December 23, 2024 • 22 mins
Ted Probert joined the Scholarship Foundation in 2018. Serving in the Marine Corps Reserves for 21 years, he retired as a LtCol in 2014. Ted brings over 28 years of development experience to MCSF, highlighted by his time at Phillips Exeter Academy as both campaign director for The Exeter Initiatives, which raised $352 million, and the Director of Institutional Advancement. Currently the President and CEO of the Scholarship Foundation, Ted works closely with the Board of Directors on strategic direction, attends events across the Nation and manages all business affairs.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
M and T Bank presents CEOs.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
You should know powerd by Iheartgadia.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Let's meet Ted Probert. He is the president and CEO
for the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, a nonprofit organization that
provides need based scholarships for children of Marines and Navy corman.
Before we talk more about Ted's incredible organization, I first
asked him to talk a little bit about himself or
he's from and his origin story.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
I grew up in New Jersey, spent most of my
younger years there, and then went to a boarding school
up in Connecticut and then to a Duke University. Was
part of THETC program at Duke, and then commissioned as
a second lieutenant in nineteen eighty four and off into
the Marine Corps.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
So Ted, a lot of our listeners know my sports
background and also living in Raleigh, North Carolina for eight years,
and that means I went to a lot of Duke
basketball games when Coach k was there. And I always
tell sports fans because you know it's you know, the
old Yankee Stadium or the old Chicago Stadium for the Blackhawks.
There are certain and fenway with Boston, there's certain places.
I hope that people get to go that are still around,
(01:01):
and one of them is to go see a game
on Duke University and some basketball, because that is a
fun place to go watch ball.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Yeah, Cameron, into our stadium is a spectacular you know,
arena's eleven thousand people, so you're really you're right there
in the heart of it all.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Well, listen, we are here. Of course, we're talking about
the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation that you've been with though
for over six years now. And you also did something
before you took over the role of CEO, and I
do want to talk about that transition because a lot
of people go into a for profit or nonprofit just
as a CEO, but you did something before that leading
into this position, and I want to talk about that
(01:38):
in just a second mission statement what you do for
all our listeners. But as you were coming out and
before you joined the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, what did
you want to do and what were you doing?
Speaker 3 (01:48):
You know, I've been I'd spent twenty five years in
educational fundraising. I you know, was certified in secondary school
education at Duke, and you know thought that I would
I taught seventh and eighth graders for a stretch, but
then went into the Marine Corps and then did some
commercial real estate for a stretch, and you know, just
kind of figured that wasn't what I wanted to spend
my life doing. So ended up going into educational fundraising,
(02:12):
kind of the business send of education, and loved that.
I worked for great institutions. I worked for Phillips Exeter
Academy for fifteen years and ran a three hundred and
fifty million dollar campaign for them and the Lawrenceville School
in New Jersey, and so, you know, kind of figured
that that was the career track I was going to
stay on, as you know, kind of being a chief
advancement officer for a college or university or a great
(02:37):
secondary school. And then this opportunity came up kind of
out of the blue, and it was just a great
opportunity and far has exceeded my expectations.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Well, I want to talk about that because it's always
fascinating about why people join organizations. And it's clear why
you did, and we're going to talk all about it,
but I'm curious, you know, I see what you were
interested in, and they were interested in, but what is
a deciding factor that you wanted to join this organization.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
I think it was because of the impact and knowing
what a difference we make, you know, I mean it
ties directly to our mission of you know, kind of
honoring marines by educating our children their children. And you know,
I had spent twenty one years in the Marine Corps,
so it was a profound impact on my own life.
Yet you know, I mean I had benefited from, you know,
(03:25):
great educational experiences and you know, as as we know,
I went to Duke and you know, I was fortunate there.
But you know, so many of these families have honorably
served and then are trying to put their sons and
daughters through, you know, kind of their achieve their educational
dreams and are met with the financial hardships of just
how costly college is today. And so the opportunity that
(03:47):
we're impacting and helping to change and shape these lives
is really so meaningful and self fulfilling in regards to
what we do.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Hey, Ted, if you could indulge me just for a second,
because I always love to talk about leadership, whether you've
been in the military or not, and you obviously had
wonderful years of service, and we always appreciate that and
thank you for that. And we're going to talk about
that a little bit later. But when it comes to
being a leader and being in whether you're the Marines
or any of the other academies, and you do serve
when it comes to leadership, because we know, at least
(04:16):
from a layman standpoint, that it's a very structured life.
So as you did that, and as you go into
the workforce world, how did any kind of military service
what you learn there for structure and leadership fall over
to civilian life with you as a leader right now, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
I think so much, as you know, kind of just
setting the expectations, leading by example, you know, kind of
doing you know, kind of what's right and honorable with
regards to I mean, you know, we talk about, you know,
kind of the fourteen leadership traits in the Marine Corps,
you know, everything from loyalty to judgment to perseverance, integrity,
(04:50):
being you know, kind of at the forefront of that.
