Content excerpted and adapted from an original Community Foundation of Holland/Zeeland Area press release.

Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area (CFHZ) has announced that it has named Patrick Cisler as the new president/CEO. Cisler brings a wealth of leadership experience, a demonstrated skill for relationship building and a passion for community development work to the role.

Founded in 1951 to create positive, lasting change for the Holland/Zeeland area, CFHZ currently has over $114 million in assets. Cisler will serve as the organization’s fourth president/CEO. Cisler’s appointment concludes a four-month national search process led by the Board of Trustees and facilitated by Kittleman and Associates, a national executive search firm dedicated exclusively to recruiting high-performing leaders for nonprofit organizations. A high-caliber pool of local and national candidates applied for the position.

 “Patrick is adept at building long-term relationships and walking alongside donors, nonprofits, and community partners to help the greater Holland/Zeeland area become a place where all who live and work in our community can thrive. His knowledge of our community’s pressing needs and promising opportunities, along with his existing relationships with many of our donors and collaborative partners, will play a key role in ensuring a seamless transition. We are thrilled that he was interested in leading CFHZ in this next season of growth and impact,” Diane Kooiker, Board Chair of CFHZ said.

A graduate of West Ottawa Public Schools and DePauw University, Cisler began his career in the financial industry with Northwestern Mutual. Pursuing an interest in human services work and a passion for leadership, he then began working as a consultant with a focus on economic development and nonprofit organizations.

Since 2013, Cisler has served as executive director of the Lakeshore Nonprofit Alliance (LNA) and Community SPOKE. LNA is a membership organization serving over 200 nonprofits locally that seeks to strengthen our local nonprofit sector by providing training, resources, leadership development, one-on-one consulting and other professional development all aimed at helping nonprofits accomplish their important missions.

Community SPOKE seeks to improve the quality of life of all Ottawa County residents through a strategic, coordinated, and systemic response from government, businesses and nonprofits to collectively solve our greatest human service needs.

“It is an unbelievable honor and privilege to be named as the next president/CEO of the Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area. I have a long collaborative history of working with the Foundation on a wide variety of initiatives and have the utmost respect for this organization and the lasting impact it has had on our community. I am excited to build on the legacy of donors who have invested faithfully in the foundation, the leadership of Mike Goorhouse and past presidents who have helped shape the strategic direction, and work with the incredibly talented staff and board to help shape the future of Holland/Zeeland. Specifically, I look forward to the opportunity to further CFHZ’s mission of growing the community’s endowment for further transformational impact, providing exceptional services to donors to help them achieve their unique charitable goals, and leading and partnering in community-level initiatives. As someone who has dedicated their career to seeing Holland/Zeeland become a thriving community for everyone that lives here, I cannot think of a better opportunity to continue this highly missional work than at CFHZ,” Cisler said.

Cisler will begin his role as president/CEO on May 22. CFHZ will officially welcome Cisler to his new role during the organization’s Annual Luncheon event, which will be held on May 25 at 11 a.m. at the Holland Civic Center.

CMF looks forward to welcoming Cisler to our CMF community of philanthropy!

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