Get to Know Jeffrey Marks - Our New 2012 UWRV Board Chair

United Way of Roanoke Valley is pleased to announce that its new 2012 Board Chair is Jeffrey Marks. Jeff has been heavily involved with the United Way of Roanoke Valley since he and his wife moved here more than five years ago. When he is not volunteering for us, which is a lot of the time, Jeff is the president and general manager of WDBJ7, one of the leading sources of news and entertainment in our area.  We sat down with Jeff to find out why he is such a strong advocate for United Way of Roanoke Valley.

UWRV: How long have you been supporting the United Way of Roanoke Valley?

Jeff Marks: I have been supporting United Way of Roanoke Valley (UWRV) almost since the day I arrived in the area. It was one of the first organizations that I reached out to. I believe that we all have an obligation as citizens to help grow our communities and help people help themselves, so I like to get involved in any way that I can.

In this community and in the other communities that I have lived, I have seen that United Way is the most effective way in which to do that. It came as no surprise when I saw that UWRV was efficiently run. It was not just throwing money around, UWRV was stewarding the funds that people contributed toward programs that improve the quality of life for people in this community.

I also believe that a media company like WDBJ7 has an obligation to serve the community. Many television stations have pulled back from that but we believe that we can’t do enough. Our company as a whole is involved in a number of causes and projects every year, but significant among them is our support of UWRV. More than half of the employees at WDBJ7 contribute out of their paychecks and many of them take part in UWRV related events throughout the year. 

UWRV: With all the choices in giving, what drew you to the United Way?

Jeff Marks: Communities like Roanoke often have the problem that there are many, many non-profits trying to raise money to support their noble goals, but many of them operate on shoestrings and could be more effective. The role of UWRV is to provide direction and overview for the community. I am very pleased that after spending a year of research and collaboration time and effort, we have focused on the three greatest needs in the community – Education, Income and Health. We are working to prepare children to learn and ensuring that they stay with the educational process. In terms of income, we are not just reaching out in emergency situations; rather, we have set out to empower people to improve their income and their quality of lives. And we are not just funding urgent health needs, but we are helping the community get a grip on epidemic challenges such as obesity and general nutrition.

That is not to say that there are not some terrific non-profits out there that raise money on their own, but we need to concentrate and help grow our community on a coordinated collaborative platform and that is UWRV’s goal for all of its partner agencies. UWRV has set out to not only raise money but also to reduce the overlap and to increase the complementary nature of what they do. 

UWRV: What do you hope to see happen during your tenure and what are you most excited about?

Jeff Marks: What I hope is that together, with our agencies, we can make sure that the community understands that UWRV is providing the leadership and direction that can bring agencies together and bring people together to solve the challenges ahead of us in Education, Income and Health.

And I want to get even more people involved in our efforts this year. The Roanoke Valley has the highest per capita giving rate in Virginia by far and we have lots and lots of volunteers. Every year we have little trouble putting 100 people together to go out and visit the agencies, audit what they do and compare the results to their goals, and this is wonderful, but we want everyone involved. We want everyone to have the opportunity to give to the level that they can, we want everyone to have the opportunity to volunteer in the myriad ways that we offer, and we want people to advocate for improvement in all of these areas.

UWRV: Of the three impact areas of Education, Income and Health, which one speaks to you the most and why?

Jeff Marks: Education, because it is related to so many things. Education is related to good parenting so that the next generation does not repeat the mistakes of the previous generation. Education is related to making income. Education is related to crime. Education is related to health and those with higher education levels tend to live healthier lifestyles. Education is a pathway out of abuse, out of poverty or out of a place where there seems to be no opportunity. We need scientists in this country, we need mathematicians and we need artists and education is the key to that for the great majority of us.

UWRV: What does it mean to you to Live United?

Jeff Marks: Scarcely does a day go by that I don’t do something related to trying to improve the lives in our community through UWRV. From making phone calls, to meeting with people in the community, to thanking people for contributing or just telling people that I am going to another UWRV meeting, I try to spread the word about the goals of UWRV. It is unusual for a day to go by without expressing my involvement in UWRV in some way.

Another primary way in which my wife, Roxanne, and I support UWRV is by giving at the level that we can sustain. We donate at the Tocqueville level.  Our company, WDBJ7, provides a generous match. Not everyone can reach the Tocqueville level, but the example we hope to set is that we can all stretch and give something to make our community better.

UWRV: What do you like to do when you are not working or Giving, Volunteering and Advocating?

Jeff Marks: I enjoy music and I am involved with Opera Roanoke, plus my wife and I love to travel. We have four grandchildren, so we go to see them quite a bit and we just enjoy traveling in general. 

UWRV: Anything to add? 

Jeff Marks: I have mentioned the wonderful volunteers at UWRV, but I have to note the staff of UWRV. This organization attracts staff members who are not looking for a job, but rather are looking for an opportunity to serve When you work with them you get the sense that they feel fortunate to have a job that allows them to do that.

Some of the delight for me is to being able to work with a highly motivated professional staff led by Frank Rogan, the president and CEO. If it were not such, we would not be getting nearly as much done in the community. It takes the involvement of staff, volunteers, our member agencies and their programs to make it all work. When we have a success, and we have many of them, we try not to be surprised and we just recall that you can judge a community by how it takes care of those among us that have the greatest needs. I think we can judge the Roanoke Valley quite positively on that scale.