And I think that those you know, kind of poor
values really shape us. And you know kind of you
know direct how we you know, kind of carry ourselves
both in in uniform and out of uniform. And I
think that that's been you know what I'm trying to do.
It's not about my ego and for me personally, it's
(05:13):
what can I do to strengthen and make this organization
better and to be able to help to impact lives
in a profound way.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
So, as I mentioned, you did something before you became
president and CEO of the organization as chief development officer,
and you did that for a handful of years, and
then moving up to this new role. And once again
I talked to people in this series a lot that
just jumped to being a CEO and a president, which
is fine, you know, whatever is the fit. But I
also find that there is some perspective that when you
start with a different job and then you escalate up
(05:42):
and as send to a new position, that there is
more perspective. Can you tell us about that transition to
our audience.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
Yeah, So, as you've mentioned, I was the chief development Officer,
which was really consistent with what I had been doing previously,
you know, kind of as the chief advancement officer for
Phillips Exitor or other schools. And you know, that was
I think comfortably in my wheelhouse. Had worked with a
lot of nonprofits, had worked with Board of directors, you know,
kind of was very comfortable, you know, soliciting and asking
(06:11):
for supporting investments. And then when when my predecessor retired,
who was a retired general officer, the crux of our
organization is really about fundraising. I mean, it's about our
ability to secure funds, to be able to extend scholarships.
And we are a five oh one C three as
a nonprofit. And so the you know, kind of translatable
(06:35):
skills of being a chief fundraiser to leading a nonprofit
like the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation was was a great
opportunity to move into the president and CEO role. And
then as I look at that, it's kind of how
do I grow it to being more impactful? How do
we raise more significantly more dollars? How do we expand
(06:56):
the outreach uh to folks? And I think those consist
And with my background previously and.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Ted, I realized that nothing is perfect or seamless, especially
when you move into a new role. But I imagine with
all the experience of perspective that you had for three
years in that position moving over to president and CEO,
the transition was probably a little bit smooth and for
most people just stepping into a new role like that.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
I think so as absolutely Dennis, as well as having
had an opportunity to work here for three years, understand
the culture, Understand you know, kind of the colleagues that
I was working with and the partnerships with them, as
well as you know, kind of directors and volunteers and
folks that.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Were advocates and ambassadors for us.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
It made that a much smoother transition and I think
just allowed me to kind of hit the ground running
a lot faster.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Well, then, Ted, this is not going to surprise you whatsoever.
The buzzword that I always get from CEOs and founders
and presidents in the series, culture is really important. They're
people also very important them too. But whether you're in military,
whether you're in sports, or whether you're in a nonprofit,
culture real big deal. And I imagine that's really important
to you as well. It is.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
And you know, as I was preparing, you know, kind
of for the interview as president and CEO, I remember
reading that I'm a CEO has much more impact on
culture than they do on the numbers that actually there,
and so it's been a driving force for.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
What I'm trying to do.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
And you know kind of how I can help to
change the organization and make it stronger. I think, you know,
until the time that I decide to you know, leave
or they you know, find it's time to move on.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
So it's just like a head coach, right, you just
you know, you gotten somebody here, so you just enjoy everybody. Well,
I did want to talk about what you do, and
you did talk about mission. But if you were to
give a thirty thousand foot view to our listeners that
are new to what the Marine Corps, the Marine Corps
Scholarship Foundation is and what you do, what would you
tell them that you exactly do.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
Yeah, So it's we do one thing and one thing only.
That's provides scholarships. We look to honor those Marines by
educating their children or the Navy corman that have served
with Marine units. And so with the rising cost of
education and you know, just the financial hardship, we're the
largest provider of needs based financial aid to members of
(09:13):
the military. We look at it at the sergeant major
of the Marine Corps salary one hundred and twenty thousand
and below. In any family that's you know, honorably served
and has you know, financial need. There then we stand
at the ready to be able to support and help
their son or daughter with their educational dreams. And today
we're supporting two eight hundred and eighty two scholars in
(09:36):
this current academic year for close to twelve million dollars.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Boy, that is absolutely extraordinary. And you know, this organization
goes back to nineteen sixty two. I imagine that wy
you do. As far as mission hasn't changed much but
the original start of it, and you could talk about
that a little bit about how was founded and to
where you are today is much changed.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
It's expanded to your point. In nineteen six too, there
was a World War two Marine Medal of Honor recipient
who couldn't afford to send his sun to college. So
here was somebody who had achieved the nation's highest award
for heroism and bravery and combat and had this kind
of financial hardship, and so ten families got together and
(10:16):
raised fifteen hundred dollars. It's expanded over the years. In
two thousand and one, when we went into you know,
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we expanded to kind
of a hero's tribute for those gold Star families. Or
children of the fallen, as well as those individuals who
were severely injured and wounded in combat. So we have
(10:37):
a number of families that infect Our Chicago event is
specifically to raise funds for the severely.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Injured and wounded. And you know, families that have lost limbs,
have had you know.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
Third degree burns from helicopter crashes, et cetera. And we
look at Dennis the level of hardship that a family
has endured. So if a parent served twenty years ago
before you know, the child was really even born, the
level of impact is less than for somebody who was
lost in combat and suffered much more dramatically. But we've
(11:11):
expanded our outreach in that context over those years.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Well, very good, Thank you for explaining that and also
the history, and I imagine you've got a lot of
people's attention when it comes to the amount of money
that you put together. We'll talk about donations and how
people can be a part of this and how you're
funded in just a moment. But with that said, criteria,
how does somebody get an application in what's the window
and what is the criteria for somebody being a part
of this?
