Cazenovia resident Eileen Pezzi, MPA, who for more than two decades has led Upstate Medical University’s philanthropic arm, The Upstate Foundation, has been named as the area’s top development professional and one of the region’s philanthropic heroes for 2016 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)-Central New York Chapter.
Pezzi received the honor Nov. 16 at AFP’s National Philanthropy Day luncheon.
Pezzi, who serves as vice president for development and is Upstate’s first female vice president, has led the Foundation during a time of great growth, from an asset base over $15.29 million in 1995 to $150 million in 2016. Further, the Foundation’s endowment investment returns have exceeded the average and median annual returns of the more than 800 college and university endowments and affiliated foundations in each of the last seven years as reported in the NACUBO (National Association of College and University Business Officers)-Commonfund study of endowments.
Under Pezzi’s leadership, The Upstate Foundation has been ranked fourth or fifth for contributions raised for the last 10 years out of 64 state-operated campuses or statutory colleges, trailing only behind such powerhouses as Stony Brook, University of Buffalo and Cornell.
A pinnacle of Pezzi’s career is the $6 million naming gift from Rochester philanthropist B. Thomas Golisano for the children’s hospital campaign. It remains Upstate’s largest philanthropic gift. The children’s hospital campaign raised nearly $22 million, with donations from families and businesses, large and small, from all across New York.
Many of the university’s most visible capital projects, including the Upstate Cancer Center and the new Pediatric Emergency Department, have benefited from Pezzi’s leadership, attracting more than $18 million in philanthropic support.
At an institution with more than 10,000 employees, the Upstate Foundation is a two-time winner of the Upstate President’s Award for Team of Year, in recognition of the successful capital campaigns for the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital and the Upstate Cancer Center.
Pezzi shares her time with other organizations providing her insight on development issues for organizations like the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation, where she serves on the board of directors, and the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Pezzi is a past winner of CASE’s Circle of Excellence Award.
In her day-to-day capacity, Pezzi oversees the activities of The Upstate Foundation including managing its $150 million asset base, more than 900 funds and a 55-member board of directors; organizing and implementing a comprehensive development plan focusing on annual and endowment campaigns, corporate and foundation giving, planned giving, named giving, donor relations, fund development, special events and communications. She also supervises the alumni associations for Upstate’s colleges of Nursing and Health Professions.
Pezzi resides in Cazenovia with her husband, John, and sons, Alex and Brian.
