Chairman named
02/14/2025
Ed Diller previously served as a longtime member of the Bluffton University Board of Trustees.
Diller to lead Bluffton College Foundation
Edward Diller ’69, Fort Thomas, Ky., has been appointed chair of Bluffton College Foundation, an institutionally related, nonprofit, tax exempt, 501(c)(3) organization, which will restrict gifts to Bluffton’s campus.
A mathematics major and chemistry minor, Diller graduated from Bluffton College in 1969. During his time in college, he played football, was Student Council vice president and a member of the Camerata Singers.
“Bluffton has had a significant influence on me,” said Diller. “Bluffton is a place for families of historic proportions.”
Along with his spouse Karen (Esmonde ’68), Diller has had several relatives graduate from Bluffton, including his parents, siblings, children, nieces and nephews. His uncle was also chair of the Board of Trustees. Following in his uncle’s footsteps, Diller joined the Bluffton Board of Trustees in 1979 and was later appointed chair of the board until 2001.
During his tenure on the Board of Trustees, Diller was an integral part in the implementation of many distinctives on Bluffton’s campus such as Shoker Science Center, Sauder Visual Arts Center, Centennial Hall and Salzman Stadium.
Along with his experience on the Bluffton Board of Trustees, Diller is currently on the Mennonite Central Committee Board.
“One thing that I have learned over the course of my life is to learn to say ‘yes’,” said Diller. “When you learn to say, ‘yes’ unexpected things can happen.”
Diller has displayed this through accepting the role of Chair of Bluffton College Foundation.
“The heritage that Bluffton has and the way that people are impacted is unique,” said Diller. “Bluffton is rooted in Anabaptism, and I would like to make sure that the history, community and unique traditions continue. Bluffton College Foundation gives us the ability to do that in a new context.”
Some of Diller’s visions for Bluffton College Foundation include maintaining programs that are rooted in Mennonite heritage which make Bluffton distinctive such as The Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center, Handel’s “Messiah,” student clubs and organizations and The Great Adventure. Diller is committed to upholding Bluffton’s current mission statement “to prepare students of all backgrounds for life as well as vocation…and ultimately for the purposes of God’s universal kingdom.”
“I think the ability to continue the way that Bluffton impacts students is important,” said Diller. “Bluffton’s impact on students, in turn, impacts the community, the region and even the world.”
Along with Ed and Karen Diller, the other Founding Families of Bluffton College Foundation include Dr. Stanley ’63 and Joenita (Shetler ’63) Clemens; James Sommer ’68 and Kay (Motter ’69) Ahten Sommer; Greg ’77 and Donna (Thompson ’78) Wannemacher; and Kent ’78 and Gaye (Sprunger ’78) Yoder.
