By Elizabeth Landry
Eileen M. Pezzi, MPA, Executive Director of the Upstate Foundation & Vice President for Development at Upstate Medical University
When the Upstate Foundation was established as a 501(c)(3) not for-profit organization in 1976, there was some confusion around its purpose and where support would come from.
“There were a lot of people who said, ‘Why are you going to do this?’ and ‘Who’s going to support you?’” said Eileen M. Pezzi, MPA, who’s served as Executive Director of the Upstate Foundation and Vice President for Development at Upstate Medical University since 1996. “It was people like our former board member, Bill Allyn, who was with Welch Allyn, and John Johnson of the Watertown Daily Times, who advocated very strongly. With their support and along with the other board members at the time, they decided to incorporate, and that’s how we began our existence.”
This year, the Upstate Foundation is celebrating 50 years of receiving and successfully administering gifts and bequests to benefit patient care, education, scientific research, and community health and well-being. The Foundation’s primary focus is to support the mission of Upstate Medical University, but it can also raise money for and make distributions to any qualified not-for-profit organization. Pezzi, the first female vice president at Upstate Medical University and Foundation’s third executive director – but first female – explained that through the many changes and milestones over the years, the Foundation has always focused on growth with the help of the staff, the board of the directors, and the community.
“We continue to focus on growth, and we’ve done some really significant things,” said Pezzi. “In 1985, we had 80 funds. Today, we have over 1,300. I think the growth in all areas at the Foundation has been historic.”
In 2009, the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital opened following the Foundation’s $21 million capital campaign, including a naming gift from Rochester billionaire philanthropist Tom Golisano.
MILESTONE CAMPAIGNS AND EVENTS
There are several early milestones Pezzi and executive board members pointed out as major moments of the Foundation’s growth and expansion. In 1979, a small campaign raised money for the Central New York Burn Treatment Center. A few years later, in 1983, the Foundation worked closely with Bristol Myers for a major gift supporting the creation of the Regional Oncology Center. In the mid-1980s, the Foundation started its first multi-year campaign raising money for Upstate’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), which lasted for three years.
Another big moment came in 1984 when the Foundation became a member of the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN). “That was another big early accomplishment. We had to apply, and they gave us a particular demographic area. That means that any CMN retail partner was now our partner. That was momentous for the Foundation,” said Pezzi, crediting former board member Eric Mower and former Foundation executive director Robert Vaccarelli.
Donald A. Denton, emeritus member of the Upstate Foundation’s board of directors and chair of the board from 1998-2003, explained the process for another major milestone: the establishment of Upstate’s Joslin Diabetes Center in the late 1990s.
“We were given the challenge to raise a million dollars to have the Joslin name at Upstate. Eileen was given the charge for the Foundation and she and her team went right out and accomplished that,” said Denton, who is also retired from Hancock & Estabrook, where he was a managing partner. “A couple of directors were key: David Tye and Dodie Vlassis were the real spear headers on the board, along with Dodie’s husband Dean. The naming of rooms also really caught fire with the Joslin Center, and that type of fundraising spread rapidly.”
One of the most popular events the Upstate Foundation organized was the CNY Region Skins Game, a golf event that took place in 1999, 2000, and 2001. Many major golfers attended, including Arnold Palmer and John Daly.
“We had over 6,000 people attend the event, which I believe is the largest golfing event in Central New York to this day. We had great success, and it was just extremely popular. The Skins Game opened up the community’s recognition of the Foundation, and that has had a lasting impact,” Denton said.
More recently, campaigns and major naming donations facilitated by the Foundation supported the opening of the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital in 2009, the Upstate Cancer Center in 2014 and a gift from Sam and Carol Nappi to name the Nappi Wellness Institute in 2023.
“The campaign for the Cancer Center started with a $15 million goal, but Eileen and her team exceeded it by five million and raised $20 million. We had a couple of large naming gifts – George E. and Caryl Lee Johnson named the Radiation and Oncology Department, and the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation named the Stairway of Hope.
The CNY Region Skins Games, hosted by the Upstate Foundation from 1999-2001, featured many notable golfers including Sally Dee, Arnold Palmer and Peter Jacobsen, attracted more than 18,000 spectators, making it the best attended golfing event in Central New York.
It’s a beautiful feature within the building,” shared Paul P. Mello, President and CEO of Solvay Bank, member of the Upstate Foundation’s board of directors since 2003, and board chair from 2010 to 2016.
More than $20 million was also raised for the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital, which Pezzi noted as one of the team’s most notable accomplishments. “That was the time when we got to meet Tom Golisano, and he has become an endearing friend. Every time I’ve ever asked him for anything for the kids, he’s said ‘yes’,” Pezzi shared. “He is very special to us.”
GROWTH AND CHANGE OVER FIVE DECADES
Today, the Upstate Foundation is largely self-supporting and manages assets totaling near $325 million – a huge leap from $25 million in assets in 1996. Other numbers demonstrate the massive growth the Foundation has seen over the years: 60-70 funds are opened each year; a staff of five in 1996 has grown to a team of 32 in 2026; about 100 named rooms and places 30 years ago has grown to over 1,100 namings today; in 1986, the Foundation raised more than $1 million for the first time and in 2024, a record-breaking year, $22.5 million was raised.
“From staff growth to programmatic growth, to the dollars that we’ve brought in, it all helps to not just meet our mission, but exceed standards and expectations,” Pezzi stated.
