Victoria Connor Awarded Carolyn E. Steinhauser Prize

Kris Pollick, Women's Giving Circle Chair, awards Victoria Connor with Carolyn E. Steinhauser Prize

Victoria Connor, CEO of the YCBA/YCBF, was awarded the prestigious Carolyn Eyster Steinhauser Prize at the York County Community Foundation's Annual Dinner on May 9. The Carolyn E. Steinhauser Prize was created by the Women's Giving Circle of York County Community Foundation in 2017 to recognize the extraordinary contributions of its first Executive Director.

The award honors individuals whose contributions to community building in York County have been marked by singular excellence, reflecting Carolyn's decades of effectively bringing the community together to address complex challenges. Carolyn served as the York County Bar Foundation President from 2011-2013 and has served for many years as a YCBF Board of Director.

Victoria shared the following remarks upon receiving the award:

"I am humbled and deeply honored to receive this recognition by a group of individuals whom I so highly regard. To be selected for an award named after my dear friend and mentor, Carolyn Steinhauser, is a moment that I will cherish forever. Not to mention the gift of the beautiful artwork created by my talented friend Ophelia Chambliss.

Reflecting on my professional journey brought to mind a favorite quote by Professor Randy Pausch, 'Luck is when preparedness meets opportunity.'

I was lucky 25 years ago early in my career to have met Carolyn Steinhauser, who if I had to describe her, is a combination of the charm, sharp wit and compassion of Betty White and the brilliant intellect of Warren Buffet. 

If you know her, then you know she is smart as hell, funny and warm, yet formidable. She won’t mince words if you get on her bad side. And that means considering investments in any efforts lacking leadership, a good program with a plan for sustainability, and accountability.

When Carolyn was the part time 'unpaid' staff in the early days at the York County Community Foundation, she learned what she didn’t know about building endowment from her mentor, Gene Struckoff, and good people like attorney Bill Anstine, and many others. 

From the seeds she planted, the Foundation grew into the force for good as we know it. Since then, it has grown even more thanks to years with Jane Conover at the helm. And will continue to do so in the future under the leadership of another dear friend, Natalee Gunderson.

Carolyn became a mentor, trusted confidant and friend to me like Gene – or Struck as he was known - was to her. She is incredibly generous with her time and sharing of knowledge. She created the Women’s Giving Circle to educate and inspire other women, including myself, to consider how we might collectively learn about community issues, pool our resources and invest together for real impact. There are too many examples to list regarding its impact, so I encourage you to read the WGCs and YCCFs annual reports that are at your seats. 

When Carolyn approached me about the opportunity to lead the philanthropic efforts of the York County Bar, I knew that I was ready and prepared. Thanks to her guidance and the unwavering support of my husband, Mike, I embarked on a new chapter in my career—one dedicated to advancing access to justice and addressing the most pressing issues facing our community.

Like the Community Foundation, we, too, have grown. I am proud to be the organization’s first executive staff where I will soon be celebrating 13 years. And with the support of many of you here today - you know who you are - we have achieved remarkable growth, expanding the Bar's endowment from $600,000 to nearly $7 million and positioning it as one of the largest Bar Foundations in the state. I believe we are No. 2 of 21.

But beyond the numbers, it has been a joy collaborating with you and leveraging the Bar’s limited funds strategically with other partners to attract millions more to support programs that tackle our toughest community problems such as:

• Group Violence Intervention – stopping the shootings, stabbings, and hopefully soon, the terrorism by the dirt bikes! 
• Truancy Prevention to keep youth in school and out of the criminal justice system.
• Workforce Development - helping those who deserve a second chance by expunging criminal records of nonviolent offenders and removing barriers to securing employment, housing and other basic needs, and 
• Community Action for Recovery and Diversion – addressing the underlying drivers of criminal behavior with treatment rather than incarceration to make our community safer, stabilizing  the ALICE families, and ultimately saving millions in taxpayer dollars.

As we look ahead, there remains much ground to cover. However, in this moment, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for this recognition. I pledge to honor Carolyn's legacy by continuing to champion strategic philanthropy."

-Victoria Connor, CEO of the YCBA/YCBF