Community Foundation Completes Competitive Leadership Search, Names Catherine Bocke Meckes as CEO

 

“We are more than excited on three fronts,” said Philip Krupps, Chairman of the Board. “The standard of our team in this time of transition has been first class, which sparked an energy from the board to donor level, and ultimately lead to the selection of Catherine to lead us forward into what we know will be a legacy of excellence.”

Meckes has been with the Community Foundation for nearly five years, most recently serving as its Chief Operating Officer. Her selection comes after the Search Committee received an intensely competitive pool of applicants, its evaluation to finalists, and recommendation of Meckes to the Board of Directors.

 

“The cross section of applicants, their backgrounds, and talents made this both a challenging selection process, but very revealing about the value seen in the Community Foundation,” said Lance Grady, chair of the Search Committee.

 

“We are blessed to live in an area where we serve those that believe in lives and legacies that place so much proper value on others and community. Catherine exemplifies that in this selection and her work with team members Heath Richmond, Jon O’Neal, and Krista Pfeiffer. Our Board of Directors, donors, grantees, and volunteers will only bring more opportunity to us all for perpetual community success,” added Krupps.

 

Meckes is a Quincy native and Quincy High School alumna. Prior to joining the Community Foundation staff in 2015, Meckes was a media manager in the healthcare practice of global communications firm Golin in Chicago. She holds a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts in communication studies, both from Eastern Illinois University. During her time at the Community Foundation, Meckes has served in grant, program, marketing, and development capacities, first as Program & Outreach Coordinator until 2017 when she was named Development & Outreach Director.

 

She is a member of the Alliance of Illinois Community Foundations, Advancement Network for Community Foundations, Tri-State Fundraising Professionals, Young Professionals Quincy, and Quincy Service League.

 

Catherine Meckes effectively begins her new role immediately.

 

The Community Foundation Serving West Central Illinois & Northeast Missouri builds permanent charitable funds to assist area nonprofits and communities.

 

It achieves its mission, “connecting people who care with causes that matter,” by gathering funds, growing them through investments, then granting to nonprofit organizations, causes or communities that mean the most to its donors.  

 

Since 1997, the Community Foundation has made more than $6 million in grants. It serves 12-counties: Adams, Brown, Hancock and Pike in Illinois and Clark, Lewis, Marion, Ralls, Pike, Knox, Shelby and Monroe in Missouri. 

 

The Community Foundation has IRS 501(c)(3) status, and contributions made to the Community Foundation generally qualify for the maximum allowable deductions for income and estate tax purposes. 

 

For more information, call 217-222-1237, email info@mycommunityfoundation.org or go to mycommunityfoundation.org or www.facebook.com/mycommunityfoundation.