Speaker 3 (11:34):
Yeah, so our application window is from January first to
March first for those students applying for college post secondary education.
We also support students for career technical education and that
actually application cycle is year round and so you know,
they need to have gotten into us the criterias. The
(11:57):
parent has to have honorably served. We asked for a
copy of the two fourteen, and the student has to
have a GPA of two point zero or higher.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Now that's not a high bar.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
But the reality is is that you know, there are
students that are in during you know, kind of financial
or family hardships, you know, with regards to a loss
of a parent or whatever, and mentally might.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Be going through a tough time.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
We don't want to penalize them because their grades have
suffered at that point. So you know, those are you know,
kind of the criteria. And then as I said earlier,
you know, we look at the level of hardship for
the family and then the average awards are. We extend
awards from you know, twenty five hundred dollars to ten
thousand dollars a year. But we also when we admit,
(12:42):
you know, kind of students, we look at that commitment
as over the four years of a student's career. So
it's really you know, kind of ten thousand to forty
thousand dollars and our commitment to the student during that
full educational experience.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
And as I'm looking at some of your amazing statistics
about this scholarships awarded and all the money that's been
raised over this annual year, and I take a look
at the United States map, we should remind everybody that
not only are all the states represented, but you're also
doing some overseas and territories. So there is a lot
of space that's covered by you and your team.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Absolutely, and you know we we fill. It's over fifty
five thousand students that have benefited since the foundation is
founding in nineteen sixty two.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Wow, absolutely incredible. Well, listen, I want to talk you know,
because in this series we always tell people listen, you know,
when you have something that's pretty incredible what you and
your team are putting together, it's not always unicorns and
rainbows all the time. There are some challenges in the industry,
and we will talk about funding and donations, but besides
just getting money to come in, are there any other
challenges currently that present itself to you and your team
(13:46):
I think.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
That, you know, I mean, are really our driving challenges
raising the revenue necessary to provide the scholarships each year.
You know, we've got a target of about twenty five
million dollars annually. And I think that, you know, kind
of as we moved out of you know, the wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan, the visibility of the military shrank
a little bit in that regard. Yeah, I mean, you know,
(14:08):
with less than one percent of the American public that
serves in the military, you know, any any veteran is
frequently met with, you know, thank you for your service.
And we appreciate those those comments. But I think that
for a lot of folks, they don't know how to
express their appreciation other than to just say, you know,
thank you for your service. And I look at this
(14:29):
and say, you know, the Marine Force farll Asi Foundation
is actually a genuine way to express your support for
these military families and those that have raised their right
hand and you know, taken the oath and warn't the
thought of the nation.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
So well, let's talk about ways to give I guess
this is a really excellent segue, and we'll give the
website at the end. I know, a lot of our
brilliant listeners have already googled you up and are on
the website, probably not now checking everything out, but there
are many ways to be partners and to give. Can
you go through that for everybody?
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (14:57):
You know, we we do about thirty five to forty
events a year across the you know, across the country,
from golf events to you know, black tie affairs, and
those are all on our website and you know, kind
of those we look at us, you know, kind of
the campus, if you will, in a way for people
to you know, get exposure, become more familiar, to participate
with events. Also, as you said, you know, giving through
(15:20):
the website, you know, which is MCSF dot org. There
are ways to give online there. You know, there's gifts
of securities through donor advised funds, and then you know,
we we look for folks to volunteer and partner with us,
as you know, kind of to help raise awareness and
to increase visibility. That's one of my major priorities is
(15:41):
how do I increase the visibility and awareness of the foundation,
both for those potential students as well as for those
investors who you know want to support veterans want to
support educational opportunities and you know, but might not know
about us, and you know the impact that we're having.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Well, Ted, we talked about the challenges, and I was
a lot to talk about the good stuff. And I
imagine you have handfuls of great stories of lives that
you've changed out there, and I think that's the great
part about getting up every day and changing families lives
in these scholarships. Is there something maybe recently that's happened
over the last couple of years that you know, really
said to you. You know, folks, this is why we
get up every day. We made a difference here and
(16:19):
something really cool happened to a family.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Yeah, Dennis, you know, thank you for asking.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
And I've got a personal story that's particularly meaningful to me.
