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Hanna Skandera Appointed President & CEO of the Daniels Fund
November 18, 2020
Hanna Skandera Appointed President & CEO of the Daniels Fund
The Daniels Fund Board of Directors is delighted to announce that Hanna Skandera has been named the organization’s President & CEO effective December 15. Skandera will succeed Hank Brown, who has served as Interim President & CEO since May 1.
Skandera has over two decades of executive leadership experience and a proven track record of impact in a variety of national and state-level private, public, and nonprofit organizations serving rural, suburban, and urban settings.
“It’s an honor to be selected as the next leader of Bill Daniels’ foundation which has had a tremendous impact on the region,” said Hanna Skandera. “I am committed to honoring Bill Daniels’ vision and direction for the foundation and upholding the importance of his values. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to build on and further his legacy and our impact.”
Skandera is a current member of the Daniels Fund board of directors and serves as CEO of Mile High Strategies. She also serves as Vice Chair of the Colorado Community College board as well as numerous other boards. Previously, she served as Secretary of Education for the State of New Mexico under Governor Susana Martinez, realizing the most significant gains for students in New Mexico’s recent history. In this role, she oversaw a budget of $2.7 billion and more than 300 employees. Skandera also served as Undersecretary for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Deputy Commissioner for Governor Jeb Bush, and Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Policy Advisor for U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.
Jim Nicholson, Chairman of the Board of the Daniels Fund, stated enthusiastically, “After a competitive nationwide search, the Daniels Fund board is very pleased to welcome Hanna Skandera as our new President and CEO. Hanna’s impressive qualifications and background make her the ideal leader to advance Bill Daniels’ vision, and the Daniels Fund’s work of helping people to have a better life, whether as scholarship recipients or beneficiaries of our grants.”
About the Daniels Fund
The Daniels Fund was established by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels. It is a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through its grants program, scholarship program, and ethics initiative. Since its founding in 2000, the Daniels Fund has granted nearly $1 billion to deserving organizations and scholars, while simultaneously growing the foundation’s endowment from $1 billion to more than $1.5 billion. Visit DanielsFund.org to learn more.
Media Contact: Bruce Wilmsen
Direct: 720.941.4429
[email protected]
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High school seniors in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming encouraged to apply for Daniels Scholarship
News
October 1, 2020
High school seniors in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming encouraged to apply for Daniels Scholarship
DENVER — College-bound high school seniors in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming are encouraged to visit DanielsFund.org to apply for the Daniels Scholarship Program. The application will be open from October 1 through November 15, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. MST.
The Daniels Scholarship Program provides the opportunity for highly motivated students to earn a bachelor’s degree that helps them build a successful career and rewarding life. Daniels Scholars demonstrate exceptional character, leadership, and a commitment to serving their communities. Bill Daniels would also want his scholars to be proud Americans who value our free enterprise system and are prepared to give the world their very best shot.
The goal of the program is to help each Daniels Scholar succeed in college and ultimately become independent, successful in a rewarding career, and actively engaged in their community.
The Daniels Scholarship Program provides a four-year college scholarship that is unique to each student and varies depending on their Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and their choice of school. The scholarship pays up to $25,000 per year toward the student’s unmet need, after applying their EFC, other scholarships, and financial aid.
Daniels Scholars may attend any accredited nonprofit college or university in the United States.
Scholar eligibility requirements:
- Be a current high school senior graduating during the 2020-2021 academic year from a high school in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming.
- Be a current resident of one of these four states and a citizen or permanent resident of the U.S.
- Earn a minimum 3.0 high school GPA (on an unweighted 4.0 scale).
- Earn a minimum SAT Math score of 490 and a minimum Evidence-Based Reading & Writing score of 490, or a minimum ACT score of 18 in each category (writing score not required). Super scoring is not accepted.
- For students who were unable to take the SAT or ACT due to COVID-19 cancellations, they are eligible to apply with a minimum Grade Point Average of 3.3 in high school (on an unweighted 4.0 scale), and do not need to provide standardized test scores.
