Retiring board members were recently recognized for their contributions at the FACF annual dinner in November.
Fremont Area Community Foundation board members commit to serve up to (3) three-year terms, and many complete all three. This year we had four members retire from the Board of Directors and we thank them for their dedicated service to the foundation.
Barry Benson joined the foundation board in 2014. During his nine-year tenure he contributed to the efforts of the Administrative, Development and Grants Committees. He was also involved in the early planning of the Fremont Area Big Give which, to date, has raised nearly $2.5 Million for area nonprofit organizations.
Jane Dugan also joined the foundation board in 2014. During her three terms, she served on the Administrative, Development and Scholarship Committees, and—like Barry—helped create the first Fremont Area Big Give in 2017. We will miss Jane’s energy and commitment to the work of the foundation.
Bob Hillis served two stints on the community foundation board. First, from 2002 to 2011 and again from 2013 to 2023. During his second set of terms, Bob worked his way up the chairs to serve as President and then Past President of the Fremont Area Community Foundation. Throughout his tenure, he contributed his wisdom and perspective to the operations and impact of the foundation. Bob's dedication to the foundation and proficiency as a financial advisor was acknowledged in 2023 when he received the foundation’s Professional Advisor of the Year Award. We’ve been blessed by his service and commitment.
Joel Jelkin is also a multiple term board member of the foundation. He first served from 1996 to 1998 and then stepped back onto the board in 2020. Joel’s commitment to the foundation and expertise as a financial advisor was recognized in 2015 when he was honored with the foundation’s Professional Advisor of the Year Award. We are fortunate to have both Joel and Bob continue to serve on the Investment Committee.
The foundation is indebted to the service of our directors—past and present, and it’s the foundation’s tradition to plant a tree in a Fremont area park in honor of retiring board members; we’ll look forward to doing that in the spring for Barry, Jane, Bob and Joel.
