When it comes to helping her community, Jan Culver, CPA, “simply can’t say ‘no’,” according to her husband, Gene Kurtz. As a longtime community volunteer, Jan cares deeply about Greater Dayton and the organizations striving to make it a stronger, more vibrant region. So, it was no surprise when she moved home to Dayton following her retirement in 2013 as the chief fiduciary officer for KeyBank NA, Cleveland.
“There are so many wonderful things about this region – kind people, nationally recognized arts and a low cost of living to name a few. I want to help it become even better. That’s why I’m so drawn to The Dayton Foundation and its mission to help people help others,” said Jan, the new chair of The Dayton Foundation’s Governing Board.
“…I hope that together, we can continue to strengthen the region and create more opportunities for the generations coming behind us.”
– Jan Culver
Born in Schenectady, New York, Jan spent her early years moving wherever her father’s engineering work took her family, eventually landing in Dayton when she was in the fourth grade. Her passion for hard work and helping others was rooted in her upbringing and inspired by her mother.
“Volunteering and giving charitably, no matter the cause, was Mother’s way. She set a strong example and showed me the importance of helping others,” she said. “Once I started my career as a CPA, I realized many of my clients, whom I considered successful in life, also devoted their time and charitable dollars to improving their communities.”
(left to right) Jan Culver with the late former Governing Board Chair Marva Cosby (2020-2022), President Mike Parks, former Chair Judy McCormick (2004-2005) and former Chair Ellen Ireland (2013-2015)
Jan has followed this direction throughout her many volunteer roles. After joining the Foundation’s Governing Board in 2017, Jan chaired its Marketing and Public Relations Committee during the Foundation’s Centennial Celebration in 2021 and served on the Grants Committee. Regionally, she’s served on the boards of the Alliance for Education, Culture Works, Friends of the Dayton Ballet, Montgomery County Historical Society (now Dayton History), Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton Foundation and YWCA Dayton. She also served on the Board of Trustees for the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, providing much-valued counsel and arts advocacy during the organization’s formative years.
Volunteering feeds Jan’s spirit. Because of it, she’s made lifelong friends, helped to create positive change and been inspired to do even more for her community.
“People get things done when they work together,” Jan said. “That’s one of the things I admire most about The Dayton Foundation. Its collaborative nature and nimbleness to gather the right people at the right time has made positive change happen.”
Jan witnessed this firsthand while serving on the Foundation’s Board during the 2019 tornado outbreak, the mass shooting tragedy and the 2020 pandemic.
Jan Culver was joined by Foundation President Mike Parks (left) and Governing Board Member George Forest (center) following her recognition as a 2024 YWCA Women of Influence.
“The Dayton Foundation was the go-to organization because of its established trust, broad network of resources and expertise in facilitating donations,” she said. “The staff and volunteer Board members also are persistent. If they don’t have the answers, they find the people who do so the work gets done. It’s this same level of commitment that they apply toward community initiatives currently supporting student success, coordinating care for traumatic brain injuries, filling workforce gaps and strengthening diversity, equity and inclusion for all. We are so fortunate in Greater Dayton to have the charitable giving services of The Dayton Foundation, as well as the staff’s and volunteers’ deep commitment to community good.”
Together, Jan and Gene manage their charitable giving through The Dayton Foundation with a Charitable Checking AccountSM and two deferred endowment funds that will support the Foundation’s community grantmaking in the future.
“The needs in our community are vast, and every day The Dayton Foundation is asked to play a greater role in efforts to address those needs and to help lessen the demands upon area nonprofits,” she said. “Growing our unrestricted resources is the only way to do this, and an unrestricted or lightly restricted fund is a great opportunity to create a lasting legacy for ourselves and our family.”
As she steps into the role of chair, Jan is thoughtful about the Foundation’s future and what opportunities and challenges are on the horizon.
“Our region is one of the most segregated in the nation, and we need to overcome this. It’s not going to happen overnight, but all of us should be mindful of including all residents in decision-making processes,” she said. “Most of all, I hope that together, we can continue to strengthen the region and create more opportunities for the generations coming behind us.”