A steady hand and a keen ability to identify and embrace transformational opportunities have defined Ted Truscott’s leadership of Columbia Threadneedle Investments, where he has served as Chief Executive Officer since 2012. Transformational giving is also at the heart of Ted and his wife Kathy’s philanthropy, evidenced most recently in their generous $1 million gift to the American Red Cross.

For two decades Ted has supported the important work of nonprofits throughout the greater Boston area by making strategic investments in the mission of organizations such as the Red Cross, the Greater Boston Food Bank and Boston Medical Center, as well as sharing his time and expertise in leadership positions. He served as Leadership Council Chair for the Red Cross Boston Heroes Breakfast in 2023 and has repeatedly, with his wife Kathy, sponsored a matching gift campaign to encourage other leaders to give.

Ted and Kathy’s $1 million gift to the Red Cross will grow the Emergency Response Fund, a designation recently created to address more frequent and more intense natural disasters all over the country.

Ted and Kathy are humble about their contributions.

"Both Kathy and I feel strongly about giving back to our community by supporting non-profits that are meeting the critical needs of the most vulnerable among us in Greater Boston. These organizations are doing amazing work every day and we hope to inspire others to support them strategically and generously.

As the number of major natural disasters increase, Red Cross is now responding to simultaneous disasters. The need for our care is growing, and people are depending on us for longer. Through our Emergency Response Fund, we can quickly respond to these major natural disasters in communities of every size in every part of the country and provide equitable relief at a critical time.

Thanks to Lilly Endowment Inc, gifts received or committed from April 1, 2026, through August 31, 2027, will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $10 million.

With the help of Lilly Endowment’s commitment to support response and recovery costs for major natural disaster responses (those with costs $250,000 - $9,999,999) that would otherwise be underfunded, gifts will make twice the impact.

“In the last few years, it hasn’t been unusual for the Red Cross to have multiple large-scale disaster relief operations open simultaneously all over the country – wildfires on the West Coast and flooding in the South, while tornadoes move through the Midwest,” said Holly Grant, CEO of the Red Cross of Massachusetts. “The need for our care is growing, and people are depending on us for longer. Ted and Kathy’s support of the Emergency Response Fund allows us to quickly respond to communities of every size in every part of the country to provide equitable relief.”