Giving Voice | Winter 2024

“I BELIEVE CHARITABLE GIVING HAS ALWAYS BEEN IMPORTANT. HOWEVER, WHAT IS MORE PRONOUNCED NOW THAN EVER IS THAT LOVE, RESPECT & VALUE FOR HUMANITY MUST UNDERSCORE ALL THAT WE DO.”

Photo:

Pictured Left: Melanie with children in the after-school program at the Dunbar Center

Above: Melanie with her husband, David, and grandchildren, Kenzo and Sage

Cover

Melanie Littlejohn on the stairs inside the Dunbar Center (Ana Gil Photography)

MEET OUR NEW PRESIDENT & CEO

In December 2023, our board of directors announced that Melanie Littlejohn was named the Community Foundation’s new president & CEO beginning March 1. As we look forward to ushering in a new chapter with Melanie at the helm, we asked her a few questions to help us get to know her better.

Please introduce yourself and give us a picture of the career path you have taken.

My career journey has been full of exciting twists and turns. And little did I know each bend in the road was preparing me for my next chapter. I grew up in Jamaica, Queens, as the oldest of 25. Yes, 25! I have one biological brother and 24 foster-love sisters. I graduated from SUNY Stony Brook with a degree in liberal arts. Following graduation, I started a career in international banking in the Financial District, then moved to Rochester, where my career took another turn. Unable to find a similar job, I found purpose-led work at one of the oldest civil rights organizations in the country — the Urban League. Within a few years, I relocated to Syracuse, where I worked for and subsequently led Urban League’s Onondaga County affiliate.

During my tenure with the League, I had the wonderful opportunity to work with people from all facets of our community, including Niagara Mohawk, now National Grid. Niagara Mohawk was starting new initiatives focused on diversity and asked me to join the team to lead the efforts. I am grateful for the inspirational leaders who encouraged me to pursue my MBA at Syracuse University while working full time.

While serving in many roles across National Grid over close to 30 years, I took part in extensive regional and global travel. I decided recently that it was time to come home and serve the community that has been good to me and my family. Shortly after I reached that decision, I learned about the president and CEO position at the Community Foundation. I was very familiar with the organization and its impact as a former chair and board member. Deciding to submit my name for consideration was one of the best decisions of my career.

Why did this new opportunity spark your interest?

I felt a calling to lead this organization not only because of my deep respect for the work done by the staff, board, nonprofit partners and donors, but also because the region is experiencing a transformative moment of growth. This community is redesigning itself, and it feels like an honor to be part of this critical time that will have generational impact on its residents.

We as a community have one chance to get this right. The Community Foundation can play a pivotal role in partnerships that will create a more equitable, resilient and sustainable community for all. I often think of my grandchildren, Kenzo and Sage, and of all children who I claim as my own. They deserve a world, a region, a community and a neighborhood that offers them the best of everything. A place that will embrace, protect and nurture them to do big and great things in this world. A place that creates opportunities and removes barriers, a place that loves them unconditionally and without wavering. They are my “why.”

While at National Grid, you developed and led the company’s corporate social responsibility program, which focuses on neighborhood revitalization, environmental justice, social equity and workforce development. What strategies did you find most successful? What lessons did you learn that you think will benefit your new role?

I had the wonderful opportunity during my career at National Grid to develop the organization’s community engagement framework. It was some of our most powerful and impactful work. The strategy we employed to create the framework was simple: Listen to learn what was important to communities. We were intentional to not project our goals or assume we knew what was best for a community. We respected the views and feedback from people who entrusted us to serve. Our commitment was to be flexible, present, reliable and consistent. We set the standard that we would do what we say — not once but always. Most importantly, we committed to being open and working without judgment. We adopted the philosophy, “being of service is at the heart of what we do.” Doing the right thing for the right reasons and ensuring that no community was left behind was the expectation the team set for itself and remained committed to.

In addition to your professional roles, you have also volunteered for and sat on the boards and committees of many local

nonprofit organizations. Where do you think your heart of service comes from?

