The F. M. Kirby Foundation is pleased to announce that Justin J. Kiczek has been promoted to the role of President and Executive Director, effective January 2nd, becoming the first non-family member to lead the Foundation as President.
Justin joined the Foundation in 2019 as Executive Vice President, working in tandem with then President and Board Chair, S. Dillard Kirby, to oversee the Foundation’s grantmaking strategy and operations. In 2021, Justin was promoted to the role of Executive Vice President/Executive Director. In his tenure with the Foundation, Justin has grown the Foundation’s staff to seven members, which included the addition of roles that prioritize the Foundation’s programmatic areas of interest and grantmaking processes. Working closely with Laura Horton Virkler, Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, Justin developed a five-year strategic plan with a focus on improving internal efficiency to maximize organizational impact on grantee partners. Under Justin’s leadership, the Foundation has made over 1,000 grants totaling over $61 million.
“It is the honor of my life to serve as President of the F. M. Kirby Foundation. While I am humbled by the prospect of following the previous leaders of the Foundation, I am grateful to draw upon their wisdom and experience as well as the timeless values that have defined our philanthropy for over ninety years,” said Justin.
“In his four years with the Foundation, Justin has displayed a reverence for Fred Morgan Kirby’s philanthropic intent while ensuring that the Foundation remains poised to address our communities’ challenges of today and tomorrow. His promotion to the role of President and Executive Director is a demonstration of our trust in his wise grantmaking and compassionate leadership,” said Laura Horton Virkler, Chair of the Board.
