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.
On April 1, 2026, Peter Wolf became the foundation's president, taking over from his father, Chuck, who had held the role since the foundation’s formation.
Peter Wolf, President and Treasurer
Peter Wolf is Walter 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 San Francisco, focusing on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, securities offerings and general corporate governance. He lives with his family in Napa, California.
Chuck Wolf, Chairman
Chuck Wolf is Walter 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 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 and Board Member
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 and began in 2010 to chronicle its development around Chicago on a blog called “Seeding Chicago.” She joined the Walter S. Mander Foundation as its program officer in December 2018 and is based in Oak Park, Ill.