Adirondack Foundation appoints new leaders for board, community council
Board of Trustees welcomes three new members
Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024
Adirondack Foundation has announced leadership transitions for its Board of Trustees and Community Council, in addition to welcoming three new trustees.
Bill Creighton, who joined the Board of Trustees in 2017, has been appointed as chair, taking the helm from Joe Steiniger, while Anna Bowers will become the new chair of the foundation’s Community Council. She replaces Collin McCullough, who will remain on the council. Additionally, Etienne Boillot, Craig Leggett and Bill Powers have been appointed as trustees.
“I’m deeply honored to serve as chair of our region’s community foundation,” Creighton said. “Joe and those who came before him have set a high bar and helped to increase the impact that philanthropy has on the lives of those who call the Adirondacks home. I look forward to carrying the torch from him.”
Creighton retired in 2015 following a 35-year career in finance at IBM, where he held a number of senior financial executive positions including IBM general auditor, vice president of finance for the Asia Pacific Group located in Tokyo and, most recently, vice president of finance for IBM Transformation and Operations. He also serves as trustee for the Lake George Association. He lives in Lake George/Pilot Knob and Ridgefield, Conn.
Creighton is joined on the executive committee by Secretary David Sand, of Boston, Mass., and Saranac Lake, and Treasurer Lea Paine Highet, of Willsboro and New York City.
While the Board of Trustees is responsible for setting strategic priorities, exercising fiduciary and financial oversight and promoting public accountability, the Community Council assists the Foundation’s board and staff by acting as its eyes and ears in communities across the region.
“This is a highly engaged group of volunteers representing a broad range of skill sets and life experiences, which helps the Foundation stay plugged in to what our communities need,” Bowers said. “I look forward to leading these individuals as we prepare for 2025.”
Bowers, from Johnsburg, is a former small-business owner who has returned to education, teaching middle and high school students cooking, career exploration and the art of hospitality. She is a councilperson for the town of Johnsburg and serves on the board of the local Community Development Corporation. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the Adirondacks, reading, cooking and spending time with family and friends.
Rounding out the organizational changes at Adirondack Foundation is the addition of three new board trustees: Etienne Boillot, Craig Leggett and Bill Powers.
Boillot spent over 40 years in the financial world and has served on the boards of several early stage companies and is a founding member of several investment funds. His nonprofit activities have included 10 years each on the boards of the Adirondack Council and the Adirondack Experience. He is a fourth-generation Adirondacker and deeply interested in helping to advance Adirondack causes. He lives in Blue Mountain Lake and Mamaroneck, New York.
Craig Leggett, of Chestertown, recently served two terms as supervisor for the town of Chester and was the Finance Committee chairman for Warren County. He was also on the board of the Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages. He served as treasurer for the Warren County Local Development Corp and as vice-chairman for the Warren-Washington Counties Industrial Development Authority. He is president of North Warren Chamber of Commerce and past president of Chestertown Rotary and serves on the Adirondack Common Ground Alliance.
Bill Powers retired from C-level positions in the energy distribution business in 2011 after a 35-year career and has subsequently served on several nonprofit organization boards, including Glens Falls Hospital (chair), North Country Ministry (chair) and the Albany Medical Health System. He was a founding member of Pros4Care, a prostate cancer awareness and patient support organization, and serves on the College of Science Advisory Council at the University of Notre Dame. He lives in South Colton and Queensbury.