BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF AMERICA ESTABLISHES THE PAM IORIO LEADERSHIP FUND

Nonprofit honors leadership and legacy of its former CEO with giving opportunity to support endowment and organizational leadership development

TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA), the nation's preeminent one-to-one youth mentoring organization, today announced the establishment of the Pam Iorio Leadership Fund. The ongoing giving opportunity honors the legacy of former president and CEO Pam Iorio and is designed to support the long-term strength and sustainability of the organization and its nationwide network of agencies.

The Pam Iorio Leadership Fund will advance two priorities: building leadership capacity across local BBBS agencies and growing BBBSA's national endowment. Investment in BBBSA's national endowment strengthens the organization's financial sustainability, ensuring the resources needed to advance its more than 120-year mentoring mission well into the future. Dollars allocated to leadership support will help local agencies grow and sustain their impact through leadership training and development, peer learning, best-practice sharing and targeted assistance for organizations in transition.

A generous anonymous donor has committed $1 million to match gifts to the Pam Iorio Leadership Fund. Donations to the fund will be matched up to $1 million, doubling early support for agency leadership development and BBBSA's national endowment.

The new fund pays tribute to Iorio's visionary leadership of BBBSA during her term as president and CEO from 2014 to 2021. A former two-term mayor of Tampa, Florida, Iorio implemented a first-of-its-kind strategic plan that fostered technology innovation, new funding models and brand transformation that expanded the reach and elevated the national profile of BBBSA.

"Pam Iorio's leadership left a foundation built to last at Big Brothers Big Sisters, making us stronger, more innovative, and even better positioned to serve young people for generations to come," said Artis Stevens, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. "The Pam Iorio Leadership Fund ensures her legacy lives on in the leaders and agencies who drive our mission forward to reach the next generation. Because when we invest in our leadership and our long-term stability, we're honoring a visionary leader while reaching even more young people waiting for a positive mentor in their lives."

"I am deeply moved by this recognition and by the decision to invest in both the people who lead our local agencies and the long-term financial strength of the national organization," said Pam Iorio, former president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. "When we build a durable endowment and we equip agency leaders with training, peer support and practical tools, we ensure that more young people will have the consistent, caring mentor they need in their lives. That is how Big Brothers Big Sisters remains relevant and resilient for its next century of service."

For more information on The Pam Iorio Leadership Fund, or to make a gift that will be matched up to $1 million, visit bbbs.org/pam-iorio-leadership-fund. 

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of America

Founded in 1904, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) is the largest and most experienced youth mentoring organization in the United States. The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Big Brothers Big Sisters' evidence-based approach is designed to create positive youth outcomes, including educational success, avoidance of risky behaviors, higher aspirations, greater confidence, and improved relationships. Big Brothers Big Sisters serves more than 5,000 communities across all 50 states. For more information, visit: www.bbbs.org.

SOURCE Big Brothers Big Sisters of America