Remembering Robert E. Dillon, Treasured Trustee of Kessler Foundation
West Orange, NJ. May 14, 2012. Kessler Foundation remembers trustee Robert Dillon who passed away on May 9. For more than two decades, Bob served the Foundation with caring, dedication, determination and wisdom. Rodger DeRose, president and chief executive officer of Kessler Foundation, recalled, "Bob brought a quiet confidence, integrity, passion for the mission, and the ability to facilitate a wide range of opinions. He was a strong ambassador for Kessler Foundation and a source of encouragement to all who worked with him.”
Soft-spoken and kind-hearted, Bob was the perfect leader. He chaired the Executive, Finance, and Affiliate Oversight Committees. His stewardship kept the Foundation stable and growing throughout the worst economic downturn of recent history. As Vice Chairman of the Board from 1998-2008, he helped lead Kessler Foundation through a complex transition. From 2008-2010, he served as Chairman of the Board. Upon his retirement as chair, he reflected on his years of service, saying, “The commitment of time and energy required of the chairman is far outweighed by the personal satisfaction of witnessing improvements in the lives of people with disabilities.”
Bob consistently championed the advancement of research at the Foundation. “I was committed to ensuring adequate funding to enable our investigators to find new ways to help people with brain injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injury,” he explained. Successes in research under his leadership enabled the Foundation to gain large external research grants.
He also served on the Audit, Fundraising, and Grantmaking Committees. With his involvement, grant distribution for employment initiatives steadily increased. An Army veteran himself, Bob was most proud of the Foundation’s support of programs that help injured veterans return to the workforce, such as the Army Wounded Warriors Career Program.
More recently, Bob chaired the Nominating and Governance Committee. In 2012, he was elected Trustee Emeritus. But as Anne Ammons, chief financial officer of Kessler Foundation, noted, “Dry facts cannot convey the depth, breadth, and passion that Bob brought to Kessler Foundation. He was a voice of reason and encouragement as the Foundation grew from a small organization to a large organization with national and international prestige in the areas of rehabilitation research and employment programs for people with disabilities.”
The staff and Board of Kessler Foundation will long remember the heart and passion he brought to his work. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loving wife, Alice, his seven children, and 20 grandchildren. Kessler Foundation is proud to be a part of his legacy.
