The Glendale College Foundation, the fund-raising arm of the college, has a new board President, Tony Tartaglia, who began his two-year term on Jan.1. He replaces Paul P. Locker in the position. Amidst problems with state funding, Tartaglia, along with the foundation still continue to work hard to maintain the well-being of GCC. Of his first months as president, Tartaglia said, “it’s been fantastic, and the staff is wonderful.”
Since 1983, the non-profit Foundation has helped create public awareness of what is needed to improve the school. The foundation includes an executive committee, which meets once every quarter, a finance committee, a golf committee and a nominating committee.
As the president of the Foundation, Tartaglia is very involved with the community. Preparing him for this experience were the many boards he has sat on in the past, including Glendale’s Revision Committee and The Board of Directors of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he served as the treasurer for the Burbank Board of Directors for four years and later served as Vice President for two years. Tartaglia is also the chairman of the Bond Oversight Committee for Measure G, a $92 million bond issued to GCC to help reconstruct the many buildings and facilities, as well as updating the technology and plumbing of the school, in order to meet the campus’ needs. He has also worked with the Red Cross Board for eight years.
Tartaglia received his engineering degree from CSUN and his master’s in business administration from Pepperdine University. Working with the college for the last 10 years has given him the knowledge to take on the task of foundation president. “I have a lot of experience as to how the college runs,” said Tartaglia.
The foundation achieves many goals through fund-raising programs and other special events. It has an endowment of over $5 million dollars. This $5 million endowment works towards various programs and needs of the college, and has currently supported the Cimmarusti/NASA Science Center, and the Allied Health Center. The objectives also include working on the sponsorships of various college activities, and sponsorship of many fund raising and public relations activities on campus. It also oversees these various fundraisers as a means to earn more money for the endowment. The foundation holds an annual business luncheon in April, and a golf tournament held in June at the Oakmont Country Club.
“The athletic program has gotten funded quite a bit from the golf tournament,” said Tartaglia, who explained the golf tournament as an event in which key businesses, community and governmental leaders in the community attend.
The nominating committee, generally comprised of past presidents, includes some members of the Foundation Board who select the new executive committee, which includes the president for the new term. “I want to make sure there will be more diversity on the board, more reflective of the community and college population,” said Tartaglia.
By doing so, Tartaglia plans to work with the foundation to add new members to the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, in which will “better reflect the population of the college and community.”
Tartaglia feels that a diverse board will make for an even better foundation.
“This will be done by seeking out those outstanding individuals that work and live in the community and contribute to the well-being of the area,” said Tartaglia.
Due to state funding problems, foundations are taking on more significance to community colleges. Tartaglia, along with the foundation, will continue to work hard to increase the effort in funding more of the college’s activities, critical projects, operations and programs that may work towards benefiting the students on campus.
“Also, we are working diligently to increase our endowment to provide more funding in the future,” said Tartaglia.
Along with the aim to increase the endowment, the foundation is seeking opportunities in Planned Giving, a program that will give people the ability to make donations to the college.
Among the many serving with Tartaglia on the 2004-05 Foundation Executive Board, who are all quite diverse in background, are past President Locker, Vice Presidents Valerie K. Byer-Taylor and Olive Magee Warner, Treasurer Margaret Lofaro and Secretary Chip Stone.
“We are pursuing opportunities like new fundraising methods (offering sponsorships and signage to various projects and buildings on campus) and encouraging the community to help augment the ever-increasing costs of running a first-rate college,” said Tartaglia.
Tartaglia is also the district manager of The Gas Company in Pasadena, and resides in Glendale.