Haile Foundation celebrates milestone of $200 million in grantmaking and welcomes new members to its Advisory Committee The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation is starting the new year in a celebratory mood. In 2024, the foundation reached a new milestone in charitable giving and in 2025 the foundation’s governing body will be welcoming two new members to its roster. Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. established their foundation to serve as a steward of their wealth and to ensure the funds would be used, through both traditional and fresh approaches, to improve the communities they loved and cherished. The foundation began making grants in 2006. Since that time, the foundation has made hundreds of grants to non-profit organizations serving the community in the areas of arts and culture, civic and community, education, and human services. In 2024 the foundation reached a new milestone by exceeding the $200 million threshold in grants, all to organizations in the Greater Cincinnati area. “Ralph and Carol loved their community, and it is our privilege to help continue their positive impact with support to so many amazing non-profit organizations,” said Jenny Powell, Advisory Committee Member. The Haile Foundation is also celebrating for other reasons. The foundation recently added Wijdan Jreisat and Albert Smitherman to the Advisory Committee. They will join current Advisory Committee members Jenny Powell, Vickie Buyniski Gluckman and Jennie Carlson in overseeing the foundation. Wijdan Jreisat has spent decades working to improve the lives of women and to increase inclusion and equity in our community. She has served as a Leadership Council Member and Chair of the Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation. Ms. Jreisat also has served on the governing boards of the YWCA Cincinnati, Girl Scouts Great Rivers Council and then Girl Scouts of Western Ohio, The Corporation for Findlay Market, the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Volunteer Lawyers for the Poor Foundation, Downtown Cincinnati, Inc. and as a founding member and Chair of Social Venture Partners. Albert Smitherman has spent the last four decades championing community engagement and mentorship, empowering aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners to achieve their goals. Mr. Smitherman’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and economic mobility is reflected in his service on the boards of Bethany House, Episcopal Retirement Services, Christ Hospital Foundation, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens. President & CEO of the Haile Foundation Bernie McKay said, “Wijdan’s and Albert’s unique talents and proven track records of service to others and leadership roles in our community make them an ideal fit for our foundation. We all are overjoyed of having them join us in working together to carry out our mission and to create transformational change in our community.” (fb)

The Haile Foundation Rounds Out Team with Final Program Manager Hire A year and a half after Bernie McKay was named the new President & CEO of the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation, the Foundation welcomes a fourth program manager, John Yung, to complete the Haile Foundation programming staff. John rounds out the team by joining other relatively new hires, Calcagno (Cal) Cullen and Kirsten MacDougal, who focus on the Foundation’s community investment strategies, along with Jason Pompilio and Scott Getz, who are an integral part of the grants administration process and financial management. John Yung has dedicated his career towards advancing communities in development, planning, and zoning, and will be leading Civic and Community investments for the Haile Foundation. With experience in urban planning, both in the private and public sectors, he works to develop communities focusing on revitalizing and enriching city centers and neighborhoods. John is skilled in land use code analysis, development plan review, project implementation and has vast experience in engaging community leaders. His previous work has included comprehensive planning, economic development, zoning codes, public speaking, community engagement, and urban forestry. Cal Cullen is leading the Arts and Culture investment vision for the Haile Foundation. Intent on building a community through socially engaged art and providing support for artists in the Midwest, Cal co-founded Wave Pool in 2014, a contemporary art center that drives community change and connection. She has a background in community organizing, arts leadership, and museum education; previously working at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Community School for Music and Arts in Mountain View, CA. As an accomplished social-practice artist herself, Cal brings a creative and empathetic lens to arts funding that merges her credentials steeped in education, community development, and place-based social engagement. Kirsten MacDougal is leading strategic investments in Education for the Haile Foundation with a commitment to advancing an education ecosystem that not only ensures effective and equitable access to learning for all children, but also focuses on individual growth, no matter a child’s strengths and challenges. Previously, as Executive Director of Adventure Crew, Kirsten expanded their outdoor recreation program for city teens to provide greater experiential education, social emotional learning, and pathways to green-industry employment. She also served as President of Mercy secondary education in Cincinnati, a system that was seen regionally as an academic leader of whole child education and provider of support services for individual student success. In addition to the Foundation’s program managers, Jason Pompilio recently joined the Haile team as the Grants and Office Administrator. With a vast background in economics and legislative affairs, Jason has worked across many industries, most extensively in the nonprofit arena. His experience and organizational skill set serves as valuable support to the programming team and to the Foundation’s grantees. Scott Getz joined the Haile Foundation as Finance Manager in 2022 after retiring from a 25-year career with Fidelity Investments. At Fidelity, Scott served in a variety of roles, including Financial Analyst, Marketing Analyst and on the Competitive Intelligence team. John, Kirsten, Cal, Jason and Scott join Senior Program Manager, Chris Bochenek, who has been with the Haile Foundation since its inception leading the Human Services community investment work. Chris has historical knowledge of the community’s human services providers and is dogmatic in helping ensure critical resources are effectively directed to organizations serving those most in need. President & CEO Bernie McKay commented, “Collectively, our team members possess a wealth of experience and education in the foundation and not-for-profit sectors. While each has a lead area of focus in supporting the Haile Foundation’s core philanthropic objectives, they work collaboratively to model the very type of partnerships and synergy that can bring about the greatest impact in our community. This is a highly motivated and energized group of individuals focused on driving systemic change and improving the lives in our community.” (fb)