IN
APPRECIATION
OF DIANE
COHEN
1700 Sansom Street
10th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103
[email protected]
www.sacredplaces.org
215/567-3234
The Rev. Dr. Thomas E. Frank, Chair
Co-Founder of Partners
and National Leader
for Over Twenty Years
The Rev. Dr. Roy G. Almquist
The Rev. Dennis A. Andersen
Mary Werner DeNadai, FAIA
Paul W. Edmondson, Esq.
The Rev. Dr. W. Wilson Goode, Sr.
The Rev. Pierce Klemmt
Karl A. Komatsu
The Rev. Aidan R. Rooney, C.M.
The Rev. R. Scott Sheldon
Monica Taylor
Gordon R. Woodrow
A. Robert Jaeger, Executive Director
Froswa Booker-Drew, Director, Texas Office
Tuomi Joshua Forrest, Associate Director
Gianfranco Grande, Director, Chicago Office
Geoffrey Harden, Office Manager
Molly Lester, Grants and Program Manager,
Philadelphia Regional Fund
Marie Malloy, Director of Operations
Rana Gidumal McNamara, Associate Director
of Development
Sarah F. Peveler, Senior Trainer
Shelley Sandow, Project Manager,
Chicago Office
Elizabeth Terry, Director of Training
Suzanne Yowell, Administrative Coordinator,
Texas Office
Neeta McCulloch, Editor
Design for Social Impact, Design
DIANE COHEN, who co-founded Partners for Sacred Places in 1989 – and before
that founded the Sacred Sites Program at the New York Landmarks Conservancy
(one of the nation’s first regional programs serving historic churches, synagogues
and other religious properties) – has moved on from Partners to pursue new
interests.
What a twenty years it has been! Diane played an instrumental role – working
hand-in-hand with co-founder Bob Jaeger and the founding Board of Directors
– in defining Partners’ mission and goals, establishing its reputation among
key constituencies, creating programs that always “pushed the envelope,” and
developing funding that supported Partners’ growth, visibility and impact.
In sum, Diane helped to establish a new, national cause that is immeasurably
stronger, more widely embraced and influential because of her leadership.
It’s important to remember that the creation of non-profit programs to serve sacred
places was a new phenomenon in the 1980s. Partners was born at a moment when
its cause was unknown and invisible to most civic leaders. Diane was central in
changing that, working with Bob and others to set up an information center, develop
educational programs, create an identity for the cause, and find connections to
decision-makers. In later years, Diane was key to Partners’ design of its Sacred
Places at Risk research project – which demonstrated that older religious properties
serve as de facto community centers. She developed innovative programs, including
the New Dollars/New Partners training that helps congregations reach out to the larger
community to communicate their public value and find new donors and partners.
More recently, she helped position Partners’ work in the context of community
development, strengthening the case for sacred places as neighborhood anchors.
The cause to sustain the cultural and community values of sacred places would not
be where it is today without Diane’s vision, leadership, and creativity. Beause of this
strong foundation, Partners will continue to thrive, seize new opportunities and meet
new challenges in the years to come. You can reach Diane by email:
[email protected]
3 • Sacred Places • www.sacredplaces.org • Summer 2009