J. Daniel Pluff, Managing Director, Financial Advisor, and Senior Portfolio Manager – Portfolio Focus at RBC Wealth Management, a division of RBC Capital Markets LLC, serves as assistant treasurer of the executive committee and chair of the investment committee on the Upstate Foundation’s board of directors, positions he has held since 2016. Pluff explained how the success of the Upstate Foundation has compared to other foundations in terms of investments.
“The numbers speak for themselves. For the last one-, three-, and seven-year periods we have ranked in the top 10% of our peer group of all foundations in our size range. That’s significant – for even longer periods, to be ranked in the top quartile is difficult,” said Pluff, adding that annualized returns have consistently been more than distribution, which helps ensure growth out of principal, meaning that funds will last into the future.
“We also work with an outside consultant,” Pluff explained, “who provides us with tremendous amounts of research that we use constantly.”
Alongside immense growth over the years, there have also been changes in the operational side of philanthropy, Pezzi explained. Giving cash or writing a check are no longer the most common ways donors give gifts – donor-advised funds, charitable gift annuities, stock transfers, and online mechanisms like PayPal and MobileCause have all become increasingly common. To keep up with these changes and technological advancements, the Foundation has had to adapt.
“Smart fundraising organizations need really good data people and computer gurus on staff to figure out how you can process all these gifts,” said Pezzi. “In fact, we’re working with Jeff Knass at Arcovo, an AI company, and we’ve hired our first AI employee. Her name is Lily. She helps with our acknowledgment letters while we’re home having dinner and resting until the next day. That’s one of the more notable changes we’ve made recently.”
One thing that hasn’t changed, Pezzi said, is the overwhelming generosity of the Central New York community. “Syracuse is one of the poorest cities in the country. But it’s also one of the most generous, compassionate, and caring cities. That hasn’t changed in 50 years.”
SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY
Although the mission has expanded, remaining focused on raising funds for Upstate Medical University is also something that hasn’t changed for the Upstate Foundation. “Upstate offers quality patient care, great education, and groundbreaking scientific research. We’ve expanded our mission over the years, but we are in lockstep with everything Upstate Medical University does and we’re very supportive of everything it does,” stated Pezzi.
Expanding the mission of the Upstate Foundation has meant becoming more involved in the wider community in various ways. The needs of the community are largely what led to Upstate Medical University acquiring Community General Hospital in 2011 – an event which spurred the merging of Community General’s foundation with the Upstate Foundation.
The Foundation embraces the vital role it plays in supporting the groundbreaking research of Upstate scientists. Pictured are Eileen Pezzi and Thomas VanderMeer, MD
Eileen Pezzi, center, reviews financial documents with two members of her board’s executive committee, Paul Mello and Daniel Pluff.
Eileen Pezzi, center, praised the level of professionalism and expertise of her board members including Paul Mello, vice chair, and Rita Reicher, chair.
The Upstate Foundation was presented with the President’s Award for Team of the Year in 2010
and 2014.
The Upstate Foundation’s mission is committed to patient care, education, research, and
community health and well-being.
“When Upstate acquired Community General Hospital, it brought a lot of needed services over to the West side of the community. In typical Eileen fashion, she worked collaboratively with their board and with their foundation members to merge their foundation with ours seamlessly,” said Mello, adding that the Upstate Foundation has continued an event Community General was known for, now called the Upstate Towsley Pro- Am Golf Tournament, in honor of Bill Towsley, a former IBEW Local 43 business manager.
In 2014, the Upstate Foundation changed its status to a 501(c)(3) public charity, allowing it to support the wider community in more tangible ways. This was a change that Pezzi described as one of the most significant accomplishments of the Foundation, giving a lot of credit to the board for getting it done. Since then, the Foundation has raised and doled out funds to several community programs including the We Matter, He Matters and She Matters cancer prevention programs; Elmcrest’s three-week respite program for children; and Erin’s Angels, a food insecurity program in several local school districts.
WORKING TOGETHER FOR SUCCESS
Throughout 50 years of growth, change and accomplishments, one theme seems to consistently standout: the service and contribution of the people who make it all happen. The Foundation’s board of directors and staff all come together to support the organization’s mission, starting with the leadership at
the top.
“Eileen has this ability to pull people in the community together, getting us behind the cause and helping people understand how every dollar that’s raised has an impact, no matter how large or small,” said Mello. “It’s a pleasure to be on this board because it’s collaborative and it’s smooth-running, and it starts and ends with Eileen.”
Pluff also offered high praise for the board. “I’ve served on a number of boards. I have never served on a committee where the members are so engaged, so dedicated, and take their responsibilities so seriously,” he said.
Denton highlighted the involvement of people like Dr. Gregory Eastwood, past president of Upstate Medical University and current member of the board, who has served Upstate in various capacities and continues to make a difference.
“Dr. Eastwood is always there to assist in any way he can. He’s just a wonderful man. Dr. Mantosh Dewan, Upstate’s current president, has also been wonderful to work with,” said Denton.
Pezzi also expressed appreciation for the collaboration of Robert Corona, DO, CEO of Upstate University Hospital and Lawerence Chin, MD, Dean of the Norton College of Medicine. “Collaboration has made the last 50 years so successful and is the foundation upon which continued growth and success will be built for decades into the future.”
“I’m so proud of the board, with their level of professionalism and expertise, they’ve been so engaged in supporting everything we’ve done, and that breeds continuity and loyalty. The board has supported me and guided me every step of the way. I’m happy to have played a leadership role, but it’s really our board and dedicated, hard-working staff that have made everything happen.” Eileen M. Pezzi, MPA, Executive Director of the Upstate Foundation & Vice President for Development at Upstate Medical University
The Nappi Wellness Institute opened in 2023 with a naming gift from Sam and Carol Nappi of Jamesville.
