Longtime Hearst Magazines executive joins Hearst Foundations

Magazines, including Cosmopolitan, at center, on a shelf at a newsstand in New York. Magazines, including Cosmopolitan, at center, on a shelf at a newsstand in New York. Photo: ZVI LOWENTHAL, STR / NYT Photo: ZVI LOWENTHAL, STR / NYT Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Longtime Hearst Magazines executive joins Hearst Foundations 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Donna Kalajian Lagani will join the Hearst Foundations after nearly 25 years at Hearst Magazines.

Lagani had been senior vice president and group publishing director of Hearst Magazines Young Women's Group, encompassing Cosmopolitan, Seventeen and Women's Health. She will take on the new role Feb. 4.

"Donna has done an outstanding job leading our flagship magazine brand for more than two decades, and I am thrilled that she has chosen to take the next step in her career journey at the Hearst Foundations," Hearst president and CEO Steven R. Swartz said in an announcement.

Created by William Randolph Hearst, the Foundations are national philanthropic resources for organizations working in the fields of culture, education, health and social services. The Foundations, which are independent private philanthropies operating separately from Hearst, have made over 20,000 grants totaling more than $1.1 billion since 1945.

Hearst is a privately owned diversified media, information and services company with more than 360 businesses. Its holdings include the Houston Chronicle.

"Philanthropy is an important part of my life, and this is something I've always wanted to do," Lagani said. "I've had the absolute best job on the planet for more than two decades, overseeing Cosmopolitan, the most powerful young women's media brand in the world, and more recently, adding Seventeen, Women's Health and brand licensing to my purview. Now, after a 'fun and fearless' career generating revenue and profits, I feel truly blessed to work with the Foundations and its directors, Paul 'Dino' Dinovitz and George Irish. The Foundations' grants profoundly change people's lives, and I'm honored to join them to uphold the legacy of William Randolph Hearst and his philanthropic efforts."