CFO hires ex-Bears football player for new VP position

Community Foundation of the Ozarks has hired an ex-Bears football standout to take the senior vice president of philanthropy role, a newly created position for the Springfield nonprofit.

Michael Chatman joined the organization March 15. Previously, he worked out of Miami, Fla., for MajorDonors.com, a Boston-based firm that specializes in fostering donor relationships and helping nonprofits develop and implement giving programs.

With his new role, Chatman will work with donors and the community foundation's 44 affiliate foundations in southern and central Missouri.

"Everybody can be a philanthropist regardless of age, income or status. Anyone who gives anything - time, money, experience, skills, networks, in any amount to create a better world - is a philanthropist in my book," Chatman said.

It's a return to the area for Chatman, who grew up in Miami, Fla., graduated in 1987 with a bachelor's in political science from Missouri State University, where he also was an All-American football player.

"I think people do appreciate the fact that I do have an attachment to Springfield and the Ozarks region," he said. "I played here for four years, and I still have a lot of relationships from college buddies and those I played sports with, and it does help in the role."

After MSU, Chatman received his post-graduate degree in entrepreneurship from the Harvard Business School's Executive Education program. He also worked as the national education advocate for Anheuser-Busch before it merged with InBev., and he has produced a weekly radio program on the Bloomberg/Wall Street Journal Business Network dubbed "The Giving Show."

CFO, established in 1973, has assets of roughly $185 million.

For more on Chatman, look to reporter Brian Brown's Five Questions feature in the April 2-8 issue of Springfield Business Journal.[[In-content Ad]]