Markoff served as the visiting senior advisor at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and a guest lecturer for graduate courses in organized leadership for the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology. With retirement in sight, Markoff was approached with another opportunity – to serve as the president of the newly created Damar Foundation.
In his new role, he will be presiding over the Damar Foundation, which was created by Damar Services as a means to raise funds in order to help children and adults with autism, intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities, and behavioral disabilities. Damar Services has been serving the community for more than 40 years. The 800 person staff serves approximately 1,500 clients and families daily through community-based and residential treatment, outpatient behavioral health, applied behavioral analysis and more.
“Personally, I am excited by this calling to serve those challenged by autism, intellectual, and developmental disabilities through the Damar Foundation,” said Markoff in an interview with Inside INdiana Business. “It has been an honor to work with Chancellor Charles Bantz on the Central Indiana Education Alliance, and to teach very talented IUPUI graduate students regarding leadership.”
Markoff will work with the Damar Foundation for the next 18 months for what he says is a very special mission. Markoff says that he will be calling it quits with both the Foundation and IUPUI Dec. 31, 2015, although not everyone is as excited for retirement as he is.
“My students are not happy that I’m leaving the university,” Markoff said.
Before he joined IUPUI, Markoff worked as executive vice president of the Simon Youth Foundation. Under his leadership, the organization’s resource development grew by more than 75 percent, and they were awarded more than $1.4 million in scholarships on an annual basis. The organization aided 25 schools in 12 states and served 3,300 at-risk and economically challenged youth on a daily basis.
Markoff’s generosity doesn’t end there. He was also president of the Congregation Shaarey Tefilla, on the board of directors for the American Red Cross, and involved in the Indiana Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
To learn more about Markoff and the Damar Foundation, please click here to read the article from Inside INdiana Business.
Posted by Stan Sulewski