I served with the Marine in the mid eighties at
Camp Pendleton, who was an artillery officer, and when he
got out of the Marine cop he wanted to go
into the financial investment business and he worked for Canner
Fitzgerald on one hundred and fourth floor of the North
Tower and so you know, as we know, he lost
(16:43):
his life on nine to eleven. His wife at the
time was seven months pregnant with their unborn child, and
that son, who ended up being his namesake, went to Syracuse,
which was his dad's alma mater, but the Marine Corps
Schollarship Foundation provided a scholarship of ten thousand dollars a
year for him to you know, attend Serahcusin. I wear
(17:07):
a Kia bracelet on my wrist for you know, Mike
Lafort who was that Marine friend of mine.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
And that's just you know, one story.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
I mean, I have another colleague who just recently was
diagnosed with ALS and is now having difficulty being able
to you know, kind of support his family as he's
you know, kind of physically suffering, and we're supporting his
daughter she's matriculating into college next year as well. So
those type of things make it personally very self fulfilling.
And I just think the impact in how we're changing
(17:38):
and shaping lives is is really profound.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Yeah, I'm glad. Thank you for sharing that. I mean
obviously very emotional and very personal to you, and thanks
for sharing for our audience. And you know, the one
thing that I've learned from sports and leadership in the
industry that I'm in and I'm sure it's the same
for you in the military. And what you do now,
Ted is that when something really bad happens, it's how
we respond, right And if you can respond to pause
away and make a difference, because you can't do anything
(18:02):
about the past, moving forward and making some changes is
pretty extraordinary. So I can see why that story is
pretty Specialty, thanks for sharing that.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Yeah, no, thanks for asking.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
And you know, I haven't said Dennis, but I mean,
I think for anybody who's you know, supporting a charity,
supporting a nonprofit, you want to know that you're making
a difference and you're having an impact. And I think
that what's so extraordinary too is our students are graduating
at a rate of ninety one percent compared to a
(18:31):
national average of fifty three percent, So you know, kind
of you know, if you want to know that you're
making a difference, you know, these students are taking your
philanthropy seriously and they're putting it to use. And I
think that they're also you know, as we think about
educating the future leaders of this country, many of them
have been motivated by things that have happened in their
(18:51):
own lives. If they had a parent that lost a
lag or an arm or whatever. They might be working
to develop better prosthetics. They know a parent that suffered
with PTSD. They're studying mental health and you know, kind
of neuroscience. You know, they want to go into international
business because the parents served overseas, et cetera. And I
think that, you know, our country desperately needs, you know,
(19:14):
young future leaders that whether it's in business, politics, military, medicine, whatever,
and I think that these students are going to play
leading roles in that way moving forward.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Well said, well, Ted, let's do this. I've really enjoyed
the conversation, but I want to give you some time
for some final thoughts here about what we've talked about,
recap everything, and then we'll give the website to everybody,
and once again that's how you can donate more information
on there. It's a beautiful website, by the way, easy
to navigate, with lots of information for everybody. But Ted,
let's do it. Just some final thoughts the floors here, sir.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Yeah, no, Dennis, just thank you for this opportunity to
you know, kind of heightened visibility and awareness about the
Brain Court Stolarship Foundation. There are you know, fifty three
thousand veteran nonprofits out there, and all of them are
doing good work, but as you know, you look to
have an organization impact, in an organization that's really making a
(20:06):
difference there the lives that I think that you know,
we're changing and shaping through the scholarship support is truly meaningful.
And we think that there's you know, a much bigger
audience out there than we're able to support today.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
We're focused on growth.
Speaker 3 (20:21):
We want to be able to you know, support every
eligible student who applies, and so you know, kind of
if if education is something you're passionate about and you
want to thank a veteran, I think that this is
a meaningful way to do so. And we just are
grateful and appreciative of all the support we received from them.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Everyone great words, Ted, So let's give the website to everybody,
and we should remind everybody because I know, as a
former military man and what you do now, you're always
looking for the best of the best when it comes
to careers. So let's give the website and also tell
everybody about it.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
Yeah. No, So our website is MCSF dot org, a
Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation dot org. And also we are
looking to high a couple of people. You know, we're
looking to hire some really some frontline fundraisers, directors of
philanthropy for in you know, kind of major gift capacity
that will be regionally based and help to engage with
(21:14):
investors and around the country, as well as a director
of grants. Most of our support comes from individuals, but
we do get significant from corporations and foundations, and so
if you're interested, you can find information about that on
our website, and you know, please reach out. Also, I
(21:34):
just would say there's some great videos on our website
that you know, kind of profile our students and their stories,
and there are best ambassadors and I encourage you to
look at those and if you want to learn more
about the foundation.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
I would agree with l let's give the website one
more time.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
It's MCSF dot org.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
Good and just kudos to your web team. They do
a gorgeous job with that. It really is a beautiful website,
easy to navigate and as Ted mentioned, folks, there's videos,
there's information, it's easy to navigate, and it's very cool.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Ted.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
I can't tell you how much I appreciate your valuable time.
