In 2014, Gene D’Adamo joined the Trust as the president and CEO. He oversees the strategic direction of the Trust in service to its mission and spearheads the Trust’s animal welfare, environmental, and journalism initiatives. D’Adamo has worked closely with the Trust since its inception in 1998. D’Adamo’s mentor was the late Frank Russell, who helped launch the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust and served as its founding chairman. 

Previously, D’Adamo was the vice president of community relations for Republic Media, which included The Arizona Republic, 12 News and azcentral.com. In that role he became a leader in Arizona philanthropy, creating and directing the Season for Sharing program, which has distributed millions of dollars to Arizona nonprofits since 1993. He also advised Indianapolis Star executives on establishing a similar grant program in Indiana.

D’Adamo has served on several boards and received numerous awards for his philanthropic activities. Currently, he is a board member of the Indy Chamber, a member of Indiana University – Indianapolis Chancellor’s Circle, a member of Greater Phoenix Leadership and the Arizona chair of the American Journalism Project’s local news initiative. He is a former chair of the Arizona Grantmakers Forum, Chrysalis Shelter for Victims of Domestic Violence and the Arizona Educational Foundation.

A longtime resident of Phoenix, D’Adamo graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in communications. He has also completed certification programs from the Kellogg School of Graduate Management at Northwestern University and the Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College. D’Adamo and his wife split their time between Indianapolis and Phoenix. They have three daughters and one granddaughter.