A Glendale attorney, Olive Magee Warner, is now in charge of ensuring that the Glendale College Foundation continues its mission of keeping the community involved in providing financial resources for the college’s programs and its students. Warner was elected president of the foundation in July.

“It’s quite exciting,” Warner said. “It’s an honor and at the same time a very big responsibility. I enjoy working with [the foundation’s] dedicated members.”

Warner has been on the 35-member foundation board, which is composed of local community leaders, for the last five years. She was invited to be a board member, mainly because of her professional record and her community involvement, and was actively involved with several of the board’s committees before she was elected to the presidency by her fellow board members, replacing former president Anthony Tartaglia.

She will serve as foundation president for a term of two years.
An immigrant from Northern Ireland, Warner came to the United States in 1960. Working hard to take advantages of the opportunities she found in this country, Warner received her master’s degree from USC and her law degree from Loyola Law School.
“She’s been involved in the Foundation for a number of years,” said the foundation’s Executive Director Ann Ransford. “Her experience with us [Foundation] and with other organizations in the community prove that she’s very good at specific things.”

Ransford explained that these “specific things” include looking at financial reports and budgets. “She brings credibility to the organization because of her professional and community background.”
Part the new president’s community involvement includes sitting on the board of the Glendale YWCA and being a member of Soroptimist International of Glendale, an organization that fights discrimination against women.

“I believe in giving back to the community,” Warner said.
Warner has been a lawyer since 1970, currently specializing in retirement and estate planning. She said that her career of more than 30 years has taught her to be “attentive to details.” “I’m always prepared to see the big picture,” she said.

Ransford added that Warner is “very enthusiastic” about her work and has a “nice [working] relationship with everyone” in the organization.

“She’s [Warner] wonderful to work with,” said Barbara Jordan, one of the members of the Foundation.

Board of Trustees member Armine Hacopian told the Glendale News Press that Warner “has a well-rounded understanding of the college and its needs.”

The new foundation president said that the main challenge she faces is the task of raising funds for the college. “Some procedures are already in place,” she said. “But our goal is really to reach out to more people and encourage them to donate.”
The Foundation donated $1.7 million to the college in the last fiscal year; Warner hopes to increase the amount during her term.
The Foundation, which was established in 1983, currently has $7.8 million in assets, including a $7.1 million endowment, Ransford told the News Press in a recent article.

“I’d like to build on the work of my predecessors,” Warner said. “We’ve raised a fair amount of money already, and I plan to further that.”

Warner added that she believes that GCC is “a terrific organization. Nothing can change your life more than a good education, and I’m pleased and proud to be a part of helping people get education.”