Kalamazoo has completed assembling its Foundation for Excellence board, and their first meeting took place on February 15th. The inaugural board is comprised of a diverse group of thirteen individuals from the community. The committee represents public and private interests, with neighborhood, arts, healthcare, housing, business, education, faith-based, and neighborhood stakeholders all represented and all appointed to rotating terms. Mayor Bobby Hopewell will serve as President on the board. City manager Jim Ritsema is also on the board as Ex-officio Director.
The board is charged with managing the Foundation's finances, which are built upon an initial $70.3 million donation from two local philanthropists, William Parfet (Upjohn heir) and William Johnston (Stryker heir), in 2016. There is an ambitious goal to raise another $500 million for the fund by 2019, to create a self-sustaining endowment that will be used for several ambitious goals, primarily, property tax reductions, stabilization of the city budget, elimination of homelessness in the city, infrastructure upgrades, and other capital improvement projects.
The board members begin orientation sessions next week (2/20 and 2/21), which are open to the public. It should be interesting to watch how this process unfolds. The Kalamazoo Promise has been lauded as a success, imitated by countless other municipalities now. This Foundation, while different, has followed a somewhat similar formula as it gets off the ground -
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Kalamazoo's Foundation for Excellence board assembled with optimism
Malachi Barrett | MLive
February 15, 2018
KALAMAZOO, MI -- The fully assembled Foundation for Excellence board of directors met for the first time Thursday. Thirteen members were appointed by Mayor Bobby Hopewell and City Manager Jim Ritsema, who previously served as the only members on the board. Now, the board will work to get up to speed on the city's goals and vision while a massive fundraising campaign begins moving forward...
Source: MLive / Kalamazoo Gazette
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