CU Foundation Taps Denver Community Leaders for Key Positions
Joel Edelman Appointed Interim Vice President for Development
Robert Willis Named Assistant Vice President for Corporate and Foundation Relations
Boulder, CO – January 24, 2006 — The University of Colorado Foundation, the philanthropic partner of the University of Colorado, announced today that long-time Denver civic and business leaders Joel Edelman and Robert “Bob” Willis have joined the Foundation staff.
Edelman, who was president and CEO of Rose Medical Center for 17 years and later headed the Rose Medical Center Foundation, is serving as the Foundation’s Interim Vice President for Development for the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center (UCDHSC).
As a consultant Edelman helped the University of Colorado’s School of Medicine relocate to Fitzsimons and spearheaded the creation and launch of a new nursing program for Metropolitan State College of Denver. Edelman is a former board member of the Denver Chamber of Commerce and a past recipient of the Anti-Defamation League’s Distinguished Service Award and the CU Community Service Award. Edelman has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a law degree from DePaul University.
Edelman came out of retirement to take the Foundation position and will serve while a national search is conducted. He has not applied for the permanent position. “I consider myself privileged to serve in this role,” Edelman said. “I can’t imagine a more exciting time in the history of the University to take on this assignment. The possibilities of what can be accomplished for the benefit of Coloradans are limitless, particularly with regard to building on the strengths of the two Denver campuses that are now working together.”
Willis, most recently president and CEO of the Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce, is the Foundation’s new Assistant Vice President for Corporate and Foundation Relations. He has held executive positions with AT&T Broadband, Norwest Bank (now Wells Fargo) and the Colorado Rockies Baseball Club. Willis, who serves on the board of directors of Denver Botanic Gardens, Wells Fargo Bank and Young Americans Bank, has a bachelor’s degree from The Colorado College and a master’s degree from the CU Graduate School of Banking.
In his new role, Willis will lead the Foundation’s outreach and fundraising efforts with local and national corporate and foundation entities. “I have looked at the positive direction that the Foundation and University are heading and I’ve decided that I want to be part of this new frontier,” Willis said. In addition, Willis was recently appointed by CU President Hank Brown to the University’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Diversity.
“I am pleased to have two such high-caliber, well-respected individuals join the CU Foundation,” said Lance King, the Foundation’s senior vice president for development. “Both Joel and Bob bring a wealth of talent, commitment and experience that will benefit students and faculty, the University of Colorado and the CU Foundation.”
Founded in 1967, the University of Colorado Foundation is a privately governed, non-profit organization whose mission is to support the University of Colorado by raising private support outside the realm of state funding and by managing assets independently from the university. Over the past three years, the CU Foundation has raised over $226 million in outright gifts and commitments to ensure academic excellence at this world-class university. In fiscal year 2004, the Foundation transferred over $75 million in current gifts and endowment earnings to support the university’s students and faculty. Today, the Foundation has total assets exceeding $760 million. For more information, visit www.cufund.org.
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Contacts:
Steve Caulk
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Amy Hudson
amy@accent-pr.com
Accent Public Relations
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