Dennis Buehler grew up in Wisconsin and comes from a family of service. His father served as a Navy medic in the Vietnam War, and his mother was a trauma nurse and sexual assault nurse advocate. Both were also relentless volunteers and healthcare professionals in their respective communities.
“For nearly 30 years, I have been committed to nonprofit work and served as a philanthropic leader in communities across this country,” said Buehler. “Contributing to the vitality of the community and the health of its people is an inherited part of my family’s life and something I would never trade.”
As the president and chief executive officer of the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, Buehler said his energy comes from the privilege the organization possesses to strengthen the community and use the platform to inspire others.
The Greater Green Bay Community Foundation is a nonprofit foundation providing smart and effective tools for donors, impactful grants for nonprofit organizations, and collaborative leadership around critical community initiatives. The organization’s mission is to inspire and encourage charitable giving in Northeast Wisconsin by connecting caring people with solutions that strengthen the community.
Upon joining the organization in 2016, Buehler immediately brought an entrepreneurial approach to the foundation’s strategy, which had an immediate impact. Hallmarks of his career include building institutions and deepening engagement in the communities he served. This was seen in the vitality he brought to struggling and emerging nonprofits by creating spaces for the community to connect.
These successes within diverse communities and institutions inform the foundation’s work today to democratize philanthropy in Northeast Wisconsin. His creative approach and program development skills resulted in more than doubling the foundation’s annual charitable income and grantmaking activities. Since his appointment, and a mere 7 years later, the foundation has far exceeded $200 million in grantmaking activities while growing the foundation’s asset base by another 70%.
“Dennis’s passion for community, his genuine care for people and consistent success keep him as a sought-after voice within rapidly evolving environments,” said his staff. His perspective was also called on by the Community Foundation Awareness Initiative and the federal government to testify at the U.S. Treasury Department in Washington, D.C., regarding evolving regulations for charitable giving. This included working with U.S. Senate offices and other officials to protect donors’ charitable intent.
“Creating impact collaboratively with our nonprofits, donors, partners and fellow community members is important to me,” said Buehler. “I have such respect and enthusiasm for anyone who chooses a life of service.”