I am committed to this place I call home and I want to leave the world just a little better than I found it. I am fortunate that I grew up with the best examples of what it means to be of service to others. My parents are my heroes. They gave unselfishly to others, whether it be my sisters, neighbors, family or general community; they have always been there to support, guide and love. My parents never talked about service. To them, it was just what you did. These lessons have been engrained in my soul. I was also lucky to marry into a family that holds the same belief. My sister and brother-in-law — Linda Littlejohn and Langston McKinney — have poured their hearts into this community by committing to elevate the lives and stories of the historically marginalized. My family has taught me how to give my full self in support of others. I am sure my grandparents and mom are smiling down on me as they see that I have landed in a place that feels like home.

You have lived and worked in Central New York for a long time. What do you see as the region’s greatest opportunities and needs?

I think the region’s needs are sadly the same as they have been for several decades. What is different is the level of severity. The gaps have significantly widened in education, housing, child and healthcare, workforce participation and development, wealth, business development and equity. Although the number of those facing challenges in our community has grown, what has changed is our acknowledgment that the issues exist and our tenacity to put our words to action. The table has been set for us to lean in as a community. We have acknowledged that the time is now. We are focused on collaboration and most importantly we know this moment will take compassion and a healthy dose of courage. I am hopeful for the future.

Why do you think charitable giving is so important in this moment in history?

I believe charitable giving has always been important. However, what is more pronounced now than ever is that love, respect and value for humanity must underscore all that we do. We must all build thriving communities, because in the tradition of my family, your neighborhood is my neighborhood; your child is my child; your home is my home; your pain is my pain; and when those who are most in need no longer own that title, then we all succeed. Yes, we all succeed, we all succeed.

PLANNING NEVER STOPS

While estate planning is crucial for promoting financial and generational wellness, the majority of American adults don’t have estate planning documents — like wills, trusts or healthcare directives — in place. It is common for many of us to avoid this process for a whole host of reasons, including procrastination, the misconception that it is strictly for older adults or those with lots of money or property, or simply because we don’t know where to start. For those of us who have gotten started, it’s important to remember that a good planning process never really stops.

Once an estate plan is in place, most people wait for a major life transition — like the birth of a child, home purchase, serious illness, or passing of a loved one — to trigger a review. The truth is it’s never too early to start thinking about estate planning, and once you’ve put your wishes in writing, it’s a good idea to revisit these documents at least every three to five years. Even if your life circumstances haven’t changed, a routine review provides an opportunity to reflect on other factors that may shift over time — ranging from the technical (tax laws) to the intangible (your priorities).

As you review your estate plan, consider whether your documents align with your charitable intentions, especially if you’ve captured your intentions through a legacy plan at the Community Foundation. A fund at the Community Foundation can be an ideal recipient of estate gifts through a will or trust, or through a beneficiary designation on a qualified retirement plan or life insurance policy. Whether you opt to create your own legacy fund or supplement an existing endowment fund that aligns with your vision for long-term impact, the proceeds can be used to support the causes you care about most.

JUST AS THERE ARE PLENTY OF REASONS TO REVIEW YOUR ESTATE PLAN ON A REGULAR BASIS, THE SAME IS TRUE OF A LEGACY PLAN. HERE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES TO CONSIDER:

CHARITIES CAN CHANGE

If your plan includes direct support for your favorite nonprofits, a periodic review will allow you to include backups or contingencies in the event that a charity ceases its operations.

YOU CAN CHANGE

A periodic review will give you a chance to check in with yourself and reflect on what is most important to you. Is your answer the same now as it was five years ago? Will it be the same a decade from now?

THE COMMUNITY CAN CHANGE

There is a good chance that the needs and opportunities we are addressing today will not be the same as the needs and opportunities of tomorrow. While reviewing your plan, you may wish to consider how you can incorporate support that is flexible enough to respond to future changes.

Whether it is estate or legacy planning, there are ongoing steps we can all take throughout our lives to protect our loved ones, support future generations and preserve our legacies. The Community Foundation can help you develop — and maintain — a charitable legacy plan that complements your estate plan and evolves with your wishes.

JAN L. LANE, CAP® Senior Philanthropic Advisor

DONOR

Despite two very different upbringings, Harvey and Debbie Kliman developed similar values around giving. Harvey, the youngest of four boys, grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. His parents, who immigrated to the United States from Western Ukraine, maintained an Orthodox Jewish household and made a living in the real estate business. Harvey first learned the value of community as a child when he watched his father establish a small synagogue in their neighborhood so that friends and community members had a place to gather and worship as they wished.

