The Cleveland Foundation is lucky to have dedicated and exceptional staff in every area of our work. This year, we are celebrating the careers of a few of our leaders at the foundation, as they each begin a new adventure in retirement.

Cleveland Foundation Executive Vice President, Robert E. Eckardt, (pictured above at our 2016 Annual Meeting) will be retiring on Dec. 31 after nearly 35 years of exceptional leadership and dedicated service. Bob joined the foundation in 1982 as a program officer for social service programs related to aging and health. During his long career, he advanced to manage programs and evaluation, and ultimately, to serve as executive vice president. Bob is a torchbearer, someone whose dedication to the foundation and long history of work has kept our spirit of philanthropy and community impact growing ever stronger. Congratulations to Bob on his upcoming retirement!

Cleveland Foundation Administrative Services Manager, Jan Carpenter, will be retiring on Nov. 30 after 41 years of dedicated service to the foundation. Yes, that’s right– 41 years! Jan joined the foundation in 1975 and took on many roles in the administration and operations departments, always displaying a steadfast commitment to excellence in service and to promoting safety for the hundreds of employees who have worked for the foundation. Congratulations to Jan on her upcoming retirement!

Cleveland Foundation Director of Technology, Jim Bickel, will be retiring in December after 15 years with the foundation. Jim has expertly managed our technology systems and also serves as the chair of the Community Foundations Information Technology Group (CFIT) and is a member of the Council on Foundations Technology Steering Committee. Congratulations to Jim on his upcoming retirement!

We look forward to celebrating Bob, Jan and Jim over the next couple of months. Please join us in congratulating them all!