FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 7, 2008
Contact:
Dave Wellman, Director of
Communications, (304) 696-7153
Ed Zimmerman named Director of Planned Giving at Marshall
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Ed Zimmerman, a Marshall University graduate and lifelong resident of Huntington, has joined the Marshall University Foundation, Inc., as Director of Planned Giving.
Foundation Chief Executive Officer Ron Area said Zimmerman, who assumed his new position on Tuesday, April 1, is responsible for overseeing the development and administration of planned gifts for the university.
“I am very pleased to have Ed Zimmerman join the Foundation staff as Director of Planned Giving,” Area said. “His 36 years of experience in building relationships in the financial arena will be invaluable to the future of private gift support for the university. As a Marshall graduate and longtime resident of Huntington, his passion and love for the university are very apparent. He is a welcomed addition to the university advancement team.”
Zimmerman’s background is in insurance and financial planning. He has been in the insurance business for the past 36 years, starting as an agent with the Jefferson-Pilot Insurance Company in 1972.
In 1990, after several years of management successes and professional development with other major financial organizations, Zimmerman established a sole proprietorship, Zimmerman & Company.
Recognition of growth opportunities and the need for a stronger business vehicle led to the formation of ZBA (Zimmerman-Bates & Associates) in 1992. Zimmerman said ZBA is the culmination of many successful years of enterprise and career growth in the insurance and financial services industry.
He said he is looking forward to the challenge of his new job with Marshall.
“They want me to enhance the planned giving program where Marshall’s alumni and friends generously provide for the university’s future through their estate plans,” he said. “I look forward to broadening awareness of planned giving opportunities at Marshall and to working with the gift officers and developing tools they can use.”
Zimmerman received his B.A. degree from Marshall in 1971, his Charter Life Underwriters (CLU) designation from the American College, Byrn Mawr, Pa., in 1981, and his Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designation in 1985. He is a lifetime member of the Marshall University Alumni Association and Big Green, and is active in the community.
Zimmerman and his wife, Rebecca – a two-time Marshall graduate – have been married for 36 years. They are the parents of three grown children. Son Britt is a surgeon; daughter Elizabeth Anne is a teacher; and daughter Laura is an interior designer. They also have two grandchildren.
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