Thanking the Community Foundation's Investment Committee

This week marks my one-month anniversary in my new role as President & CEO of the Community Foundation, and I am excited for my first blog shared with our fundholders and professional advisors. As a short background on me, I went to Stanford on a military scholarship, joined the Marines and led an infantry platoon in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, earned my MBA at London Business School, started two business in Afghanistan as part of reconstruction efforts there, joined a small team at McKesson Corporation that started a $100m health plan-focused software business, and then moved to Reno 12 years ago and ran and grew the Reno-based education nonprofit, Sierra Nevada Journeys. If you would like to learn more about me, my family, and my journey, we have a short note here on the Community Foundation's website.

One of the things that has impressed me most since my first day in this role is the Community Foundation’s fiduciary diligence.  With all the economic uncertainty and volatility in our midst this past month, I want to thank our colleagues who sit on our Investment Committee. These dedicated financial professionals guide us to craft our Investment Policy Statements and then evaluate our portfolio of Financial Advisors to ensure we chart an effective mix of offense and defense through challenging times. I am impressed to see that we have a strong team, diligent Investment Policies, and regular evaluation and oversight in place to ensure high quality returns for your (or your clients’) charitable aims. You can learn more about our Investment Committee members on our Board webpage.

The Board and staff at the Foundation have been incredibly welcoming, and I see tremendous promise for future impacts from our Community Foundation. With your partnership and support, Chris Askin and our team of Board, staff, and supporters grew this Foundation into a sustaining, effective, and impactful change agent in our community. I feel great responsibility to now lead this organization through a new phase of growth to increase these important services across our growing community.

Thank you for the opportunity, and thank you for your partnership.