Horizons Fall 2014

32 HORIZONS F or some, life can be defined by consistent suc- cesses, earned by hard work and diligence. Marc P. Yanchura (M.B.A., 1985) is just such a visionary. He serves as vice president and chief financial offi- cer of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, one of the largest private philanthropies in the United States. Founded in 1978, with more than $900 million bequeathed from John D. MacArthur’s estate, the foundation has a respected legacy of granting funds to pro- grams, groups, and individuals across the country and through- out the world. “MacArthur supports people and organizations working for change on a variety of complex societal challenges. Our grants are generally long-term, strategic invest- ments, focused on building evidence about what works and finding solu- tions to often intractable problems,” said Yanchura. Yanchura joined MacArthur in 1981 in its offices in Palm Beach Gardens. He and his wife, Ann, had settled in Palm Beach Gardens and were practically neighbors of the foundation’s founder. “John MacArthur lived on Singer Island in the Colonnades Hotel the last 20 years of his life,” said Yanchura, 57. Ironically, Yanchura and his wife now make their home on Singer Island not far from the former site of the Colonnades, but commute to Chicago to work at the foundation. Three years after joining MacArthur, Yanchura began work on his M.B.A. at NSU, completing the degree in 1985. NSU’s business program was later renamed the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship. “There was a campus in Boca Raton at the Siemens [office building], which was next to the old IBM complex,” he said. “So I went to school with a lot of folks from Siemens and IBM. It was a year-and-a-half program, four hours on Friday night, and all day Saturday, and then a lot of work out of class.” He fondly remembers his fel- low students and the professors he met at NSU. “It was fun hav- ing the diversity of people, about the same age I was at the time, who were working in different organizations,” he said. “That was the great part of the experience. The class pretty much stayed together for the entire program.” NSU was a good option at the time “because the availabil- ity and scheduling were such that I could continue to work, and NSU had a good program and reputation. Many places now have adult-education programs, but this was one of the first in South Florida.” In his early years at MacArthur, Yanchura contributed to a variety of areas, everything from human resources to help- ing the foundation divest itself of real-estate properties in north Palm Beach County. “Getting the master’s degree from NSU was a big attri- bute for me,” he said. “It opened up a lot of opportunities to progress within the foundation. The ultimate opportunity came when I was asked to move to Chicago.” Yanchura transferred to the foundation’s headquarters in Chicago during 1989 and was promoted to assistant treasurer in 1993, treasurer in 1999, and vice president and chief financial officer in 2006. He has been active in many professional civic organizations in both Florida and Illinois. The Responsibilities of Global Giving By Dave Wieczorek and Jim De Francesco alumni profile Alumnus Marc P. Yanchura now serves as vice president and chief financial officer of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.