The Community of Greater Fort Wayne has added three new staff members and promoted five employees at the start of 2022.
“This past year has been another year of exciting growth and positive transition including the creation of new positions and welcoming several new faces to the Community Foundation” said Brad Little, CFGFW President and CEO. “These changes position us to better serve our donors through enhanced services, our grantees and nonprofit partners through training(s) and grants, and the community as we introduce initiatives from our Let’s Rise! Vision Plan.”
New staff members include:
Sarah Knoch, CPA, Controller, joined the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne in October 2021. She is responsible for both internal and external financial reporting as well as maintaining internal controls, providing financial analysis, and overseeing daily financial activities. You can read Sarah’s full bio on our website.
Jaren Harmon, Donor Engagement Specialist, joined the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne in November 2021. As part of the philanthropic services team, Jaren focuses on providing exceptional service to donors by making connections between donors’ charitable interests and needs in the community. Jaren also works with Kiley Tate-Potts building the Community Foundation’s Youth Empowered Philanthropy (YEP) program, a new initiative in 2020 to connect youth to philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. You can read Jaren’s full bio on our website.
Colleen Helmken, Philanthropic Services Assistant, joined the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne in December 2021. As part of the philanthropic services team, Colleen focuses on providing back office support to fund holders and donors. She oversees the Community Foundation’s database and acts as the project manager for the Impact team. You can read Colleen’s full bio on our website.
CFGFW is also excited to announce well-deserved promotions including:
Cassie Beer – Women’s Fund Director, was previously a Donor Engagement Specialist.
Alison Gerardot, CFRM – Chief Impact Officer, was previously Vice President of Philanthropic Services.
Rhonda Pequignot – Assistant to the President/CEO and Director of Administration, was formerly Assistant to the President/CEO.
Lisa Pickerman – Director of Grants and Scholarships, was previously Grants and Scholarships Associate.
Kiley Tate-Potts, CFRM – Director of Philanthropic Services, was previously a Donor Engagement Specialist.
To see a full list of the Community Foundation’s staff, you can visit the board and staff page.
For nearly 100 years, the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne has been a public charitable foundation serving Allen County since 1922. The Community Foundation had assets of approximately $183 million at December 31, 2020 and awarded more than $7.9 million in charitable grants and scholarships in that year. The Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne does three things: help people make their charitable giving more impactful, connect funding to nonprofits through effective grantmaking, and provide leadership to address community needs to improve quality of life. Every day we connect people and resources to build a more vibrant community.