Thanking Kathy Merchant for Her 18 Years of Service

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• Merchant to Retire After 18 Years of Service to Tristate Region

  

  CINCINNATI (June 9, 2014) - Kathryn E. Merchant, who has served as President/CEO of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF) since 1997, has announced that she will retire in June 2015, after more than 18 years at one of the nation’s largest community foundations.

  Pete Strange, Chairman Emeritus of Messer Inc. and Chair of GCF’s Governing Board said, “We are proud of Kathy’s tireless work to make this region and this community resource stronger since the day she set foot in Cincinnati. During her tenure, GCF has grown to more than a half billion dollars in permanent charitable assets and provided crucial leadership to issues like cradle-to-career education, racial equity, workforce development, and stronger neighborhoods, to name just a few. Many of the initiatives that Kathy has helped drive, like impact investing, are becoming national models.”

  “I have become very attached to my friends and colleagues in Cincinnati, and to my home in Prospect Hill, during nearly two decades of living here,” Merchant said in her announcement. “I look forward to continuing to be engaged in areas of philanthropy where I have strong personal passion, and to remaining an active member of this community.”

  GCF, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013, made important strides during Merchant’s tenure, including:

  • setting a standard for how major funders collaborate to change systems and create a better quality of life in this community, with initiatives like Better Together Cincinnati, Community Investment Partners, and Weathering the Economic Storm
  • establishing Cincinnati as a national leader which is ahead of the curve in philanthropic innovations such as impact investing and collective impact
  • making more than $700 million in grants on behalf of donors of the past and present

  The Board will conduct a national search for Kathy’s successor.

  Strange said, “A measure of Kathy’s leadership is the strength of the GCF team, at both the staff and the board level; and the strength of the partnerships she has created across the community. In typical Kathy fashion, she has led the board through proactive and thoughtful planning for succession and she has committed to staying with us through a successful search process. GCF is well prepared to grow into the future.”

• Community Leadership and Service to be Recognized at Luncheon

  

  

  Cincinnati - October 4, 2011 - The Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF) will present two awards at its 2011 Annual Luncheon on Wednesday, November 2, 2011. The Jacob E. Davis Volunteer Leadership Award will be presented to Dr. Myrtis H. Powell and the Bridge Builder Award will be presented to William L. Montague of Frost Brown Todd LLC.

  
  

  The Jacob E. Davis Volunteer Leadership Award, presented since 1987, recognizes the leadership and generosity of time provided by an individual or couple committed to improving the quality of life in Greater Cincinnati. The Award was named in honor of Jacob E. Davis, GCF’s first Governing Board Chair and Volunteer Director from 1978 to 1987. 

  
  

  Dr. Powell has been a positive force in both the professional and philanthropic sectors. She is the retired President of Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, the former Vice President of Student Affairs at Miami University and was a co-chair of the Agenda 360 planning process. She’s served on GCF’s Governing Board, as well as the boards of the Mayerson Academy, Bethesda Hospital Inc., the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education, Art Links and CET. Her many accolades include Great Living Cincinnatian, Cincinnati Enquirer Woman of the Year, YWCA Career Women of Achievement and the Talbert House Community Service Award.

  
  

  “Myrtis has devoted her career and volunteer work -- in fact her entire life -- to creating educational and life opportunities for thousands of students and young people who may not have thought they had a chance of success,” said GCF President/CEO Kathryn E. Merchant. “She believed in them, supported them, mentored them and helped them see that anything is possible.”

  
  

  As the Jacob E. Davis Volunteer Leadership Award recipient, Dr. Powell has the privilege of designating a $10,000 grant to one or more local nonprofits.

  
  

  William L. Montague will receive the third annual Bridge Builder Award. The Bridge Builder Award recognizes a professional advisor who has been a supporter of the Foundation in multiple ways over many years. Mr. Montague referred his first fund to GCF more than 20 years ago. He has served on GCF’s Giving Strategies Committee, Northern Kentucky Fund Advisory Committee and is a member of its Foundation Advisory Network. 

  
  

  Mr. Montague is the Chair of the University of Cincinnati Foundation’s Gift Planning Committee. He also serves on the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden’s Development Committee, Chatfield College’s Board of Trustees and the Ronald McDonald House Cincinnati Planned Giving Council.

  
  

  “Bill has been a long-time friend and great supporter of GCF," said Suzanne M. Rohlfs, Director of Professional Advisor Relations. "He has served on several committees for the Foundation, including the Foundation Advisory Network and the Northern Kentucky Fund Advisory Board over the last several years. Bill understands the value of giving back and planned gifts. He has referred a number of estate planning clients to work with GCF in order to accomplish their charitable goals. We are grateful to have such a supportive colleague in Bill."

  
  

  A grant will be made in Mr. Montague’s honor to the nonprofit of his choice. 

  
  

  GCF’s luncheon will be held at 11:30 a.m. at the Hilton Netherland Plaza Pavilion Ballroom. To register for the event, please visit www.gcfdn.org/AL.

  
  

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