The Curtis Fund Welcomes Shana Trombley as Executive Director

The Curtis Fund, a supporting organization of the Vermont Community Foundation, has announced that Shana Trombley has joined its team as Executive Director.

Shana brings over 25 years of fundraising and public affairs experience to the Curtis Fund. She joins after spending three years at the Intervale Center, where she worked as the Donor Relations Manager, helping donors pursue their goal of developing a sustainable, community-based food system that is good for farmers, the environment, and the local economy. Shana spent the first six years of her Vermont life working for Governor Peter Shumlin’s administration. Prior to moving to the Green Mountain State, Shana lived in Chicago where she worked for several nonprofits in public affairs, governmental relations, and fundraising.

“I believe in the power of philanthropy to transform both individual lives and the community as a whole,” says Shana. “The Curtis Fund has touched the lives of over 10,000 Vermonters who have realized their dreams of a better future through the pursuit of postsecondary education, and I’m thrilled to use my experience to grow our impact over the coming years.”

The Curtis Fund joined the Vermont Community Foundation family in 2018, after existing for more than 108 years as a private foundation. Emma Eliza Curtis had no children of her own, but she held the belief that education could change the course of a person’s life. When she died in Burlington in 1910, she left $120,000 in trust to provide financial assistance to young Vermont men and women to pursue a postsecondary education. Since then, the Curtis Fund has grown that bequest to more than $29 million, with annual grants of $1.5 million.

“I’m proud of our new program launched in the fall of 2018, the Credentials of Value scholarship, which will open up career opportunities for hundreds of new learners throughout the state,” says Joe Boutin, chair of the Curtis Fund’s Board of Directors. “We’re excited to have Shana, with her years of development expertise, to expand this program as an integral part of our mission.”