Mark Roberts

Mark Roberts’ background in development and advancement for institutions in the fields of healthcare and higher education have prepared him well for his current position as Executive Director and CEO of the Community Foundation of Central Illinois. Roberts is a Certified Fund Raising Executive, a designation held by fewer than 6,000 professionals worldwide. When not donating his time and energy to the Community Foundation, he can be found in the company of his wife and daughter on their beautiful and peaceful three acres in rural Morton.

Tell about your background, education, family life, etc.
Born and raised in the Decatur area, I am a proud lifelong resident of central Illinois. It is fair to say that my journey up to this point has been a little non-traditional. Primarily due to financial considerations, I dropped out of college in 1990 without finishing my bachelor’s degree. I worked a series of “young-guy-trying-to-find-his-way” jobs before landing a position as a sales executive with a large telecommunications company. After a few years of decent success, I moved to the Peoria area in 1997 to work on the sales team servicing the global Caterpillar account.

The telecommunications industry was going through some tremendous changes at that time, and increasingly, I found that I was professionally and personally unfulfilled. So, with the support of my wife, Pam, I quit my job in late 1999 and returned to school full time. Over a 12-month span, I completed the requirements for my degree and graduated in December 2000. I then had a decision to make: whether to return to the telecommunications industry, where I had a few offers lined up, or to search for something utilizing the same skill set that might be potentially more fulfilling.

As fate would have it, there was an opening for a development director at Bradley University. I applied and was ultimately hired by then-Vice President of Advancement John Shorrock and Executive Director of Development Kent Huntsman. Right away, I knew that fundraising was a good fit for me. It allowed me to utilize my relationship building and “sales” skills in support of something I really cared about—the University— instead of a corporate bottom line. I still had a lot to learn, but I knew I was on the right track. I eventually earned an M.A. in Human Service Administration from Bradley, graduating in 2005. I remain thankful that John Shorrock and Kent Huntsman took a chance on me.

I married the former Pam Gieske, a Danville native, in 1998. We have a two year old daughter, Anna, and are expecting our second child in January 2009. We live on three beautiful and peaceful acres in rural Morton. Our life keeps getting busier and more wonderful each year!

You’ve held positions at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Bradley University and Lutheran Hillside Village. How has your career path and previous experience prepared you for your current position?
Each position has served as a very logical stepping stone to the great job I hold today, and I have traveled that path very intentionally. Bradley gave me my start and exposed me to the world of professional fundraising. I was fortunate to meet some terrific people at the University who served as mentors. They may not know it, but people like Barb Brown, Shelley Smith and Dr. Kurt Field helped to encourage me as I was learning my new craft. I also enjoyed meeting so many of Bradley’s wonderful alumni from all across the United States. These are folks who love their university, and it was an outstanding experience getting to work closely with them.

The Lutheran Hillside Village Foundation (LHV) gave me a chance to “run my own show” for the first time. Although a small shop, we were able to build a great team that really worked hard to raise both awareness and money in support of LHV’s mission of serving the elderly. I enjoyed getting the opportunity to reorganize the fundraising operation there, and I think I left the place a little better than I found it. I can state with certainty that LHV made a tremendous impact on me. It is a wonderful place full of wonderful, caring people, both residents and employees. I will always remember my time there fondly.

The University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria allowed me to take the management skills I had developed to the next level. I again had to work hard to rebuild the department into an efficient, well-functioning team, and that goal was definitely accomplished. I also took part in much of the planning for UICOMP’s participation in the U of I’s $2.25 billion Brilliant Futures fundraising campaign. All in all, it was a very good professional experience for me.

I feel exceptionally well prepared for success in my current position as a result of the career path I have taken. Bottom line, I have worked hard to prepare myself to take advantage of excellent opportunities as they are presented to me. Call it fate, God’s will, or something else, but I firmly believe that we are guided to where we are supposed to be at a given point in time. I am delighted to be serving central Illinois via my work at the Community Foundation.

Explain the history and objectives of the Community Foundation of Central Illinois.
Here is a quick historical synopsis: The Peoria Area Community Foundation was incorporated in 1986 through the hard work of visionary community leaders like Ed Siebert, Lew Burger, Bill Rutherford, Lynn Landes and many others. However, the Foundation didn’t really become a viable organization until 1988, when Donna Haerr became its first executive director. Housed in a small donated office in the Jefferson Bank Building, Donna set to work growing the Foundation, which had exactly $2,540.39 on hand at that time. Critical early financial support was provided by Caterpillar, the Bielfeldt Foundation and others. George Kreiss was named the next executive director in 1995, followed by Jim Sullivan in 1999. We changed our name to the Community Foundation of Central Illinois in 2001. Our total assets now approach nearly $22 million, held in over 750 funds.

The core mission of the Community Foundation is to better our community by connecting people who care with causes that matter. We serve as a gateway to strategic philanthropy, charitable giving and volunteerism for individuals, families, not-for-profit organizations and corporations in our area, allowing people to support their particular areas of interest or concern. We accomplish this mission by creating permanent endowment funds and planned gifts to provide an ongoing source of funding for our community. In a nutshell, we are a “savings account for the community.”