annual report fy23
A Message from Dean Thompson
This may ring familiar to those who have served on boards for community organizations. Generally, officers progress through leadership to end up in the Chair’s seat after three or four years. Little did I realize when I agreed to be the CFO board treasurer three years ago what would await me as Chair.
I did do the math to realize it would be exciting to share the 50th anniversary celebrations with Chair Emeritus Laurie Edmondson. What I didn’t know at the time was that President and CEO Brian Fogle would announce his retirement plans this year. And that the CFO would seriously start hunting for new office space as we outgrow the current building in downtown Springfield. It’s been a busy term for our board officers and members, to say the least.
Dean Thompson is the CFO’s board chair for the 2024 fiscal year.
While we aren’t yet able to share a real estate update, I am very pleased to share that the Board of Directors has named Winter Kinne as the CFO’s fourth president in its 50-year history. Winter is a homegrown talent with 18 years of experience at the CFO, primarily in development work. A Drury University graduate for both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Winter grew up in Mount Vernon, making her the second successive president from Lawrence County following Aurora Hall of Fame inductee Brian Fogle.
The CEO hiring committee, composed of board officers, conducted a national search supported by an executive search firm. The firm made some 400 contacts to present a strong slate to the committee. Through that process, the hiring and executive committees grew confident that while we have appreciated Winter’s talents for many years, she also stood out among a well-qualified field of candidates to emerge as the board’s selection. She is the right choice to guide the CFO toward a century of philanthropic leadership for our region.
We often use the phrase here that successive generations of board and staff members stand on the shoulders of giants. Without the vision of the founders who went out to raise $1,500 from local banks, the CFO wouldn’t stand at more than $400 million in assets today. Brian Fogle is among those giants. His nearly 15 years as president and CEO will be recorded as a time of substantial growth in assets, broad expansion of our nonprofit partnerships, development of our mission-related investment portfolio, and recognition of our leadership on a regional and national scale.
While I may have gotten more than I initially bargained for, it’s been my honor to serve and lead the CFO through this time of celebration and transition on behalf of all of you, our donors, advisors, affiliate leaders and nonprofit partners invested in our mission of place-based philanthropy.
—Dean Thompson · FY24 Board Chair