“MY PARENTS WERE IMMIGRANTS AND WE BENEFITED FROM AMERICA, AND ALTHOUGH THEIR LIVES WERE MUCH HARDER THAN MINE, IT JUST SEEMED TO ME THAT GIVING BACK WAS SOMETHING THAT I SHOULD BE DOING, AND IN A VERY GENERAL, COMMUNITY-ORIENTED WAY,” SAID HARVEY.

Debbie, an only child, was born and raised in Hamilton, New York, where her family has lived for generations. Since Debbie’s parents divorced when she was only 5, she was raised by her mother, an elementary school principal, and her aunt, who worked as the village librarian for 30 years. Both women were prolific volunteers, serving on many village boards, committees and commissions, a tradition that Debbie has eagerly continued.

“My mother and aunt were both givers,” said Debbie. “I grew up with it.”

Harvey and Debbie have carried a communityoriented mindset with them everywhere they’ve lived. They met and married in Princeton, New Jersey, then moved to Newark, Delaware, shortly thereafter. While working for DuPont in Wilmington, Delaware, Harvey got involved in the town government. A few years later, the pair moved to Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, where Harvey ran for office and became an elected supervisor. Debbie ran a private psychology practice and worked with nonprofits serving children and families. Here in Hamilton, where they returned to live in Debbie’s childhood home after retirement, they have both built up an extensive history of community involvement and continue to serve on several village commissions and nonprofit boards.

Debbie, who volunteers at Worn Again, a gently-used clothing shop for rural residents,

fondly recalls a winter not too long ago when she was able to help a man find an outfit for his daughter’s wedding. And Harvey proudly recounts how he and the local land trust helped a family-run dairy farm secure a New York state grant that will keep the farm operational for future generations and protect the land for agricultural use forever.

In addition to their time, they also give back financially through their family foundation and the Community Foundation.

“We give because we can,” Debbie said.

“And if we had more, we could give more,” Harvey added.

While their attitude toward giving is straightforward, the causes they support are wide-ranging. They have joint and individual interests based on their backgrounds, but the majority of their support is communityoriented, with an emphasis on Hamilton and Madison County.

In an effort to complement and amplify their impact, they began making an annual gift to the Community Foundation’s Community Fund, a flexible fund that pools gifts of all amounts from community members to respond to the region’s most pressing needs. Gifts to the Community Fund support our Community Grantmaking program, which fuels nonprofits working to make a positive difference in the communities of Onondaga and Madison counties, and our Strategic Initiatives, which harness the power of community collaboration to proactively address emerging issues and opportunities.

“Many of the causes the Community Foundation supports are near to my heart,” said Debbie, who encountered a lot of similar issues — poverty, racial inequity, access to education and housing, domestic violence — in her work as an educator and psychologist.

She and Harvey focus on what they can do on their own — whether it’s giving money to the village food cupboard or donating an electric police bike to the Hamilton Police Department — and then partner with the Community Foundation to expand their reach both geographically and programmatically. By combining their support with others through the Community Fund, they are able to give more.

Pictured Left: Debbie and Harvey stand on the front porch of their home.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

In June, our board of directors approved $1,102,321 in grants to 25 nonprofit organizations through our Community Grantmaking program. EDUCATION

CNY

ENVIRONMENT

Purchase

HUMAN SERVICES

PUBLIC & SOCIETAL BENEFIT

Provide

Make

SYRACUSE FILM

Host

Partner with The Hub to increase awareness of resources for female entrepreneurs in Madison County

Support

Support the operating costs of the Book Buddies program

Launch a full-time preschool program for children who are deaf and hard of hearing

FROM THE GROUND UP THERAPEUTIC HORSEMANSHIP

Purchase sheds to house horses that provide equine therapy for community members

CENTERS AT ST. CAMILLUS

Replace bedroom furniture in its nursing facilities

AURORA OF CNY

Support startup costs of a social/vocational program for students who are hard of hearing or have an auditory processing disorder

SYRACUSE LIONS CLUB

Purchase a Welch Allyn RetinaVue camera to use for eye screenings

$10,000 $50,000

JOSEPH’S HOUSE FOR WOMEN

Install two new rooftop air conditioning units

Host one year of art exhibitions featuring underrepresented local artists $60,000 $54,887