- The applicant’s parent(s) or legal guardian(s) must have an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $85,000 or less on the 2019 tax return on which the applicant appears. For claimed dependents beyond the applicant, there is an allowance for an additional $5,000 for each dependent or $15,000 for each additional dependent in college full-time.
The Daniels Scholarship Program has provided more than $204 million in scholarships to over 4,350 students since the program was launched in 2000.
Images that are approved for use in coverage may be downloaded here.
About the Daniels Fund
The Daniels Fund, established by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels, is a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through its grants program, scholarship program, and ethics initiative. Visit DanielsFund.org to learn more.
Media Contact: Bruce Wilmsen
Direct: 720.941.4429
[email protected]
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Legendary cable television entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Daniels would have turned 100 this year
News
June 29, 2020
Legendary cable television entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Daniels would have turned 100 this year
Daniels Fund marks its 20th anniversary
July 1, 2020 would have been the 100th birthday of legendary cable television entrepreneur and philanthropist, Bill Daniels. 2020 also marks the 20th anniversary of the Daniels Fund, which Bill established to make life better for the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, four states to which he had a personal connection.
“Bill led an extraordinary life and touched so many people,” said Hank Brown, Interim President & CEO of the Daniels Fund. “This day is a great opportunity to reflect not only on his amazing life, but also how he continues to inspire people to help others.”
Bill Daniels was born in Greeley, Colorado in 1920 during the Great Depression. He was raised in Hobbs, New Mexico and went to New Mexico Military Institute. Bill entered the U.S. Navy in 1941 and became a decorated fighter pilot in World War II and the Korean War. After returning from the Navy, he saw television for the first time. When he learned that television wasn’t available in many small towns, he began building his first cable television system in Casper, Wyoming, which launched in 1954. Bill would go on to become a major force in the cable television industry, known as an ethical and visionary entrepreneur. He owned the American Basketball Association Utah Stars — Utah’s first professional sports team — launched one of the first regional sports programming networks, and became part-owner of the Los Angeles Lakers.
As successful as Bill Daniels was in business, he just as well known for his ethics, generosity, and compassion to those in need. Throughout his life, he made large philanthropic gifts, such as large donations to the University of Denver to incorporate ethics into its business school curriculum, and launching Young Americans Bank, Bill’s bank for kids, to help them learn financial literacy. On a more personal level, Bill was often moved to leave anonymous envelopes of cash in mailboxes for people he read about in the newspaper that were down on their luck.
He spent the last few years of his life planning the Daniels Fund, and when he passed away on March 7, 2000, his $1.1 billion estate transferred to the foundation, which began making grants and scholarships that year. Bill identified funding areas that were important to him based on his personal experiences including Aging, Amateur Sports, Disabilities, Drug & Alcohol Addiction, Early Childhood Education, Ethics, Homeless & Disadvantaged, K-12 Education, and Youth Development, and scholarships for deserving students.
From its inception in 2000 through the end of 2019, the Daniels Fund distributed $877.2 million in grants and scholarships. That includes support of 2,814 nonprofit organizations with $654.8 million in grants. During that time, the Daniels Fund has also paid $204.6 million in scholarships for 4,149 Daniels Scholars, and an additional $17.8 million in scholarship grants for non-traditional students through the Boundless Opportunity Scholarship Program.
“Bill once said if you spent your life helping others and were remembered as an honest person, you would leave this world with a clear conscience and a smile on your face,” said Brown. “I would like to think that Bill would be smiling today to see the meaningful legacy he left in his community.”
The Daniels Fund has created a special web page celebrating Bill Daniels’ 100th birthday and the impact of the Daniels Fund in its first 20 years, available here. The page contains an interactive timeline of Bill’s life and stories from people impacted by Bill and his legacy. A full biography of Bill Daniels is available here.
About the Daniels Fund
The Daniels Fund, established by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels, is a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through its grants program, scholarship program, and ethics initiative. Visit DanielsFund.org to learn more.
Media Contact: Bruce Wilmsen
Direct: 720.941.4429
[email protected]
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