Roger Tilles will be honored as the recipient of the Amy and Horace Hagedorn Outstanding Philanthropist Award by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Long Island Chapter (AFPLI) at the Philanthropy Day 2017 Awards Luncheon on Friday, Nov. 17, at the Melville Marriott.
This award recognizes an individual whose generosity inspires others to give and make a difference in the Long Island community by actively advancing philanthropy. The luncheon will recognize individuals and organizations that have taken a leadership role on Long Island and made philanthropy an integral part of their lives and their businesses.
“For 30 years, AFPLI has presented Philanthropy Day to educate and inspire Long Island about the impact that fundraising and the nonprofit sector has on Long Island,” said Kathy Munsch, Philanthropy Day 2017 chair and American Heart Association regional vice president. “The responsibility of giving, and giving responsibly, is now understood to be an integral part of being a good citizen, by individuals as well as corporations. We encourage everyone, from fundraisers to volunteers, board members to executive directors, to join us on Philanthropy Day, to learn at our educational sessions and celebrate our honorees.”
Tilles is widely known as a visionary leader and patron of the arts and education. He worked to form the Long Island Arts Alliance and currently serves as advisory board chair. Since 2005, he has served as Long Island’s representative on the New York Board of Regents. He has also served as chair and a founding member of the Association for a Better Long Island, chair of the Long Island Regional Planning Board, chair of the LIU Post Board of Trustees, executive vice chairman of the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts and on the boards of both WNET and WLIW Public Television stations and the Long Island Association’s Board and Executive Board. The Great Neck resident has worked on interfaith projects on Long Island, most notably with the late Monsignor Tom Hartman.
The Amherst College graduate received New York City professional certification through the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University and graduated from the University of Michigan College of Law. He became director of Law and Legislation for the Michigan Department of Education, was elected to the Michigan State Board of Education and became the executive secretary to the speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives. He taught education and law at the University of Michigan, Michigan State, Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan University Schools of Education. He was also counsel to the Michigan Teacher Tenure Commission and a special-education hearing officer. After being a candidate for U.S. Congress, he opened a law practice in Washington, DC, until his return to Long Island in 1983, when he was a director of Tilles Investment Companies.
Other Philanthropy Day honorees are Joani Madarash for the The Sandra Atlas Bass Outstanding Fundraising Volunteer Award, PSEG Long Island for The Gilbert Tilles Award, Meredith Celentano as Outstanding Fundraising Executive, Long Island Cares, Inc., for The Harry Chapin Food Bank Long Island Community Foundation Nonprofit Impact Award and both Colin Robinson and Matthew Redlein as Leaders of Tomorrow.
Philanthropy Day is celebrated in November in cities across America, when fundraising professionals, board members, business leaders, community activists and individuals gather for professional development and to honor their leaders. Long Island’s Philanthropy Day is one of the largest one-day fundraising conferences in the country and regularly attracts 700 attendees and exhibitors.
Since 1960, AFP has inspired global change and supported efforts that have generated more than $1 trillion. AFP’s more than 33,000 individual and organizational members raise more than $115 billion annually, equivalent to one-third of all charitable giving in North America, plus millions more around the world.
For further information, visit www.philanthropyday.org or contact Joan Connor at 631-249-5008 or info@afpli.org. Learn more about the world’s largest association of fundraising professionals at www.afpnet.org and the chapter at www.afpli.org.
