INDIANAPOLIS—The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University will honor two distinguished philanthropy leaders with the Henry A. Rosso Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Ethical Fundraising, the Center’s most prestigious award, at a dinner ceremony Thursday evening August 24 in Indianapolis.
Dorothy A. “Dottie” Johnson, president emeritus, Council of Michigan Foundations, and Dr. J. David Smith, retired associate dean for development at the Indiana University School of Medicine, are the honorees. The Rosso Medal recognizes lifelong dedication to emphasizing philanthropy’s ethics and values, acting as a mentor to perpetuate and invigorate philanthropic traditions, and noted leadership in a long, productive career of distinction.
Since 1990, the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University has presented this annual award to exceptional individuals. The Rosso Medal was created to honor Henry A. “Hank” Rosso (1917-1999), a founder of the Center on Philanthropy and founding director of its public service program, The Fund Raising School. Mr. Rosso received the inaugural medal for establishing The Fund Raising School, which enables fundraising professionals to learn about ethical philanthropic fundraising, and for creating concepts of discipline and dignity in the profession. Other past honorees include Indiana University Chancellor Herman B Wells, University of Notre Dame President Theodore M. Hesburgh and national fundraising firm executives George A. Brakeley and Donald A. Campbell, Jr.
Johnson is a recognized and respected leader in the field of philanthropy and beyond. A former chair and member of the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University’s board of governors, she previously served for 25 years as the founding president of the Council of Michigan Foundations, the largest regional association of grantmakers, which serves more than 400 foundations and corporate members making grants for charitable purposes.
A passionate public servant and volunteer, Johnson was appointed to the board of the Corporation for National and Community Service by Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. She is a trustee and former chair of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. She was a founder of the Michigan Community Service Commission and served on its founding board as an appointee of the governor. Johnson is a trustee of the Citizens Research Council and has served on numerous other boards, including the Council on Foundations, the Foundation Center, the National Charities Information Bureau and the National Center on Family Philanthropy. A leader in the business community as well, she serves on the Kellogg Company and AAA-Michigan boards and is a former member of the board of National City Corporation.
Johnson is dedicated to teaching and mentoring as effective tools in continuing the philanthropic tradition. She founded Learning to Give, an initiative that educates children about the nonprofit sector and empowers them to volunteer in their communities. She served on Learning to Give’s executive committee for 10 years helping to raise more than $13 million in public and private support for the program. The Dorothy A. Johnson Center on Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Grand Valley State University was named in her honor, and she is a trustee and former Chair of the Grand Valley State University Board of Trustees.
In 2000, Johnson received the Distinguished Grantmaker Award from the national Council on Foundations and also has been recognized as a Woman of Achievement by the Michigan Women’s Foundation. She graduated from the University of California-Berkeley, and received a Certificate in Business Administration from the Harvard-Radcliffe Program.
J. David Smith served as the associate dean for development at the Indiana University School of Medicine. From 1986 through his retirement in 2005, he demonstrated a life-long commitment to Indiana University, consistently providing the leadership necessary to facilitate public and private support for the medical school. Smith pioneered the school’s in-house fundraising operation upon his arrival there. He built meaningful partnerships with thousands of alumni, former patients, faculty, corporations, foundations and service clubs, which helped to make the Indiana University School of Medicine a globally known and respected, cutting-edge institution. During his tenure he served as executive director of two capital campaigns which raised a total of $586 million.
Smith also served as associate director for Indianapolis during the university-wide Indiana University Capital Campaign that culminated in 1986, which raised $316 million dollars, far exceeding its $200 million goal. Sixty percent of that support came from Indianapolis community members.
“David Smith has been an integral part of the advancement of the practices of medicine, education and fundraising, not just in Indiana but world-wide. His professionalism and values have harnessed the power of philanthropy in ways that benefit the university,” said Tim Seiler, director of public service and The Fund Raising School at the Center on Philanthropy.
Smith earned an undergraduate degree in Secondary Education, a master’s degree in College Student Personnel Administration and a Doctor of Education degree in Higher Education Administration and Economics, all from Indiana University. He served as director of student services and assistant professor of education at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), where he recruited, counseled and graduated thousands of new teachers.
In Pennsylvania, Smith served as executive director of Project CLEO, a project in partnership with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation that enrolled and advanced adults in higher education programs. He guided the participation of 50 colleges and universities in the Philadelphia area.
A committed and active volunteer, Smith serves on the boards of Villages of Indiana, a child and family welfare organization that cares for abused and abandoned children; The Hoosier Salon, an Indiana organization that promotes art and artists; and The Sullivan Munce Cultural Center in Zionsville, Ind. He was the founding president of the Community Foundation of Boone County in Indiana. Smith is a veteran of the U.S. Army.
The author of several articles for Off to College, a school-to-college transition magazine, Smith also has served on the editorial board for CENTER Magazine, the quarterly publication of the Indiana University Medical Center. He is a fine art photographer whose work has been included in multiple juried exhibitions. Smith is also a current member of the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Indiana University Alumni Association.
The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, a part of the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, is a leading academic center dedicated to increasing the understanding of philanthropy and improving its practice through research, teaching, public service and public affairs programs in philanthropy, fundraising, and management of nonprofit organizations.
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