Community College of Aurora Foundation
General Information
Established in 1985, the Community College of Aurora Foundation (the “Foundation”) is governed by a voluntary board of directors. The Foundation’s stated mission is to “build financial and public support for the Community College of Aurora” and its stated goals are to:
Provide financial support to the College and its students through effective fundraising
Build public and business awareness of the College and the benefits it provides the community
-
Provide community input and counsel to the College
Effectively discharge its responsibilities of property holder and administrator
The first President of the Foundation was Stanley Whitaker, who served from
1986 to 1994 and whose pride in the College helped to shape the financing package for the campus. The
Foundation was pleased to have James Lewien, President and CEO of Commerce Bank, as its second President from
1995 to 2001. Under Jim’s leadership the Foundation completed its first capital campaign, raising $1 million
for CCA programs, scholarships and capital projects. It was also under Jim’s leadership that the focus of the
Foundation shifted from that of being a landlord to fundraising. Doug Evans, State Farm Insurance Agent,
began his term as President 2002 and served until 2003. Doug worked to expand CCA’s visibility in the
community, seeking financial support to increase the “Partnership for Excellence” campaign. Paul Suss,
President of Suss Pontiac GMC and Foundation President from 2004 until 2006 kicked off the “Advancing
our Community…Together” (ACT) campaign, a comprehensive campaign focused on securing private
funding for four initiatives, and which achieved 100% participation from from its internal campaign. Dale
Mingilton, Sr. Vice President of First Bank served as president from 2006 through 2008 and successfully
completed the ACT Campaign, reaching the goal of raising $2.5 million by the end of 2006.
As current President elected in January 2008, Diane Garcia is focused on positioning the board to help CCA increase its capabilities to serve as the College of Choice for the eastern Metro area. Specifically, she will direct the board in supporting the annual fundraising goal of the Foundation, while simultaneously evaluating the current fundraising climate and strategies to determine the timing of the Foundation’s next major gifts campaign
2008 Board of Directors Staff Contact Information