Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation Welcomes New Leader

[OAK PARK/RIVER FOREST, IL, July 9, 2018-] The Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation is pleased to announce that its Board of Directors has named Antonio Martinez, Jr. as their new president and chief executive officer, effective August 13.

“The Oak Park-River Community Foundation is very excited to bring Tony in to lead us in our next chapter,” said Stacey Williams, Community Foundation board chair. “We searched patiently for a new leader and believe that he brings the right balance of leadership, knowledge and experience, passion for philanthropy and deep commitment to community.”

Martinez comes to the Community Foundation with 20 years of significant experience in fundraising and donor relations, and increasing organizational capacity. Currently, he serves as director of development for The Chicago Community Trust, the Chicago region’s largest community foundation. In this role, he provides donors with content knowledge on their areas of interest, advises them on how to maximize their philanthropic giving and provides stewardship support. Most notably, Martinez played a substantial role as campaign manager for the Trust’s $1 billion We Are Chicago asset-building, six-year campaign and led the Unity Fund annual basic human needs campaign, raising more than $8 million to support underserved populations through the Chicago region. Previously, he held corporate sponsorship roles with The American Bar Association, Museum of Science and Industry and the Chicago Cubs.

An active community member, Martinez volunteers on the boards of the Association of Fundraising Professionals – Chicago Chapter, the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement and The Resurrection Project, whose mission is to challenge individuals to build community wealth and serve as stewards of community assets. As chair of LEARN West Rogers Park, he led a successful coalition that advocated for a new, state-of-the-art library and senior housing complex that will soon become a new social and learning hub for the neighborhood.

“It is a tremendous honor to have been chosen to lead the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation,” Martinez said. “My vision for the Community Foundation is one which it serves as a nucleus that connects people and resources to advance the well-being and vibrancy of the community in a thoughtful, collaborative and impactful way.”

Martinez holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing Communications from Columbia College Chicago. He is a 2017 Edgar Fellow, 2014 Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow, a 2012 Fellow of Great Cities Institute at University of Illinois Chicago and a 2008 graduate of the Metropolitan Leadership Institute. He currently lives in the West Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago with his wife and teenage daughter.

The Oak-Park River Forest Community Foundation was established by community leaders in 1959 with the initial goal of preserving the integrity of its villages. Since then, the Community Foundation has evolved and expanded its reach and purpose with its current mission to strengthen the community through philanthropy and nonprofit excellence. The Community Foundation has grown significantly over the past decade with assets under management growing to over $70 million – allowing the Community Foundation and its donors to provide strategic funding through grants and scholarships of $4 million in 2017.

For further information please contact Stacey Williams, OPRF Community Foundation Board Chair, at staceywilliams2025@gmail.com