The Foundation for Delaware County announces the election of Dia R. Williams Adams, Tom Belmont, and Dottie Schindlinger to the Foundation’s board of directors.
The following community leaders have also been appointed to the board’s leadership and will help lead the largest philanthropy in Delaware County:
Michael B. Magnavita, Chair
Kelly Thornton, Vice Chair
Mia I. Mendoza, Secretary
Ted Peters, Treasurer
“We’re honored to welcome Dia, Tom, and Dottie to our board of directors. Each brings valuable expertise and a deep commitment to improving life in Delaware County,” said Frances Sheehan, president of The Foundation for Delaware County. “As the Foundation prepares to welcome a new president later this year and continues to expand its reach through initiatives like Delco Gives and the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, their leadership—alongside the steady guidance of our returning officers—will be a tremendous asset.”
The Foundation’s Board of Directors is especially grateful to Cyrise Dixon for her outstanding leadership and three years of dedicated service as Board President. Cyrise will continue to serve on the board for another three-year term.
Dia R. Williams Adam
Dia Williams Adams is an executive nonprofit leader with more than 20 years of experience in healthcare, education, community development, and government. She thrives on achieving impactful results and specializes in coaching and developing teams to achieve strategic and operational excellence collectively. Her passion for health intersects with education, equity, inclusion, and empowerment.
Before joining ChristianaCare as Vice President of Philanthropy, she served as the Executive Director of College Possible Philadelphia.
She held roles with Virtua Health Foundation, Delaware State University, and the Crozer-Chester Foundation, the fundraising arm of Crozer-Keystone Health System.
Dia currently serves on several boards and committees in Pennsylvania and Delaware: The Community’s Foundation Board; Philanthropy Delaware; Delaware Community Foundation (grants committee member); and as an Alumni Ambassador for Villanova University. She previously served as the chair and founding Board Member of Sunday Suppers Philadelphia.
Dia holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Neumann University and has received her Master’s in Public Administration and certification in Nonprofit Leadership from Villanova University. In addition, she holds a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) designation.
Tom Belmont, CAP, CLU, ChFC, RHU, REBC
Tom has over 35 years of professional experience helping employers optimize their investment in their employees’ health and well-being through innovative strategies. His goal is to support the health journey of employees and their dependents while enhancing an employer’s ability to recruit and retain talent.
Tom was the president and owner of an employee benefits firm in Philadelphia before it merged with Gallagher in 2005. Over his almost 20 years with Gallagher, Tom held various roles managing teams and offices in the Northeast U.S. that consulted with clients ranging in size from 10 to over 250,000 employees.
Tom was the first U.S. Health & Benefits Practice Leader at Gallagher, overseeing various specialty areas that served over 27,000 clients in the U.S.
After a combined 35-plus years in the insurance industry, Tom decided to pursue his passion for improving healthcare and joined the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health (GPBCH) as its president and CEO. The GPBCH serves Greater Philadelphia, Southern NJ, and the State of Delaware in promoting innovation, access, and quality in healthcare.
Tom was born and raised in Havertown and is a graduate of Haverford High School and Villanova University. He and his family are actively involved in several health-related and educational nonprofits focused on improving community health and increasing access to, and equity in, healthcare, food, and education.
Dottie Schindlinger
Dottie Schindlinger is Executive Director of the Diligent Institute, the global governance research and programs arm of Diligent Corporation, the leading provider of AI-powered software solutions in the governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) space. In her role, Dottie directs the Institute’s thought leadership on corporate governance and related topics.
She also serves as a lead spokesperson for both the Diligent Institute and Diligent Corporation, giving dozens of presentations to boards and executives at events around the globe.
Dottie’s work has been featured in Fortune, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and multiple governance and technology publications.
She is the co-author of the book “Governance in the Digital Age: A Guide for the Modern Corporate Board Director” and co-hosts the biweekly show “The Corporate Director Podcast.”
Dottie also serves as a guest lecturer for the MIT Sloan School of Business Executive Education Program on corporate governance topics.
She brings over 25 years’ experience in governance-related roles, including serving as a director, officer, committee chair, senior executive, governance consultant, and trainer for private, public, and nonprofit boards.
She was a founding team member of the tech startup BoardEffect, a board management software provider focused on healthcare and nonprofit boards, which was acquired by Diligent in 2016.
Prior to joining BoardEffect, she served as the Director of Training and Education at the Nonprofit Center of La Salle University.
Dottie currently serves on the board of the Pennsylvania School Safety Institute (PennSSI), and is a Fellow of the Salzburg Global Seminar on Corporate Governance. She previously served as the Vice Chair of the Board of the Alice Paul Institute from 2016 until April 2022.
Dottie is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and lives in Rose Valley with her husband, Ron.
Foundation Board Officers
Michael B. Magnavita is President and CEO of Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union.
Kelly Thornton is a recently retired Partner in the Philadelphia office of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC).
Mia I. Mendoza is the Founder, CEO, and Senior Strategist for the Mendoza Group.
Ted Peters is chairman and CEO of Bluestone Financial Institutions Fund and former chairman and CEO of Bryn Mawr Bank Corporation and the Bryn Mawr Trust Company.
The Foundation for Delaware County is the largest grantmaking philanthropy in Delaware County. One of 900 community foundations across the U.S., the Foundation offers support and resources for nonprofits of every size, helps generous people give with more impact, brings together funders, nonprofits, and elected officials to address critical community problems, and responds to major challenges and crises in Delaware County as they arise.
In addition to grant funding, the Foundation operates the Center for Nonprofit Excellence to strengthen Delaware County’s nonprofit community through training workshops and peer learning opportunities. The Foundation encourages philanthropy by connecting donors to worthy causes through efficient charitable giving vehicles, such as donor-advised and scholarship funds.
The Foundation hosts Delaware County’s annual giving day – Delco Gives. Delco Gives has raised nearly $4 million for hundreds of nonprofits since it launched in 2024.
The Foundation operates vital public health programs, including Healthy Start, the WIC nutrition program, and Nurse-Family Partnership, as well as the Housing Opportunities Program for Equity (HOPE), El Centro (a Hispanic resource center), and a health resource center for students in the Chester Upland School District. Together, these programs and more collectively serve 8,000+ moms, dads, babies, and families each year.
To learn more, visit the Foundation at www.delcofoundation.org and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X at @DelcoFdn.
