1887. Distinguished scholars and the curious average citizen have equal unlimited access to its vast collections. Margaret believes the Newberry Library provides a paradigm for charitable giving. Philanthropy at its best should aspire to provide clearly articulated benefits, on an equal basis, to its intended beneficiaries, be they specific targeted populations or the general public. The Newberry Library illustrates that Legacy giving appropriately conceived, endowed and administered will endure through the centuries, creating value to society the whole time.
Volunteer Work
At the Newberry Group we believe in the time-honored religious tradition that one should personally volunteer in addition to donating money. Putting this principle into practice, Margaret spent a summer in Kingston, Jamaica volunteering at an orphanage for abandoned, severely disabled children. Started by a dynamic local priest, Mustard Seed Communities (MSC) cares for the weakest and most vulnerable by providing food and housing for abandoned children as well as attending to their spiritual needs. Margaret’s economic development work at MSC complimented the nonprofit's efforts to secure additional revenue sources for its daily operations. She was inspired daily by her direct observation of the acute needs of these forgotten children.
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Accordingly, the Newberry Group encourages all donors to spend time witnessing their philanthropy in action. This kind of due diligence - which reveals strengths and weaknesses in deployment of charitable dollars - more importantly, bonds the donor with the human face of his/her philanthropy. Donors will learn that those closest to the problem are usually best positioned to help solve the problem and that individuals and communities often possess the ability to help themselves when properly supported.