Happy holidays to you and your team. Thank you for
joining us on this series. We love to talk to
people like you, especially making a difference for families out there,
so thank you so much for joining us on CEOs
You Should Know.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
Dennis, thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
I'm really grateful for your time and this great opportunity
to show.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
With you today.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
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Speaker 2 (00:03):
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
Let's meet Ted Probert. He is the president and CEO
for the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, a nonprofit organization that
provides need based scholarships for children of Marines and Navy corman.
Before we talk more about Ted's incredible organization, I first
asked him to talk a little bit about himself or
he's from and his origin story.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
I grew up in New Jersey, spent most of my
younger years there, and then went to a boarding school
up in Connecticut and then to a Duke University. Was
part of THETC program at Duke, and then commissioned as
a second lieutenant in nineteen eighty four and off into
the Marine Corps.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
So Ted, a lot of our listeners know my sports
background and also living in Raleigh, North Carolina for eight years,
and that means I went to a lot of Duke
basketball games when Coach k was there. And I always
tell sports fans because you know it's you know, the
old Yankee Stadium or the old Chicago Stadium for the Blackhawks.
There are certain and fenway with Boston, there's certain places.
I hope that people get to go that are still around,
(01:01):
and one of them is to go see a game
on Duke University and some basketball, because that is a
fun place to go watch ball.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Yeah, Cameron, into our stadium is a spectacular you know,
arena's eleven thousand people, so you're really you're right there
in the heart of it all.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Well, listen, we are here. Of course, we're talking about
the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation that you've been with though
for over six years now. And you also did something
before you took over the role of CEO, and I
do want to talk about that transition because a lot
of people go into a for profit or nonprofit just
as a CEO, but you did something before that leading
into this position, and I want to talk about that
(01:38):
in just a second mission statement what you do for
all our listeners. But as you were coming out and
before you joined the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, what did
you want to do and what were you doing?
Speaker 3 (01:48):
You know, I've been I'd spent twenty five years in
educational fundraising. I you know, was certified in secondary school
education at Duke, and you know thought that I would
I taught seventh and eighth graders for a stretch, but
then went into the Marine Corps and then did some
commercial real estate for a stretch, and you know, just
kind of figured that wasn't what I wanted to spend
my life doing. So ended up going into educational fundraising,
(02:12):
kind of the business send of education, and loved that.
I worked for great institutions. I worked for Phillips Exeter
Academy for fifteen years and ran a three hundred and
fifty million dollar campaign for them and the Lawrenceville School
in New Jersey, and so, you know, kind of figured
that that was the career track I was going to
stay on, as you know, kind of being a chief
advancement officer for a college or university or a great
(02:37):
secondary school. And then this opportunity came up kind of
out of the blue, and it was just a great
opportunity and far has exceeded my expectations.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Well, I want to talk about that because it's always
fascinating about why people join organizations. And it's clear why
you did, and we're going to talk all about it,
but I'm curious, you know, I see what you were
interested in, and they were interested in, but what is
a deciding factor that you wanted to join this organization.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
I think it was because of the impact and knowing
what a difference we make, you know, I mean it
ties directly to our mission of you know, kind of
honoring marines by educating our children their children. And you know,
I had spent twenty one years in the Marine Corps,
so it was a profound impact on my own life.
Yet you know, I mean I had benefited from, you know,
(03:25):
great educational experiences and you know, as as we know,
I went to Duke and you know, I was fortunate there.
But you know, so many of these families have honorably
served and then are trying to put their sons and
daughters through, you know, kind of their achieve their educational
dreams and are met with the financial hardships of just
how costly college is today. And so the opportunity that
(03:47):
we're impacting and helping to change and shape these lives
is really so meaningful and self fulfilling in regards to
what we do.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Hey, Ted, if you could indulge me just for a second,
because I always love to talk about leadership, whether you've
been in the military or not, and you obviously had
wonderful years of service, and we always appreciate that and
thank you for that. And we're going to talk about
that a little bit later. But when it comes to
being a leader and being in whether you're the Marines
or any of the other academies, and you do serve
when it comes to leadership, because we know, at least
(04:16):
from a layman standpoint, that it's a very structured life.
So as you did that, and as you go into
the workforce world, how did any kind of military service
what you learn there for structure and leadership fall over
to civilian life with you as a leader right now, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
I think so much, as you know, kind of just
setting the expectations, leading by example, you know, kind of
doing you know, kind of what's right and honorable with
regards to I mean, you know, we talk about, you know,
kind of the fourteen leadership traits in the Marine Corps,
you know, everything from loyalty to judgment to perseverance, integrity,
(04:50):
being you know, kind of at the forefront of that.
And I think that those you know, kind of poor
values really shape us. And you know kind of you
know direct how we you know, kind of carry ourselves
both in in uniform and out of uniform. And I
think that that's been you know what I'm trying to do.
