President & Executive Director at the J.W. & M.H. Straker Charitable Foundation
Susan Straker Holdren serves as the President and Executive Director of The J.W. and M.H. Straker Charitable Foundation, a family philanthropic organization based in Zanesville, Ohio. The eldest daughter of founders J. William and Mary Helen Straker, Holdren transitioned into full-time community leadership following a distinguished 30-year academic career. She is dedicated to advancing her parents' legacy by investing heavily in the local community.
Local foundations can play a powerful role in transforming historic buildings and catalyzing broader community revitalization. This panel brings together leaders from three community foundations to explore how local philanthropy can help move challenging preservation and redevelopment projects from vision to reality. Panelists will discuss what foundations look for when evaluating projects, the community priorities and donor motivations that shape their funding decisions, and the different ways philanthropic resources can be deployed—from grants and capital investments to partnerships that help leverage additional public and private investment. Through examples of significant historic building rehabilitation projects in their communities, panelists will examine how an initial foundation investment can build momentum, attract additional resources, and spark subsequent redevelopment in surrounding downtowns. The conversation will offer practical insight into how preservation advocates, developers, municipalities, and community organizations can engage local foundations and position historic rehabilitation projects as opportunities for broader economic and community impact.