The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Foundation continues good work
New chief starts leadership transition
The Community Foundation of Lorain County will continue its good work and gain some flexibility with a new fund that will be responsive to community needs, its new leader said.
The Foundation on Oct. 2 announced Cynthia H. Andrews will become its incoming president and chief executive officer
Andrews will take the helm Nov. 6, replacing President and CEO Brian Frederick, who will retire after 19 years of service.
Andrews comes to the Foundation from Oberlin Community Services, where she was executive director.
That nonprofit organization offers direct assistance to residents of Oberlin, New Russia Township and southern Lorain County.
Andrews said her vision aligns with the vision of the Community Foundation and the work the Foundation has championed under Frederick’s leadership. “The work has just been fabulous,” she said. In the coming days and weeks, she said she is excited to meet with the stakeholders in the county and continue to hear their interests.
“So how do we continue to build on the work that has been the foundation of the Foundation for so many years?” Andrews said.
The first 30 days will be a transition time with Frederick and a time to meet with the board members and stakeholders, Andrews said.
She cited a number of groups that work with the Foundation, and examining Lorain County’s unique nature with its rural, urban and historical parts.
The Community Foundation is made up of at least 639 funds with about $131 million in total assets.
The donations are pooled and managed to generate interest so the Foundation can distribute about $5.58 million a year in grants and scholarships.
Among the newest funds, the Community Foundation has launched the Campaign for Emerging Opportunities Honoring Brian Frederick.
Donors can create funds that benefit specific groups and causes.
More than 90 percent of the Foundation assets have some level of charitable restriction, according to the Foundation.
The Campaign for Emerging Opportunities is seeking donations that will have flexible resources to address critical needs now and in the future, according to Foundation plans.
After Frederick announced his retirement, the Foundation board first sought an outside search firm to help find a successor, said Farnaz Ansari Berna, president of the Foundation’s board of directors.
The board search committee worked with Waverly Partners LLC of Cleveland, a firm that has helped other community foundations in executive searches, she said.
There were 100 applications. The pool was narrowed down to 11 candidates for face-to-face interviews, Berna said.
“We were all so impressed by Cindy … her professionalism, just the background coming from the corporate environment and having good leadership training and having a good leadership spirit and being collaborative,” Berna said.
Andrews has experience in Lorain County and has a proven track record working for a nonprofit organization here, Berna said.
The search committee asked candidates for plans for the coming 30, 60, 90 days, and the next year, Berna said.
Andrews presented the Community Foundation’s plan, so the seven-member search committee voted unanimously for her.
The committee presented the results to the board and the full group’s decision also was unanimous, Berna said.