The executive director of the Pokagon Fund is stepping down. The fund’s board of directors announced Monday that Janet Cocciarelli is leaving the organization, effective June 7, to spend more time with family in the Grand Rapids area. Cocciarelli has lead the Pokagon Fund for four years. Board Chair Rob Gow commended Cocciarelli, saying she “implemented with extraordinary vigor and vitality the board’s strategic vision of the fund as a leader in community development.” Cocciarelli says she “will sorely miss Harbor Country.” The Pokagon Fund, based in New Buffalo, was set up in 2007 as a way for a small portion of Four Winds Casino slot revenues to be distributed to the community. Since then, it has awarded more than $25 million in grants and scholarships in southwest Michigan.
