Bryant tapped for state foundation board
Longtime Yuma businessman and philanthropist Danny Bryant, recently named as the Yuma Sun’s 2018 Yuma County Citizen of the Year, has been elected to the Arizona Community Foundation board of directors.
“I hope that means we can do (much) for the Yuma community through the Arizona Community Foundation. It already does a lot, but having a voice from Yuma there can’t hurt,” he said.
He said he will be one of three members coming in from a rural community, and he’s excited for the chance to talk to the foundation to find out “how they get their communities noticed,” he said.
Bryant will become a voting member of the 32-member board in April, which oversees more than $900 million in assets, of which $113 million is organized under local offices, including one in Yuma.
He said he was approached by the foundation about a board vacancy after a handful of Yumans involved with the Arizona Community Foundation-Yuma submitted his name for consideration, then asked him to consider taking on the role.
He said the committee he’s eventually assigned to will determine what subject area he’ll be focusing on at the board. But another part of his role will be to get even more connected to the Yuma area and its challenges.
“For one, to make sure that I understand the needs and wants of the Yuma community, and if we don’t know if the community needs the grant, or if the community doesn’t know the ACF can provide those grants, it’s hard. We just need someone to communicate that, or make sure the lines of communication are open,” he said.
Bryant founded Pacesetter Homes in 1981 and continues to operate the business with his family. He is the board president for First Yuma Bank, is vicechairman of the Yuma County Planning and Zoning Commission, and was a Yuma County supervisor from 1989-93.
Local nonprofits he’s been active with include Crossroads Mission, the Chamber of Commerce, Amberly’s Place, Saddles of Joy, Helping Hands of Yuma and until recently the Boys and Girls Club and the Salvation Army. In the last three months he has been the most vocal of a group of donors opposing the Salvation Army’s discontinuation of its local Boys and Girls Club affiliation.
Bryant and his wife Susan were named Philanthropists of the Year in 2017 by the ACF of Yuma during the Heart of Yuma awards.
“Danny’s community awareness and philanthropic knowledge, along with his compassion and engagement, make him a tremendous asset for the Arizona Community Foundation Board,” said Shelley Cohn, chair of the ACF Board of Directors. “His unique professional experience combined with his knowledge of and passion for the Yuma community will make him a valuable board member.”