Now in its sixth year, Savoy's Top 100 Power List represents the leaders who have the most impact on business in America, according to Savoy's editorial staff, corporate contributors and advisors within the Executive Leadership Council (ELC).

"As the head of one of corporate America's largest foundations, Patrick Gaston is in a tremendous position to bring about substantive change," said Evangelia Biddy, vice president of national advertising for Savoy. "Because of that and his long-standing success in the business community, he is well-deserving of a spot on Savoy's Top 100 Power List."

As president of the Verizon Foundation, Gaston is responsible for overseeing philanthropic strategy, grant making and initiatives in the foundation's key social-issue areas of education and literacy, family safety, health, and employee volunteerism. The Verizon Foundation is one of 10 largest corporate cash donors, according to the Foundation Center.

During his more than 20 years with Verizon, Gaston has served in a variety of management positions in operations, marketing, human resources, strategic planning and government relations. Prior to his appointment as president of the foundation in December 2003, he served as executive director of Verizon's Strategic Alliances Group, where he led the development of Verizon's corporate responsibility program and was responsible for overseeing corporate responsibility initiatives and managing national community affairs.

Gaston sits on a number of national nonprofit boards, including the NAACP SCF board of trustees, America's Charities, the Foundation of the University of West Indies, The Conference Board Contributions Council and the World Institute on Disability, and he serves as a vice chair of the Business Committee of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gaston also is a member of the board of directors of Bed Bath & Beyond Inc., a publicly traded company that operates a nationwide chain of retail stores. He also is a fellow at the Aspen Institute.

Gaston was raised in Boston, Mass., and holds a bachelor's degree in management from the University of Massachusetts and a master's degree in business administration from Northeastern University. He earned an international certificate in business from Ecole Superieure de Commerce in Reims, France.

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education through its signature program, Thinkfinity.org, and fosters awareness and prevention of domestic violence. In 2007, the foundation awarded more than $67.4 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the United States and abroad.