Community Foundation President to Retire After Forty-Year Nonprofit Career

New Britain, CT, January 11, 2025– The Board of the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain has announced that David J. Obedzinski, the Foundation’s President and CEO since 2017, will retire effective December 31, 2025.

During his tenure the endowment of the Foundation, which is comprised of hundreds of charitable funds and scholarships stewarded by the organization, has grown from $45 million to more than $70 million.

Obedzinski joined the Foundation as its President in August 2017 and quickly introduced several new initiatives that have become central to the programs offered to the Greater New Britain area. These initiatives include capacity-building training for nonprofits, opportunities for young professionals to learn about philanthropy, the creation of a disaster response fund, a degree completion initiative at CCSU to assist upper-class students, and a revitalized Catalyst Giving Circle, alongside longstanding early childhood education programs.

“I’m especially proud of our Foundation team and our board for their strong and steady support of initiatives that have made an immediate and lasting impact in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville, Southington, and beyond,” said Obedzinski. “The generous donors, who, with every charitable fund trusted to us, make us stronger and able to make a greater impact, are the beating heart of our Foundation. I am grateful to all of them, past and present, and to all of those in our communities who I have had the pleasure of working with for the betterment of the more than 200,000 people who live or work in our primary service area.”

Over the past seven years under President Obedzinski’s leadership, over 90 new funds and scholarships have been established by individuals, families, and organizations. The Foundation has awarded over $1,900,000 in scholarships to students and more than $13,000,000 through over 1,000 grants to our nonprofit partners, addressing the needs of the communities we serve. The Foundation has consistently achieved a Platinum rating from GuideStar and has built the most diverse board of directors in its history.

“Dave has been an outstanding leader for the Foundation,” said Adam Salina, outgoing Board Chair, “He strengthened the visibility of this organization during his tenure and made it more relevant within the communities we serve. Dave’s legacy will be reflected in the millions of dollars that he cultivated for the foundation which will result in additional scholarships and grants distributed throughout our region. We are eternally grateful for Dave’s accomplishments, which have made the Foundation stronger and more sustainable for the future.”

Obedzinski has worked in nonprofit organizations and fundraising for more than forty years. He has worked for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Alumni Association, at the Hospital of Central Connecticut at New Britain General, Southern Connecticut State University, The Easter Seal Society of Connecticut, as well as the University of Hartford and Hofstra University.

Locally he is a Rotarian and an Elk member who plans to stay involved with both organizations. Obedzinski has been actively serving in the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary since 2012 and plans to continue and possibly expand that work in retirement. His retirement plans, while still being formed, may also include consulting with nonprofits, teaching, and travel with his wife Linda while they continue their association with the Foundation in the Catalyst Giving Circle and with the Obedzinski Family Charitable Fund they established several years ago.

The Foundation’s current Board Chairperson, Janis Jerman, will lead a committee this year that will handle the search for a new President.

“Dave set a very high bar for the Foundation’s leadership,” said Janis Jerman, the newly elected Board Chair. “The Board is committed to recruiting and retaining a successor who will continue this strong momentum.”

Established in 1941, the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain is “Where Good Begins” in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington. The Foundation works to inspire philanthropy, responsibly manage permanent charitable assets effectively, and partner to address key community issues through strategic leadership. For more information or to support CFGNB’s work, visit www.cfgnb.org.