It's not about my ego and for me personally, it's
(05:13):
what can I do to strengthen and make this organization
better and to be able to help to impact lives
in a profound way.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
So, as I mentioned, you did something before you became
president and CEO of the organization as chief development officer,
and you did that for a handful of years, and
then moving up to this new role. And once again
I talked to people in this series a lot that
just jumped to being a CEO and a president, which
is fine, you know, whatever is the fit. But I
also find that there is some perspective that when you
start with a different job and then you escalate up
(05:42):
and as send to a new position, that there is
more perspective. Can you tell us about that transition to
our audience.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
Yeah, So, as you've mentioned, I was the chief development Officer,
which was really consistent with what I had been doing previously,
you know, kind of as the chief advancement officer for
Phillips Exitor or other schools. And you know, that was
I think comfortably in my wheelhouse. Had worked with a
lot of nonprofits, had worked with Board of directors, you know,
kind of was very comfortable, you know, soliciting and asking
(06:11):
for supporting investments. And then when when my predecessor retired,
who was a retired general officer, the crux of our
organization is really about fundraising. I mean, it's about our
ability to secure funds, to be able to extend scholarships.
And we are a five oh one C three as
a nonprofit. And so the you know, kind of translatable
(06:35):
skills of being a chief fundraiser to leading a nonprofit
like the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation was was a great
opportunity to move into the president and CEO role. And
then as I look at that, it's kind of how
do I grow it to being more impactful? How do
we raise more significantly more dollars? How do we expand
(06:56):
the outreach uh to folks? And I think those consist
And with my background previously and.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Ted, I realized that nothing is perfect or seamless, especially
when you move into a new role. But I imagine with
all the experience of perspective that you had for three
years in that position moving over to president and CEO,
the transition was probably a little bit smooth and for
most people just stepping into a new role like that.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
I think so as absolutely Dennis, as well as having
had an opportunity to work here for three years, understand
the culture, Understand you know, kind of the colleagues that
I was working with and the partnerships with them, as
well as you know, kind of directors and volunteers and
folks that.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Were advocates and ambassadors for us.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
It made that a much smoother transition and I think
just allowed me to kind of hit the ground running
a lot faster.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Well, then, Ted, this is not going to surprise you whatsoever.
The buzzword that I always get from CEOs and founders
and presidents in the series, culture is really important. They're
people also very important them too. But whether you're in military,
whether you're in sports, or whether you're in a nonprofit,
culture real big deal. And I imagine that's really important
to you as well. It is.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
And you know, as I was preparing, you know, kind
of for the interview as president and CEO, I remember
reading that I'm a CEO has much more impact on
culture than they do on the numbers that actually there,
and so it's been a driving force for.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
What I'm trying to do.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
And you know kind of how I can help to
change the organization and make it stronger. I think, you know,
until the time that I decide to you know, leave
or they you know, find it's time to move on.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
So it's just like a head coach, right, you just
you know, you gotten somebody here, so you just enjoy everybody. Well,
I did want to talk about what you do, and
you did talk about mission. But if you were to
give a thirty thousand foot view to our listeners that
are new to what the Marine Corps, the Marine Corps
Scholarship Foundation is and what you do, what would you
tell them that you exactly do.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
Yeah, So it's we do one thing and one thing only.
That's provides scholarships. We look to honor those Marines by
educating their children or the Navy corman that have served
with Marine units. And so with the rising cost of
education and you know, just the financial hardship, we're the
largest provider of needs based financial aid to members of
(09:13):
the military. We look at it at the sergeant major
of the Marine Corps salary one hundred and twenty thousand
and below. In any family that's you know, honorably served
and has you know, financial need. There then we stand
at the ready to be able to support and help
their son or daughter with their educational dreams. And today
we're supporting two eight hundred and eighty two scholars in
(09:36):
this current academic year for close to twelve million dollars.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Boy, that is absolutely extraordinary. And you know, this organization
goes back to nineteen sixty two. I imagine that wy
you do. As far as mission hasn't changed much but
the original start of it, and you could talk about
that a little bit about how was founded and to
where you are today is much changed.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
It's expanded to your point. In nineteen six too, there
was a World War two Marine Medal of Honor recipient
who couldn't afford to send his sun to college. So
here was somebody who had achieved the nation's highest award
for heroism and bravery and combat and had this kind
of financial hardship, and so ten families got together and
(10:16):
raised fifteen hundred dollars. It's expanded over the years. In
two thousand and one, when we went into you know,
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we expanded to kind
of a hero's tribute for those gold Star families. Or
children of the fallen, as well as those individuals who
were severely injured and wounded in combat. So we have
(10:37):
a number of families that infect Our Chicago event is
specifically to raise funds for the severely.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Injured and wounded. And you know, families that have lost limbs,
have had you know.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
Third degree burns from helicopter crashes, et cetera. And we
look at Dennis the level of hardship that a family
has endured. So if a parent served twenty years ago
before you know, the child was really even born, the
level of impact is less than for somebody who was
lost in combat and suffered much more dramatically. But we've
(11:11):
expanded our outreach in that context over those years.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Well, very good, Thank you for explaining that and also
the history, and I imagine you've got a lot of
people's attention when it comes to the amount of money
that you put together. We'll talk about donations and how
people can be a part of this and how you're
funded in just a moment. But with that said, criteria,
how does somebody get an application in what's the window
and what is the criteria for somebody being a part
of this?
