Tracy Souza (2024)
President and CEO of Heritage Fund Tracy Souza has announced that she will be retiring in mid-July after 14 years of guiding the community foundation, according to a press release.
Since coming to work at Heritage Fund in 2011, she took on the title of the foundation’s fourth leader in its nearly 50-year history. Prior to joining Heritage Fund, Souza previously retired from Cummins after 32 years in a variety of roles such as human resources, executive and college recruiting, public relations and Corporate Responsibility, ending her career as president of Cummins Foundation in 2011. She has also served on numerous philanthropic boards at local, state and national levels.
“We are a team,” Souza said in the release, praising her staff members and their collaborative spirit. “Each team member is a dedicated professional and will continue to perform their roles with professionalism, compassion and community-first focus. This staff is the biggest asset I can leave for the new CEO. I am proud to have worked with them and wish only good things ahead.”
Under Souza’s leadership, Heritage Fund has grown from $50 million to more than $111 million in charitable assets managed by the foundation and has awarded nearly $9 million in community grants and scholarships, according to the press release.
Among some of her proudest achievements at Heritage Fund are the establishment of a diverse Board of Directors, a strategic overhaul of the foundation’s mission, brand, vision and strategic plan, the creation and development of the African American Foundation and the foundation’s support of the many cultural festivals, organizations and initiatives in Columbus.
“One of my dreams for the future is that Columbus will become known as a community that makes diversity work,” Souza said in the press release.
Souza is also passionate about improving child care, and as part of its Youth Development Area of Impact, the foundation has collaborated with Ivy Tech, Community Education Coalition and United Way of Bartholomew County to establish an early learning manager for Bartholomew County, of which they are working with other community organizations on sustainability for the position. The community foundation also partnered with Cummins earlier this year to host a Child Care Roundtable to discuss the impact the child-care crisis is having on staff recruitment and retention for local employers.
“At the heart of this work has been Tracy Souza, a long-standing champion of early learning whose vision, dedication and action-oriented spirit have driven meaningful progress,” Early Learning Manager Christine Waters said in the release. “Under Tracy’s leadership, the region has seen new opportunities emerge and partnerships flourish. Her strategic thinking and personal commitment have guided the community and helped lay the foundation for a more accessible, equitable and sustainable early learning system.
Souza has also made time to support her love of the arts, especially dancing. A final Heritage Fund initiative under Souza’s tenure was to launch Project Encore to re-imagine the future of the historic Crump Theatre as a performing arts center downtown.
“Bringing entertainment to the community for the enjoyment of individuals and families, creating foot traffic in the downtown and giving an opportunity for the next generation of community leaders to put their mark on the community through restoring and activating The Crump is rolled into one big, possible and fun project,” Souza said in the release.
The Heritage Fund Board of Directors has approved an unrestricted grant through the Lilly Endowment’s Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow, or GIFT, VIII program to create a field of interest fun in honor of Souza’s contributions. At her direction, Tracy’s Fund to Celebrate Diversity and the Performing Arts will be used to promote and encourage the performing arts in Columbus as a means of unifying community and to lift up all members of the community, the release says.
“Tracy’s work with Heritage Fund as president and CEO speaks for itself,” Heritage Fund Board Member Tom Harmon said of Souza in the release. “Heritage Fund has endured a pandemic, helped navigate social unrest and continued to serve as a catalyst for change for Bartholomew County — all this while doubling the fund’s assets, continuing to provide scholarships and grants to the community and being a voice for change.”
The board has launched a formal search for a new president and CEO and an announcement will be made once the process is finalized. To make a contribution, visit heritagefundbc.org/donate.
