Board Farewell
Posted on December 18, 2019
As Mike Cansfield prepares for the end of his three-year term as Board Chair of the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, he feels a great sense of pride.
“It has been such an honor to serve as the Chair of the Community Foundation,” he said after the Foundation’s final board meeting of 2019. “To follow in the footsteps of people like Donna Niester, Don Fletcher and Chuck Kelly, is an accomplishment that I’ll treasure.”
During Cansfield’s time as the Board Chair the Community Foundation passed many milestones and accomplishments, including:
- Reexamining our approach to scholarships, incorporating a strategic focus on overall college success and addressing students’ life barriers leading to the launch of the innovative new Complete Your Degree program
- Donating the Youth Home to The Harbor
- Transferring daily operations of the Blue Water River Walk to St. Clair County Parks and Recreation
- Helping launch a new, multi-year effort on regional trails
- Celebrating the Foundation’s 75th Anniversary and the growth of its total assets to almost $80 million
Cansfield works at Michigan Mutual as Senior Vice President of Retail Sales and joined the Community Foundation board in 2012. He is a founding member of Community Capital Club (C3) and past member of the Finance and Blue Water Land Fund Committees.
In addition to recognizing Cansfield at the Foundation’s board meeting on Dec. 17, the Foundation also said “thank you and a fond farewell” to three trustees retiring from the Board: Denise Brooks, Doug Touma and Phyllis Ledyard.
Denise Brooks joined the board in 2011. She is a charter member of the Women’s Initiative and will continue to serve on the Grants Committee.
Doug Touma has been a Board Trustee since 2003. He is an original member and past Chair of the Blue Water Land Fund board and also served on the Governance Committee.
Our last Board retiree, Phyllis Ledyard, joined the Board in 2009. She is a past member of the Grants Committee and with her Board retirement will also be leaving the Governance Committee. Phyllis is a member of the Women’s Initiative and will continue to serve on the Blue Water Arts Committee.
Next week the Community Foundation will announce its newly elected Chair, officers and new board members.
