About Us
The Walter S. Mander Foundation is the legacy of Walter S. Mander, a Chicago resident who came to the U.S. as a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany in 1940 and became one of the most successful individuals in the American meatpacking industry.
Mr. Mander created the Walter S. Mander Foundation to advance his charitable interests during his lifetime. Upon Mr. Mander’s death from cancer in 1999, a significant portion of his estate was left to the Foundation. The Foundation is managed by a board of directors that includes family members and former co-workers, colleagues and friends.
Charles Wolf, President
Charles Wolf is Mr. Mander’s nephew. Chuck’s mother Hilde (Mr. Mander’s sister) also served on the Foundation’s board until her death in 2011. Chuck is retired from Vedder Price, PC, where he had a practice focusing on labor, employment and employee benefits law and litigation. He has written and lectured extensively on topics in his field and has received numerous recognitions as one of the top employee benefits and employment attorneys in the U.S. He also teaches employee benefits law at the University of Chicago Law School.
Peter Wolf, Treasurer
Peter Wolf is Mr. Mander’s great-nephew and the first third-generation family member to sit on the board, joining in 2011. Pete is a corporate and securities partner at Mayer Brown in Palo Alto, Calif. and focuses on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, securities offerings and general corporate governance.
Peter Goschi, Secretary
Peter Goschi served as Mr. Mander’s lawyer and is an original Foundation board member. He is a partner in Goschi and Goschi, a Chicago law firm.
Lou Wolf, Vice President
Lou Wolf is also Mr. Mander’s great-nephew and joined the Foundation board of directors in 2018. Lou is Vice President of New Business Sales at ZoomInfo in Waltham, Mass. He lives and works in Needham, Mass.
Cassandra West, Program officer
Cassandra West is a writer and editor who developed a deep interest in the local urban agriculture movement after a career with the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune. She joined the Walter S. Mander Foundation as its program officer in December 2019. She lives in Oak Park, Ill.