share a new connection.
SWIF President/CEO Sherry Ristau was recently named as an Orton Family Foundation Trustee. The Vermont-based Orton Family Foundation was founded in 1995 as a resource for small cities and towns grappling with change and searching for solutions. The foundation supports projects primarily in Vermont and Colorado, but has a presence in several areas of the country.
There are many similarities between SWIF and the Orton Family Foundation’s work to engage communities and build leaders. Both organizations are excited about the opportunities to learn from each other as Ristau serves in a leadership role.
Ristau isn’t the only SWIF tie to the Orton Family Foundation. Many southwest Minnesota partners will remember the Orton Family Foundation’s Executive Director David Lecky for his leadership as an early SWIF executive director, along with his various other leadership roles in Minnesota’s public, private and nonprofit sectors. He has remained very committed to promoting rural philanthropy. Visit www.orton.org to learn more.