FOCUS GREATER SYRACUSE

Launch a 6-month planning and design phase for a communitywide visioning project

FOOD BANK OF CNY

Purchase and install a new cooler at its warehouse to increase storage capacity

HELIO HEALTH

Renovate the reception area of its new building on James Street

$89,350 $20,000

$50,000 $29,200

$50,000 $60,000

LAUNCH CNY

Purchase a vehicle to transport clients to medical appointments, volunteering engagements and recreational activities

$15,000 $45,000

PARTNERSHIP FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Create a public park and boat launch at Nine Mile Swamp

$50,000 $50,000

ROAD TO EMMAUS MINISTRY OF SYRACUSE

Renovate its East Glen Avenue building to host in-house programs for children and families

INTERFAITH WORKS OF CENTRAL NEW YORK

Hire a program coordinator for the Food Justice Initiative, which distributes food to Syracuse neighborhoods

SAMARITAN CENTER

Renovate a Case Management Annex to expand case management services

VOLUNTEER LAWYERS

PROJECT OF CNY

Expand legal support offered to MWBE businesses

To learn more about these funds and many others that make our grantmaking possible, visit:

CNYCF.ORG/FUNDS

5forCNY Fund

Shirley M. Aubrey Fund

Ellen T. & David R. Bacon Fund

Charlotte & Donald Ball Fund

William D. Barnet Memorial Scholarship Fund

Peter & Barbara Baum Fund

Benji Fund

Besse Family Fund

Bilford Family Fund

Charles F. Brannock Fund

Shirley M. Brennan Fund

William L. Broad Fund

Kenneth P. & Charlotte C. Buckley Fund

Cabasino Fund

Patricia M. & Vincent H. Callahan Fund

Carriage House Foundation Fund

Philip R. & Elizabeth Chase Fund

Clarke Family Fund

Laurie J. & Dr. William R. Clark, Jr. Community Fund

Solly & Belle Cohen Fund

William & Sylvia Cohen Community Fund

CNYCF Community Fund

Mary Frances Costello Fund

The DeBenedictis Fund

J. Henry & Martha E. DeBoer Fund

Alfred & Grace DiBella Fund

John S. & Julia G. Dietz Fund

Olga Dietz Turner Fund

Divot’s Fund

DMC Memorial Fund

Mary Louise Dunn Fund #2

M. Harold Dwyer & Frances M. Dwyer Fund

Margaret J. Early Fund

Education Endowment Fund

Harold & Marian Edwards and O. M. Edwards

Company Fund

Steven A. Endieveri Memorial Fund

Carlton R. Estey Fund

Fund Name/Alpha Code

John M. & Mary L. Gallinger Fund

Alice M. Gaylord Trust

Minnie O. Goodman Fund

Viola M. Hall Fund

Frances E. & John S. Hancock Fund

Carroll A. Hennessy Fund

Anthony A. & Susan Henninger Memorial Fund

Hills Family Fund

Holstein Family Fund for Citizen Engagement

I. A. Hotze Fund

Iaconis, Iaconis & Baum Fund

Jelly Bean Angel Fund for Innovation

Leo & Natalie Jivoff Fund

Robert H. Kemper & Norma E. Kemper

Charitable Foundation

Martha A. & Eugene F. Keppler Fund

Marjorie D. Kienzle Fund

David Kilpatrick Memorial Fund

Frances C. & Albert C. Knight Charitable Fund

George & Luella Krahl Fund

Ruth E. Krull Fund

Alicia A. & George W. Lee Fund

Leonard Family Endowment

Martha, Gracia & Robert Leopold Fund

Lewis-Trinity Fund

LFM Fund

Maier Family Community Fund

L.C. Maier Community Fund

Candace & John Marsellus Community Fund

Gay D. Marsellus Fund

John F. Marsellus Fund

The Martha Fund

Flora Mather Hosmer Fund

Helen Hancock McClintock Fund

Anne L. Messenger Community Fund

James & Aileen Miller Charitable Fund

H. Gillis & Letty M. Murray Fund

Donald C. & Marion F. Newton Fund

Peggy Ogden Community Fund

Dorothy M. Olds Fund

Carol W. & Emiel D. Palmer Fund

P-D Family Fund

John R. Pelkey Community Fund

Theodore & Marjorie B. Pierson Fund

Robert & Anne Pietrafesa Fund

J. Daniel & Diane Pluff Fund

Robert A. & Winifred S. Pond Family Fund

Maggie & Roger Reid Fund

Brian Cole Retan Memorial Fund

Dorothy Retan Irish Fund

James A. & McDowell Smith Reynolds Fund

Lettie H. Rohrig Field-of-Interest Fund

Lawrence E. Root Fund

Lynne Ross Scheer Fund

Tiny Rubenstein Animal Welfare Fund

