HCCF Honors Retiring Trustees

The Huron County Community Foundation Board of Trustees held their last meeting of the year on December 2 at Laker High School. This meeting also marked the end of many years of service for their three retiring Trustees. Lowell McDonald, John Moore, and Al Nietzke are leaving the board after a combined 44 years of service. 

"These three gentleman played a huge role in the growth of the Foundation during the past decade." said Executive Director, Mackenzie Price. If you read the  founding documents of HCCF,  you will find Lowell McDonald's name signed as an original incorporator  in 1994. Since that day, McDonald has invested his time in the growth of the Foundation . McDonald recruited Nietzke and Moore to the Board because of their areas of expertise: Al, a certified public accountant, and John, a school administrator.

Nietzke joined the Board in 2006 and began serving as member of the Finance and Investment Committee.  "Budgets, audits, and IRS reports are important to the operation of a successful community foundation", said Price, "Al's expertise was invaluable during my first year and a half as director."

McDonald recruited Moore to join the HCCF Board in 2001 for his strong leadership abilities and rapport with the community.  In 2007, Moore became Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Community Foundation, a title he held throughout the rest of his time on the Board. "John provided stability and organizational leadership during his 8 years as Chairman, no matter the situation," added Price. Some of these situations include the recession of 2008 and hiring the Foundation's first full time director in 2014.

The Governance Committee of HCCF, chaired by Brent Wehner, now has the difficult job of filling the Board seats of the retiring Trustees. "As a committee, it's very hard to replace such long-serving, dedicated Board Members that bring many years of experience to our Board." said Wehner when asked about the committee's task. McDonald, who sits on the Governance Committee, will play a role in finding new Trustees to take the spots that will be open in 2016. "On behalf of the entire HCCF family, including past directors and Trustees, I want to thank Lowell, John, and Al for their years of philanthropic service to Huron County. The Foundation would not be what it is today if it wasn't for their dedication." noted Price.