2025 dawned with a new leader at the helm of the Board of Directors for the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga – Dr. Ruth Liu, retired director of Institutional Research and Planning at Southern Adventist University and longtime community leader. In this interview, Dr. Liu shares her philosophy on philanthropy, leadership, and how to confront Chattanooga's most urgent challenges with compassion.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

How did your family end up in Chattanooga? What brought you here?

In 1976, my husband finished his OBGYN residency in Chicago, and we were looking for a place to settle down and raise a family. We explored several options, but Chattanooga really appealed to us because of its friendliness and beauty, so we decided to settle here. He established his practice, which grew and eventually became internationally known for his pioneering work in endoscopic surgery. Both of our children were born and raised here. They went through college here and then continued on to graduate school and medical school. We feel like Chattanooga gave them strong roots.

How were you and your husband first introduced to the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga?

Years ago, our investment advisors, Ray Ryan and Bryan Patten had told my husband and me about the Community Foundation, and we started using them just a little bit primarily as a pass-through for our donations to the nonprofits we supported. Following one of our gifts, we spoke with Maeghan Jones, who at that time was fairly new as President and CEO of the Community Foundation.

After we met with her, I remember being quite impressed with the scope of the work they were doing. I happened to say, “I would like to know more about it and about the partnerships that you have formed with other nonprofits in the community,” and as a result, I was invited to go on some site visits with them. The more I saw, the more excited I got! Soon after that, I was asked to join the board, and then a couple of years after that, I was asked to become Chair of the Board. I took that position as of January 1 of this year.

What about CFGC’s approach excites you the most?

I feel like they are the heartbeat of the community. They're not only dealing with immediate needs – which are very, very important – but they’re also getting at the root causes of poverty and the inequities and injustices that are keeping people in our community from thriving and reaching their full potential. At the time [that I joined the Board], I didn't fully realize the depth, the breadth, and the scope of the work they did. As I got more into it, I saw that they are working at the systemic level – as a leader, advocate, and partner with other nonprofits, governmental officials, and groups in making our community more just and equitable.

That said, there's a whole lot of work that still needs to be done.

When you’re called upon to introduce the Community Foundation to potential fund holders or stakeholders, what key points do you prioritize?

I start by letting them know about my experience and what it has done for me. I truly believe my involvement with the Foundation has made me a better person, a more compassionate person, and more confident in the choices my husband and I are making as donors.

I know how blessed and how privileged I am; therefore, I have a responsibility to help others reach their full potential as well.

As you consider the challenges in the Greater Chattanooga area, particularly around poverty, what specific issues stand out to you? Are there key areas where the foundation can make a meaningful impact to shift the region’s trajectory?

There have been some initiatives that have come to fruition and others still in progress. One example is the Eviction Prevention Initiative, which helps people facing eviction stay in their homes and helps landlords access financial resources to offset lost rent. Sometimes, the assistance EPI provides is as simple as notifying tenants of their court date. If they don’t know their court date, they can’t appear in court, and the judgment goes against them. But if they do show up, there are often legal resources available to them.

So far, more than 1100 households have been able to remain in their homes, and more than $2.1 million has been distributed, mostly to landlords to offset their losses. When you think of 1100 households, we're actually thinking about the far greater number of people – including children – who can stay in the home, in their same school, in their neighborhood, and avoid upheaval in their lives. We feel like that's helping not only the current generation but providing stability for the generation coming up as well.

Another initiative that follows in that effort to promote more economic stability and mobility is our new partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The papers on that were signed just a couple of months ago! RWJF has chosen Chattanooga among only three community foundations across the country to work with by providing a substantial loan at very low interest to catalyze more affordable housing. This is another way that we can mitigate the crisis of homelessness, and something that I think will make a great deal of difference for many, many families.

How do you see the role of the chair? Beyond just running meetings, what do you see as your main priorities, and how do you plan to work with the staff to move the foundation’s mission forward?

First of all, I'm very excited but humbled to be asked to go into this role because of its heavy responsibility. We must assure the public that we are worthy of their trust in fulfilling the mission and vision of the Foundation. As a Board of Directors, our fiduciary responsibility [to the Foundation] comes first. Right behind that is the selection of the President and CEO. I hold in the highest regard President Maeghan Jones and the difference she and her dedicated team have made, not only in the local community but also at the state and national levels.

I'm also really excited about the Board composition. Over the past few years, we have expanded our Board size to 20 members, and as a result, we have a diverse group of very talented, smart, capable people coming on. When I look at the board composition, I can't help but think that with this kind of talent and abilities, getting them all in one place at one time, is going to result in something phenomenal. It's going to be dynamite! Each person who comes onto the Board selects at least two committees that they would like to serve on. These are working committees, so as they meet between board meetings, they can really do a lot of the more ground-level kind of work, and then when the full Board meets, we can capitalize on all the talent in the room and engage in robust discussions and make informed decisions.

I'm looking forward to seeing what happens this year. As we move forward into the future, we’ll do both short-term and long-term strategic planning – always with the same mission of making our community a better place for all people. But even the best planning can never come to fruition without the support of our donors. We’re blessed to live in such a philanthropic community, and we don’t take for granted the support we receive. Rather, we recognize that these gifts of generosity represent years of hard work, and therefore we must hold in sacred trust that which has been entrusted to us.

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