Rosalind & Seymour Rudolph Fund

Elizabeth Salisbury Brooks Fund

Robert & Dorothy Salisbury Fund

Durston Sanford & Doris Sanford Fund

Helene C. Schroeder Fund

Daniel & Jeanne Schwartz Fund

Frederick B. & Laura B. Scott Fund

Dorothy R. Shoudy Memorial Hearing Impaired Fund

Shuart Family Fund

Adelaide Louise Silvia Community Fund

Frances Singer Hennessy Fund

Winifred & DeVillo Sloan, Jr. Family Fund

The Lee & Alice Smith Fund

Walter A. Thayer Fund

Frances M. Thompson Fund

Dr. Robert J. Vitkus Fund

Donald & Hilda Watrous Fund

Virginia Wendel Fund

Carolyn V. West Fund

Westminster Presbyterian Northside Concerns Fund

John Winter Family Fund

Dorothy C. Witherill Fund

The Witherill Fund

Forrest H. Witmeyer Fund

Arthur W. & Mabel P. Wrieden Memorial Fund

Peter Zerebny Community Fund

Pictured: Bria Seals, a United Way of CNY Book Buddies volunteer, working with a child at Seymour Elementary School

GRANTING MATTERS

COLLABORATIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH NONPROFIT PARTNERS

Our Community Investment team constantly seeks ways to engage with nonprofit partners, employing methods like pregrant meetings, site visits and community events. Understanding their achievements, challenges, and aspirations is crucial and we’re committed to ensuring that they’re informed about grant and professional development opportunities that can propel them toward their goals.

With that being said, we recognize the importance of meeting our partners where they are, especially organizations located in rural areas like those in Madison County. It was with this in mind that we teamed up with our local funding partners to hold a Meet the Foundations event in Oneida last spring.

The open house style meet and greet was held at the Gorman Foundation Community Center in Oneida and included representatives

from the Community Foundation, Gorman Foundation, Gifford Foundation, Mother Cabrini Health Foundation and the Health Foundation of Western and Central New York. With 63 individuals from 47 Madison County organizations in attendance, the event was a testament to shared dedication.

It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces, and to meet new people doing incredible work in Madison County. Attendees savored refreshments, collected giveaway swag, engaged with local foundation staff, and most importantly, established connections with one another.

The positive feedback we’ve received about our Meet the Foundations events has been exciting and we look forward to hosting more events in Onondaga and Madison counties in the future.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ORGANIZATIONS SERVING MADISON COUNTY

The Community Foundation has several grant and professional development opportunities for organizations serving Madison County:

COMMUNITY GRANT PROGRAM

MADISON COUNTY RURAL POVERTY FUND

STAFF ADVANCEMENT INITIATIVE

INTERNAL DIVERSITY, EQUITY & ACTION FUND (IDEA)

WOMEN’S FUND OF CENTRAL NEW YORK

THE LEADERSHIP CLASSROOM (TLC)

NONPROFIT ESSENTIAL WORKSHOP SERIES (NEWS)

More information about these opportunities can be found at cnycf.org/receive If you would like to sign up to receive information about upcoming events and grant opportunities, please email us at info@cnycf.org.

Pictured: Attendees gather at our Meet the Foundations event at the Gorman Foundation Community Center in Oneida.

01

$150,000 FOR LEAD POISONING PREVENTION EFFORTS

Our LeadSafeCNY initiative recently received a $150,000 grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to put toward the cost of hiring a coordinator for the LeadSafeCNY Coalition. Over the past four years, the Cabrini Foundation has provided a total of $625,000 to support LeadSafeCNY. The coordinator will work closely with partner organizations to formulate and implement the coalition’s goals, objectives and strategies.