Speaker 3 (11:34):
Yeah, so our application window is from January first to
March first for those students applying for college post secondary education.
We also support students for career technical education and that
actually application cycle is year round and so you know,
they need to have gotten into us the criterias. The
(11:57):
parent has to have honorably served. We asked for a
copy of the two fourteen, and the student has to
have a GPA of two point zero or higher.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Now that's not a high bar.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
But the reality is is that you know, there are
students that are in during you know, kind of financial
or family hardships, you know, with regards to a loss
of a parent or whatever, and mentally might.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Be going through a tough time.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
We don't want to penalize them because their grades have
suffered at that point. So you know, those are you know,
kind of the criteria. And then as I said earlier,
you know, we look at the level of hardship for
the family and then the average awards are. We extend
awards from you know, twenty five hundred dollars to ten
thousand dollars a year. But we also when we admit,
(12:42):
you know, kind of students, we look at that commitment
as over the four years of a student's career. So
it's really you know, kind of ten thousand to forty
thousand dollars and our commitment to the student during that
full educational experience.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
And as I'm looking at some of your amazing statistics
about this scholarships awarded and all the money that's been
raised over this annual year, and I take a look
at the United States map, we should remind everybody that
not only are all the states represented, but you're also
doing some overseas and territories. So there is a lot
of space that's covered by you and your team.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Absolutely, and you know we we fill. It's over fifty
five thousand students that have benefited since the foundation is
founding in nineteen sixty two.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Wow, absolutely incredible. Well, listen, I want to talk you know,
because in this series we always tell people listen, you know,
when you have something that's pretty incredible what you and
your team are putting together, it's not always unicorns and
rainbows all the time. There are some challenges in the industry,
and we will talk about funding and donations, but besides
just getting money to come in, are there any other
challenges currently that present itself to you and your team
(13:46):
I think.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
That, you know, I mean, are really our driving challenges
raising the revenue necessary to provide the scholarships each year.
You know, we've got a target of about twenty five
million dollars annually. And I think that, you know, kind
of as we moved out of you know, the wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan, the visibility of the military shrank
a little bit in that regard. Yeah, I mean, you know,
(14:08):
with less than one percent of the American public that
serves in the military, you know, any any veteran is
frequently met with, you know, thank you for your service.
And we appreciate those those comments. But I think that
for a lot of folks, they don't know how to
express their appreciation other than to just say, you know,
thank you for your service. And I look at this
(14:29):
and say, you know, the Marine Force farll Asi Foundation
is actually a genuine way to express your support for
these military families and those that have raised their right
hand and you know, taken the oath and warn't the
thought of the nation.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
So well, let's talk about ways to give I guess
this is a really excellent segue, and we'll give the
website at the end. I know, a lot of our
brilliant listeners have already googled you up and are on
the website, probably not now checking everything out, but there
are many ways to be partners and to give. Can
you go through that for everybody?
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (14:57):
You know, we we do about thirty five to forty
events a year across the you know, across the country,
from golf events to you know, black tie affairs, and
those are all on our website and you know, kind
of those we look at us, you know, kind of
the campus, if you will, in a way for people
to you know, get exposure, become more familiar, to participate
with events. Also, as you said, you know, giving through
(15:20):
the website, you know, which is MCSF dot org. There
are ways to give online there. You know, there's gifts
of securities through donor advised funds, and then you know,
we we look for folks to volunteer and partner with us,
as you know, kind of to help raise awareness and
to increase visibility. That's one of my major priorities is
(15:41):
how do I increase the visibility and awareness of the foundation,
both for those potential students as well as for those
investors who you know want to support veterans want to
support educational opportunities and you know, but might not know
about us, and you know the impact that we're having.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Well, Ted, we talked about the challenges, and I was
a lot to talk about the good stuff. And I
imagine you have handfuls of great stories of lives that
you've changed out there, and I think that's the great
part about getting up every day and changing families lives
in these scholarships. Is there something maybe recently that's happened
over the last couple of years that you know, really
said to you. You know, folks, this is why we
get up every day. We made a difference here and
(16:19):
something really cool happened to a family.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Yeah, Dennis, you know, thank you for asking.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
And I've got a personal story that's particularly meaningful to me.
I served with the Marine in the mid eighties at
Camp Pendleton, who was an artillery officer, and when he
got out of the Marine cop he wanted to go
into the financial investment business and he worked for Canner
Fitzgerald on one hundred and fourth floor of the North
Tower and so you know, as we know, he lost
(16:43):
his life on nine to eleven. His wife at the
time was seven months pregnant with their unborn child, and
that son, who ended up being his namesake, went to Syracuse,
which was his dad's alma mater, but the Marine Corps
Schollarship Foundation provided a scholarship of ten thousand dollars a
year for him to you know, attend Serahcusin. I wear
(17:07):
a Kia bracelet on my wrist for you know, Mike
Lafort who was that Marine friend of mine.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
And that's just you know, one story.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
I mean, I have another colleague who just recently was
diagnosed with ALS and is now having difficulty being able
to you know, kind of support his family as he's
you know, kind of physically suffering, and we're supporting his
daughter she's matriculating into college next year as well. So
those type of things make it personally very self fulfilling.
