March 1, 2018

Meet Chris Valerio

“I have a front row seat to see the direct impact we deliver to our clients’ missions – grants for artists who are creating change in their communities, scholarships for first-generation college students, and new programs for children and families with limited resources.  Their challenges become our challenges – it has a powerful and impactful influence on our daily mindset.”

Every quarter we have a forum for the firm where we conduct training, do a deep dive into investment topics and host a team building activity. This past quarter our team building involved a philanthropy challenge partnering with  Build-a-Bike.  All of us rolled up our sleeves and broke into small groups to assemble bicycles and the first team to complete the project won.  We learned who on the team likes to read directions and who doesn’t…who likes to take charge and who likes to save the day at the last minute.  The completed bicycles were then donated to one of our clients – a provider of life enriching programs for at-risk children and adults.  When we presented them with the new bikes,  they spoke to the entire firm about their background and struggles.  It was a moving moment for all of us in the room – you could see it, that connection to what each of us does every day to drive this client’s mission forward.

What has kept me engaged for over fourteen years at Hirtle Callaghan is our clients.  One of the direct impacts and benefits for me personally has been the incredible relationships that have been built by working with each client on wide ranging initiatives – some simple and some extremely complex.  The key is that all of the initiatives are important to them and therefore also to us.  Whether it is an institution or a family, I know we have access to a deep team and resources that stand ready to serve them.