02

ISSUE PAPER RELEASED

Delayed payments to nonprofits from New York state contracts has been an issue since the 1980s. Yet, despite decades of awareness and a multitude of course corrections, frustratingly little progress has been made to remediate this situation, which often results in financial hardship for Central New York nonprofits. In our latest issue paper, Colby Cyrus, CAPM, program manager, and Frank Ridzi, Ph.D., vice president of community investment, examine how often this occurs and what steps nonprofits are forced to take to make up the difference. Then they recommend a new solution that may be helpful in some circumstances. VIEW THE FULL

03

LAUNCH OF IMPACT INVESTING

Our community faces urgent challenges such as poverty, inequality and a shortage of safe, affordable housing. We are working to make Central New York a vibrant community with equal access to opportunity for everyone. To help us get there, last year we implemented a new tool called impact investing to help create transformational change. Impact investing allows us to use up to 5% of our main investment pool to make investments that generate both financial returns and positive social outcomes.

LEARN MORE AT LEADSAFECNY.ORG

BLACK ARTIST COLLECTIVE

Artists Express the Heart and Soul of Syracuse’s 15th Ward

Pictured: Janiah Shadreem’s art portrait, “Soul in Hand”

As Janiah Shadreem learned about Syracuse’s former 15th Ward, she wanted to know more about the people who lived and laughed and loved there. The predominately Black neighborhood was decimated in the 1960s to make way for the elevated part of Interstate 81 through the city. Syracuse’s urban renewal program displaced about 1,300 people and bulldozed dozens of Black-owned business and community organizations.

“It was hard to find pictures,” said Shadreem, a senior at the Institute of Technology at Syracuse Central. “People did not document it. If there’s really nothing about that time period, it means no one really cares about it. That’s why it’s important to create our art and talk about the 15th Ward.”

Shadreem was one of four high school student artists paired with local professional artists to study, discuss and create art inspired by the past, present and future of the 15th Ward. The Community Foundation supported Black Artist Collective CNY, Inc.’s (BAC) initiative, which culminated in “Paired Pieces Exhibition,” a multidisciplinary show that debuted this past summer at the Community Library of DeWitt and Jamesville.

Shadreem eventually found an article about music in the 15th Ward. “The people were full of life,” she said. “I saw this picture of one woman. She was really beautiful.” She researched fashions of the era, then used digital art to create a portrait she named “Soul in Hand.” The Black woman — who reminds Shadreem of herself — wears large, shiny gold hoop earrings and holds blue flames.

“I love her face,” she said “It’s hopeful and shows calmness and acceptance of other people. I wanted to show that what you do with your soul, you hold in your hand and want to put it out there.”

That’s exactly what the eight artists did, said Martikah Williams, Shadreem’s mentor and a founding member of Black Artist Collective.

“We wanted to think about how art could help us move forward and face the history of the 15th Ward,” she said.

The exhibit features several paintings, a collection of white and black plates with outlines of the 15th Ward’s boundaries, poetry, and a quartet of fabric dolls.

Williams moved to Syracuse at 11 with her mother, who was born here. “When we first came here my mother said when we were driving on I-81 that the highway was the dividing line between wealth on the hill and the rest of us,” she remembered.

Debates about tearing down part of I-81 spurred Williams to learn more. “When I learned the history and could talk about it in an immersive way, I wanted to bring others in and break this cycle of not knowing about it.”

Now when Williams drives I-81, she notices the potholes and bumps. “We will always have to reconcile with it as long as we’re physically seeing it and remembering it,” she said. “There’s so much this city and this community have to offer and people can just drive through and miss it.”

Below: Jaleel Campbell’s, artwork, “Tomorrow’s Leaders”

Above: Janiah Shadreem (top row, second from the right) and Martikah Williams (bottom left), pose with other high school student artists at the Community Library of Dewitt and Jamesville

Pictured: Charles DeShields’ untitled artwork

TORI HART

Philanthropic Services Officer

Tori previously served as the Director of Stewardship and Public Relations at the Vermont Historical Society in Barre, Vermont, and as the Assistant Director of Planned Giving at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont. She recently relocated back to Syracuse, having grown up in Baldwinsville. Tori joins the Community Foundation with close to a decade of development experience, both in annual and planned giving, as well as database management. Tori attended the State University of New York at Oneonta, where she received a bachelor’s degree in history and anthropology, and the Cooperstown Graduate Program, where she received a master’s degree in history museum studies.

