Eric Avner Email & Phone Number

Canada

Greater Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo Metropolitan Area

Eric is accountable for leading Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF) and working with the Board of Directors, committees, and team to oversee WRCF to further the vision of ensuring our communities are “equitable, connected, and sustainable; and people are thriving”. He has overall responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the organization and collaborates with people locally, provincially, and nationally to develop innovative ways to influence lasting social change by maximizing philanthropic opportunities. Eric leads WRCF’s strategic activities linked to our core area of focus: Social Infrastructure. Please contact Eric if you want to learn more about the strategic direction of WRCF, potential partnership opportunities, WRCF’s impact investment strategy or potential impact investment projects.

Cincinnati, Ohio Area

The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation was created to enhance the quality of life in Greater Cincinnati concentrating our efforts in support of community development, culture and education. Our work is designed to have the largest possible impact as we help lead the way to sustaining a vibrant community.I was involved in guiding (via strategies, systems, structures and processes) the investment of Haile Foundation’s $325MM+ corpus, annual $13MM+ in grantmaking, and program-related investments. Specific tasks/responsibilities have included:• Overseeing $40MM+ in Community Development grantmaking, focusing on Cincinnati’s distinctive urban neighborhoods, a talented regional workforce, and a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation.• Designing projects and programs to address the region’s biggest challenges and opportunities.• Collaborating with community stakeholders and partners, including leaders in local non-profits, government, and the private sector, and maintaining constructive, trusted relationships.• Researching regional issues, national trends and best-practices.• Maintaining long-term partnerships with a portfolio containing over 250 grantees; Proposing, processing, and collecting reports from 60+ grants each year. • Creating and implementing “Haile’s Kitchen,” an internal innovation process that launched nationally recognized initiatives such as CoSign (in partnership with American Sign Museum), and FirstBatch (in partnership with Cincinnati Made).

Cincinnati, Ohio Area

People’s Liberty was the Haile Foundation's philanthropic lab that brought together civic-minded talent to address challenges and uncover opportunities to accelerate the positive transformation of Greater Cincinnati. People’s Liberty invested directly in individuals through funding and mentorship, creating a new, replicable model for grantmakers in other cities. It attracted attention of the philanthropic community, regularly hosted fact-finding missions of national foundations, and was routinely covered in local and national media for its impact and results. This innovative 5-year effort explored a new role for foundations to invest in place by investing in people. It was the region’s first and to-date most-ambitious effort to demonstrate trust-based, participatory philanthropy. Specific tasks included:• Recruiting and managing a team of 7 employees, directing semi-annual strategic planning sessions, and conducting annual performance reviews.• Setting and managing a $850K annual operating budget.• Devising and implementing an innovative and radically inclusive grantmaking system, including securing IRS approvals, designing proprietary software, creating a scoring rubric and training materials for community grant reviewers, and collecting constructive completion reports for 120 grants.• Overseeing a $2.1MM building renovation and daily maintenance of an 8,000sf facility, including its public-facing storefront gallery.• Managing public event calendar, hosting 7 national convenings and 225 local conversations about issues important to philanthropy.• Managing a public communication strategy – resulting in 15 national articles – across multiple social and mainstream media platforms to share funding opportunities, activities of grantees, and public events.• Creating a best-in-class system to measure activity and impact, reporting quantitative and qualitative results monthly via a data dashboard and a printed annual report.

Soapbox is a weekly online magazine showcasing the positive and sustained transformation in the Cincinnati region. First launched on February 12, 2008, Soapbox tells the new Cincinnati story and connects readers inside and outside the region with the latest narrative of creative people and innovative businesses, new developments, cool places to live, and the most dynamic places to work and play. It features original stories and photography, and is determined to get people to see Cincinnati differently. It's free to receive Soapbox free in your inbox every Tuesday by signing up at www.soapboxmedia.com.

Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

Advised Cincinnati's top CEOs on economic development and public policy issues, specifically resulting in the creation of 3CDC (2003), passing a bond issue to remake all of Cincinnati Public School’s facilities (2004), and expanding the Duke Energy Convention Center (2006).

Newport, Kentucky, United States

Managed the City of Newport's downtown revitalization program. Responsibilities included securing funding for streetscape and building improvements, designing business recruitment and district marketing materials, and overseeing a calendar of special events. Chaired the committee to convert an abandoned railroad bridge across the Ohio River into the “Purple People Bridge,” an award-winning linear pedestrian park.

Washington Dc-Baltimore Area

Reviewed Federal Historic Tax Credit applications to ensure compliance with Federal law and National Park Service eligibility criteria. Collected and compiled national statistics of this program into an Annual Report on the Economic Impact of the Historic Tax Credit. Designed the first online tracking system for grants made to Native American Tribes.

Ba, Urban Systems

Ma (Candidate), Historic Preservation Planning