Anne Wenzel has been named president and chief executive officer of the Western Colorado Community Foundation based in Grand Junction.

Wenzel served nearly 20 years as executive director of the foundation, which distributed almost $5 million in grants and scholarships in 2020 and ended the near with $96.5 million in total assets. The foundation distributed a total of $1.4 million in 2020 for food assistance, housing and mental health support in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Barb Chamberlin, chairwoman of the foundation board, said Wenzel has worked to build the organization into one of the largest charitable foundations in Western Colorado. “She started working three days a week when we had $1 million in assets under management and were distributing $25,000 in grants a year. She has contributed greatly to the success of the foundation.”

The Western Colorado Community Foundation serves seven West Slope counties, working with hundreds of donors and managing different types of charitable funds. The organization complies with National Standards for Community Foundations, a national credentialing process. For more information, visit https://wc-cf.org.