ELIZABETH GAGNÉ

Philanthropic Services Officer

Liz joins the Community Foundation with nearly 30 years of development experience, having previously worked in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, most recently at The Upstate Foundation and Cazenovia College, where she was the Director of Advancement Information Systems. Liz received a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College, and was born, raised and currently resides in Syracuse. Liz loves to spend time with family and friends, and enjoys traveling, especially to Greece, where she has family. She loves the Central New York community, and remains a dedicated Syracuse sports fan.

YEISHA NÚÑEZ-DENSON Accountant

Yeisha previously served as the Senior Accounting Specialist of Dairy Farmers of America in Syracuse and as the Accounting Coordinator at Datacom Systems, Inc. Yeisha also owns and operates her own custom and personalization business, YeiMarie Creations. She attended Le Moyne College and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a minor in philosophy.

NEW STAFF MEMBERS

CNY PHILANTHROPY CENTER

431 EAST FAYETTE STREET SUITE 100 SYRACUSE, NEW YORK 13202

315.422.9538

If you do not wish to continue receiving our mailings, please email us at: info@cnycf.org.

INTERIM PRESIDENT & CEO; VP OF DEVELOPMENT

THOMAS M. GRIFFITH, AEP ®, CAP®, CHFC®

INCOMING PRESIDENT & CEO

Beginning March 1, 2024

MELANIE LITTLEJOHN, MBA

COMMUNICATIONS

KATRINA M. CROCKER

Vice President of Communications

JULIET R. MALOFF

Senior Communications Officer

CORY SCHAD

Senior Events & Communications Manager

COMMUNITY INVESTMENT

FRANK M. RIDZI, PHD

Vice President of Community Investment

DARRELL D. BUCKINGHAM Program Officer

COLBY CYRUS. CAPM Program Manager

ELISIA GONZÁLEZ

Grants Manager

DANIELLE M. JOHNSON

Senior Director of Grants & Programs

KANISCHA MILLER

Program Associate

QIANA WILLIAMS Program Officer

DEVELOPMENT

ELIZABETH GAGNÉ

Philanthropic Services Officer

TORI HART Philanthropic Services Officer

JAN L. LANE, CAP® Senior Philanthropic Advisor

MONICA M. MERANTE, CAP® Senior Director of Philanthropic Services

PRAGYA S. MURPHY, CAP®, MBA

Senior Philanthropic & Impact Investment Advisor

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION

KIMBERLY P. SADOWSKI, CPA Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

GERIANNE P. CORRADINO, SHRM-CP Human Resources & Operations Officer

TERRI M. EVANS Administrative Associate

DANA C. FIEL Finance Manager

JENNY E. GREEN Senior Information Systems Officer

ELIZABETH T. HARTMAN, CPA Senior Director of Finance

DAVONA LAWRENCE Finance Associate

YEISHA NÚÑEZ-DENSON Accountant

SCHOLARSHIPS & STUDENT SUCCESS

AHMEED H. TURNER

Vice President of Scholarships & Student Success; Executive Director of Say Yes Syracuse

DANA E. LYONS-CANTY

Officer of Scholarships & Student Success, Say Yes Syracuse

BOARD MEMBERS

LISA D. ALFORD

CATHERINE BERTINI

WILLIAM H. BROWER III

KARIN SLOAN DELANEY, ESQ.

DANIEL J. FISHER

STEPHEN D. FOURNIER

KATE FELDMEIER FRANZ

MARK A. FULLER, CPA

SUSAN FURTNEY, MPH, FACHE

LEE GATTA, CLU®, CHFC®, AEP®

BEA GONZÁLEZ

DR. WARREN HILTON

JOSEPH LAZZARO, CFP®, CLU®

LEYLA Z. MORGILLO, CFP®

DR. EMAD RAHIM, PPMP, OMCP, CSM, CM, CKF, CCPM

REBECCA BRONFEIN RAPHAEL

CAERESA RICHARDSON, PMP

KEVIN E. SCHWAB

MARTIN A. SCHWAB, ESQ.

GENERAL COUNSEL

MARY ANNE CODY, ESQ.