And I just think the impact in how we're changing
(17:38):
and shaping lives is is really profound.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Yeah, I'm glad. Thank you for sharing that. I mean
obviously very emotional and very personal to you, and thanks
for sharing for our audience. And you know, the one
thing that I've learned from sports and leadership in the
industry that I'm in and I'm sure it's the same
for you in the military. And what you do now,
Ted is that when something really bad happens, it's how
we respond, right And if you can respond to pause
away and make a difference, because you can't do anything
(18:02):
about the past, moving forward and making some changes is
pretty extraordinary. So I can see why that story is
pretty Specialty, thanks for sharing that.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Yeah, no, thanks for asking.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
And you know, I haven't said Dennis, but I mean,
I think for anybody who's you know, supporting a charity,
supporting a nonprofit, you want to know that you're making
a difference and you're having an impact. And I think
that what's so extraordinary too is our students are graduating
at a rate of ninety one percent compared to a
(18:31):
national average of fifty three percent, So you know, kind
of you know, if you want to know that you're
making a difference, you know, these students are taking your
philanthropy seriously and they're putting it to use. And I
think that they're also you know, as we think about
educating the future leaders of this country, many of them
have been motivated by things that have happened in their
(18:51):
own lives. If they had a parent that lost a
lag or an arm or whatever. They might be working
to develop better prosthetics. They know a parent that suffered
with PTSD. They're studying mental health and you know, kind
of neuroscience. You know, they want to go into international
business because the parents served overseas, et cetera. And I
think that, you know, our country desperately needs, you know,
(19:14):
young future leaders that whether it's in business, politics, military, medicine, whatever,
and I think that these students are going to play
leading roles in that way moving forward.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Well said, well, Ted, let's do this. I've really enjoyed
the conversation, but I want to give you some time
for some final thoughts here about what we've talked about,
recap everything, and then we'll give the website to everybody,
and once again that's how you can donate more information
on there. It's a beautiful website, by the way, easy
to navigate, with lots of information for everybody. But Ted,
let's do it. Just some final thoughts the floors here, sir.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Yeah, no, Dennis, just thank you for this opportunity to
you know, kind of heightened visibility and awareness about the
Brain Court Stolarship Foundation. There are you know, fifty three
thousand veteran nonprofits out there, and all of them are
doing good work, but as you know, you look to
have an organization impact, in an organization that's really making a
(20:06):
difference there the lives that I think that you know,
we're changing and shaping through the scholarship support is truly meaningful.
And we think that there's you know, a much bigger
audience out there than we're able to support today.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
We're focused on growth.
Speaker 3 (20:21):
We want to be able to you know, support every
eligible student who applies, and so you know, kind of
if if education is something you're passionate about and you
want to thank a veteran, I think that this is
a meaningful way to do so. And we just are
grateful and appreciative of all the support we received from them.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Everyone great words, Ted, So let's give the website to everybody,
and we should remind everybody because I know, as a
former military man and what you do now, you're always
looking for the best of the best when it comes
to careers. So let's give the website and also tell
everybody about it.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
Yeah. No, So our website is MCSF dot org, a
Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation dot org. And also we are
looking to high a couple of people. You know, we're
looking to hire some really some frontline fundraisers, directors of
philanthropy for in you know, kind of major gift capacity
that will be regionally based and help to engage with
(21:14):
investors and around the country, as well as a director
of grants. Most of our support comes from individuals, but
we do get significant from corporations and foundations, and so
if you're interested, you can find information about that on
our website, and you know, please reach out. Also, I
(21:34):
just would say there's some great videos on our website
that you know, kind of profile our students and their stories,
and there are best ambassadors and I encourage you to
look at those and if you want to learn more
about the foundation.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
I would agree with l let's give the website one
more time.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
It's MCSF dot org.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
Good and just kudos to your web team. They do
a gorgeous job with that. It really is a beautiful website,
easy to navigate and as Ted mentioned, folks, there's videos,
there's information, it's easy to navigate, and it's very cool.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Ted.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
I can't tell you how much I appreciate your valuable time.
Happy holidays to you and your team. Thank you for
joining us on this series. We love to talk to
people like you, especially making a difference for families out there,
so thank you so much for joining us on CEOs
You Should Know.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
Dennis, thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
I'm really grateful for your time and this great opportunity
to show.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
With you today.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Our community partner, M and T Bank supports CEOs You
Should Know is part of their ongoing commitment to building
strong communities, and that starts by backing the businesses within them.
As a Bank for Communities, M and T believes in
dedicating time, talent, and resources to help local businesses thrive
because when businesses succeed, our community succeed.
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