The Western Colorado Community Foundation announced Wednesday that its longtime president and chief executive officer, Anne Wenzel, will retire from her role at the end of this year.
The WCCF serves seven counties along the Western Slope, facilitating the philanthropic investment of more than 330 funds created and donated by the community, including endowments, scholarships and donor-advised funds. According to a press release from the foundation, Wenzel’s 25-year tenure has been pivotal in guiding the WCCF to where it stands today.
“Anne’s leadership has helped shape WCCF into the organization it is today,” WCCF Board of Directors Chair Terri Chinn said. “Her commitment to this region, her care for people and communities and her ability to bring others together around shared goals have had a lasting impact across western Colorado.”
The press release added that Wenzel joined the WCCF in 2001, just four years after its establishment.
Since then, the WCCF has substantially increased its efforts to support local nonprofits, students, donors and communities, with 15 staff guiding grantmaking, scholarships, charitable funds and community partnerships.
The foundation now manages $211 million in total assets and investments, awarding nearly $9.5 million in annual grants and scholarships.
“It has been a privilege and a joy of a lifetime to serve this community through the foundation,” Wenzel said. “This work has always felt like more than a job to me. It has been a calling. I am deeply grateful to the donors, nonprofit partners, board members and community leaders who helped build WCCF into what it is today.”
The press release said that Wenzel and the WCCF board is already planning for the leadership transition and “identifying the qualities needed for WCCF’s next chapter.”
Additional information will be available in the coming months, in tandem with news about the WCCF’s plans to celebrate its 30th anniversary next year.
