After serving nine years as the President of the Topeka Community Foundation, Roger Viola has announced his retirement, effective Friday, May 13, 2016.
“Roger’s leadership and accomplishments were integral to the Foundation’s growth and service to our community,” said Nancy Lewis, Foundation past Board Chair. “We are grateful for his exemplary service.”
During his tenure at the Foundation, Viola worked with community leaders to begin Heartland Visioning, established a professional advisor’s program to assist Foundation donors with charitable giving and oversaw the creation of Topeka Gives.
“Roger has significantly expanded the impact of the Topeka Community Foundation and dedicated many years of service to our community,” said Board Chair Shelly Buhler. “The board is dedicated to the continuous growth of philanthropy in the Topeka region and will immediately begin the process to select our next president.”
With assets at the Foundation at almost $45 million, Viola oversaw the management of more than 390 funds – which included donor-advised funds, scholarship funds and organizational endowment funds.
The mission of the Topeka Community Foundation is to improve the quality of life in the region by connecting donors to their philanthropic priorities as well as to the needs of the community, by increasing charitable giving and by providing leadership on critical community issues.