Gloria Lundin, president of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL), will retire as president effective 09/30/2015. The CFNIL Board of Trustees has named Jon Bates, CFNIL’s executive vice-president, as Lundin’s successor. Lundin is planning to continue working with CFNIL and will report to Bates supporting development and strategic giving beginning 10/01/2015.
Lundin began her career at CFNIL (then the Rockford Community Trust) in 1987, as its first paid employee. At that time, CFNIL managed approximately $1M in endowed assets. One of Lundin’s first assignments was to facilitate the acceptance of gifts from the Colman family and managers of the Barber-Colman Company that more than tripled the size of CFNIL. Lundin then set up the administrative framework for the Howard D. Colman scholarship fund, CFNIL’s first major scholarship fund. CFNIL now offers scholarships from 80 endowments.
In the early 1990s, Lundin sought and landed formative grants from the Ford, Mott and MacArthur Foundations, which were designed to build leadership capacity for small community foundations and provided challenge funding to grow the endowment at CFNIL. Lundin rapidly became the region’s advocate for endowment; leading the creation of new initiatives in affordable housing, neighborhood grants, youth philanthropy, endowments for the arts and historic preservation, challenge grants to build non-profit endowments and other programs too numerous to mention. Her work has facilitated more than $40M in grants and scholarships during her career with CFNIL.
Upon learning of Lundin’s desire to scale back her time commitment to CFNIL, the CFNIL Board of Trustees launched a process to identify Lundin’s successor in August 2014. A Succession Committee was created, and charged with determining the style of leadership needed to carry CFNIL forward with the kind of momentum that it has enjoyed under Lundin’s leadership; especially in light of CFNIL’s growth and the Board’s decision to pursue targeted giving strategies. CFNIL Board Chair, Nancy Hyzer said, “The Board of Trustees understood that they were replacing a leader who has been a visionary. Gloria has led with intelligence, energy and passion, and she is regarded as the ‘face’ of CFNIL.”
After research and considerable deliberation, the Succession Committee chose Bates as Lundin’s successor. Hyzer said, “Jon Bates, CFNIL’s current executive vice president, became the obvious choice. He has the knowledge and experience. He has worked closely with Gloria, facilitating and implementing new strategies, and Jon brings the right mix of leadership, finance and administrative skills to the job going forward. Most of all, Jon and Gloria have made an indomitable team, and we know they will continue to work that way as Jon steps into the lead.”
Bates started at CFNIL in 2008, when he was hired as the vice president of finance and administration. Prior to starting at CFNIL, Bates worked in manufacturing for more than 20 years and later became the vice-president and general manager of Goodwill Abilities Center. Bates’ experience in private industry has instilled a passion for continuous improvement in him and his work in the non-profit sector has lead him to appreciate both the challenges and the value that non-profits bring to our region every day. Bates previously served as treasurer for the Workforce Investment Board of Boone and Winnebago Counties and has served as the treasurer of the Alliance of Illinois Community Foundations since 2011.
CFNIL was founded in 1953 as the Rockford Community Trust. In its 62 years, CFNIL has granted more than $59M to local needs. CFNIL’s mission is to serve as a catalyst for giving in order to attract, preserve and grow an endowment for the current and future needs of the people of Northern Illinois. It is a steward of philanthropic resources and a guardian of donor intent.