Danvers, MA — Essex County Community Foundation, a $90+ million grantmaking organization serving the 34 cities and towns of Essex County, is pleased to announce that Marblehead resident Ana Colmenero has been elected to the organization’s Board of Trustees.
This appointment follows the recent announcement of new ECCF Board Chair John D. Colucci on July 9.
Colmenero, who was born and raised in Spain, has 20 years of experience in the financial services sector. She is a former finance executive and founding partner of brokerage firm ACF International, Inc., where she served as director, president and CEO before opening an international investor relations firm in 2005.
In 2009, Colmenero retired from finance and shifted her attention to volunteer work with a special focus on education, youth, and arts and culture. She now has more than a decade of leadership experience with local nonprofit organizations. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for both the Peabody Essex Museum and Beyond Walls Inc., a nonprofit creative placemaking agency in Lynn. In 2014, Colmenero founded Fairwind Learning Center, a nonprofit early education center in Marblehead, where she currently serves as President of the Board. She has also volunteered in various capacities with many other local and regional nonprofit organizations.
Colmenero first joined ECCF in 2017, when she became a charter member of the steering committee of the Creative County Initiative (CCI), the Foundation’s long-term investment in the region’s arts, culture and creative sector. In this capacity, she has avidly championed the vital part arts and culture play in the strength and vibrancy of our communities.
“Ana is a dedicated and treasured member of our Creative County team,” said Karen Ristuben, CCI Program Director. “She brings tremendous energy, knowledge and insight to the work.”
In 2018, Colmenero expanded her role with ECCF by joining the Foundation’s County Leadership Council.
“Ana’s nonprofit experience and dedication have really been a huge asset for ECCF,” said Colucci. “As we continue to expand our partnerships with area leaders and organizations to collaborate on systems changes that will ultimately improve the quality of life for so many residents, Ana’s insight will be especially vital.”
“I have really gotten to know Ana over the last few years and she is inquisitive, passionate and truly invested in working collaboratively towards the betterment of Essex County,” said ECCF President & CEO Beth Francis. “We couldn’t be more thrilled for her to join our Board and we look forward to her active and engaged participation in more of the Foundation’s work.”
Colmenero expressed a similar enthusiasm for her new role with ECCF.
“I am delighted to join ECCF’s board of trustees. I have always been impressed by the passion of the staff and the breadth of the Foundation’s impact,” said Colmenero. “ECCF’s positive impact on the local community has become even more apparent during the last two crises that the county has faced: the gas explosions in Greater Lawrence in 2018 and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“My hope is to be able to contribute to ECCF’s work to improve the lives of all residents of Essex County, with a special focus on social justice and inclusive economic opportunity,” she added. “I am grateful and honored for this chance.”
Colmenero graduated from the Universidad Pontificia Comillas ICADE in Madrid in 1988 with a BA (equivalent to a JD) in Law and in 1989 with a BA in Economics. She is also a CFA charter holder.
About ECCF
The mission of Essex County Community Foundation is to inspire philanthropy that strengthens the communities of Essex County. We do this by managing charitable assets, strengthening and supporting nonprofits and engaging in strategic community leadership. Since 1998, ECCF and its family of 235 charitable funds have granted $94 million to nonprofits, schools and students in Essex County and beyond. Our ultimate goal is to have 34 thriving cities and towns in Essex County and to improve the quality of life for the region’s nearly 800,000 residents. Learn more at eccf.org.