Former Le Moyne official set to lead Pomeroy Foundation

SYRACUSE — The next executive director of the William G. Pomeroy Foundation is set to begin his new duties. The board of trustees of the Pomeroy Foundation appointed Bill Brower to the role, effective Aug. 12. Brower has worked for the last decade at Le Moyne College, serving as VP of advancement and special assistant to the president for strategic partnerships and workforce innovation. He’s worked for most of his career in educational advancement, per the July 23 announcement. Brower will succeed Carrie Berse in the executive director’s role, the foundation tells CNYBJ in an email. Berse retired last September. The William G. Pomeroy Foundation is one of the largest foundations in Central New York. The organization is “committed to supporting the celebration and preservation of community history and working to improve the probability of finding appropriate donor matches or other life-saving treatments for blood cancer patients,” per the announcement. Pomeroy is the founder and former owner of technology companies CXtec & TERACAI. “The Board and I are attracted to Bill Brower’s commitment to service and the consistent success he achieves in everything he does,” Pomeroy said of his new executive director. “He is a leader, a genuine relationship builder, and a creative thinker. His personal story and his interest in American history make him an exceptionally strong fit. I have no doubt he is the best person to lead the Foundation to ever greater successes in the coming years.” “The opportunity to work with and grow with Bill Pomeroy and his team of high-achieving professionals is exciting,” Brower said in the Pomeroy announcement. “Bill Pomeroy and I developed a quick rapport. As the brother and the son of a sister and father who fought cancer with courage, his personal story of courage and his generosity to help as many people as possible beat cancer resonates deeply. As a history major and lifelong learner, Bill Pomeroy’s focus on educating and celebrating history via the Foundation’s historic marker program is exciting. I’m looking forward to helping Bill achieve his growth vision and propel the mission of the Pomeroy Foundation for years to come.”

Brower at Le Moyne

As the longest-serving advancement VP in Le Moyne’s history, Brower completed a $100 million comprehensive campaign, per the foundation’s announcement. Under his leadership, the number of volunteers actively engaged with the college increased 10-fold; he led the effort to diversify Le Moyne’s board of trustees and other volunteer bodies; and he managed marketing and communications and career advising and development. His work with foundations, corporations, and public funders since 2021 also resulted in over $45 million in commitments. Brower created and implemented Le Moyne’s ERIE21 (Educating for our Rising Innovation Economy) program, which has served more than 2,500 individuals who are underrepresented in technology careers and attracted more than $10 million in support. As special assistant to Le Moyne College President Linda LeMura, Brower was the lead on developing the school’s relationship with Micron, representing the college on Micron’s Future Ready Workforce Innovation Consortium and its Northeast University Semiconductor Network.

About the Foundation

The Pomeroy Foundation began in 2005 when Pomeroy was fighting acute myeloid leukemia, and “his survival was in doubt.” He was matched with a donor and received a lifesaving stem-cell transplant. Pomeroy felt that, should he survive, he would help others in a similar situation, per the announcement. The foundation’s other focus is helping people to celebrate their community’s history. It provides grants to obtain signage in the form of roadside markers and plaques. Since 2005, it has funded more than 2,400 signs across the U.S., from Central New York to Alaska. The organization operates at 492 E. Brighton Ave. in Syracuse.