Impact Through Reflection

A Look Back on 2018-19 from Board Members

SCOTT PIEPER, Board Chair

Over the years, there has been a cohesiveness of the Board as each new member integrated themselves into the mix and became engaged quickly. The Board and staff remained strategic in their thinking to leverage the impact of the Foundation’s limited resources. The agencies are engaged, committed to their causes, and there are amazing people that work tirelessly under the radar to accomplish their respective missions.

CATHY VALDES, Board Vice Chair

Conn has definitely shifted grant funding to align with our strategic initiatives in the Theory of Change, as more emphasis has been placed on Early Learning Projects and Pipeline Initiatives and less on after school programs and programs impacting older youth. This has produced a tightly focused agenda, which should produce a greater return on our investment and provide the desired demonstration projects which, when replicated, will multiply our efforts.

BOB BUESING, Board Secretary

I continue to be a strong advocate for early childhood as the most cost-effective, life-changing work we can do – never forgetting that the whole pipeline needs to exist for kids to succeed. And I also view that early childhood space as ripe for demonstration projects and capacity building of the type we emphasize and that might spark larger community investment from other donors or government support. We learn from our mistakes and keep the process going. Insisting on data will keep us on track to make sure that our good intentions actually are being translated to actual outcomes and impact.