MIAMI — Damian Thorman, an entrepreneurial professional in law, grant making and public policy, has joined the staff of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as national program officer.

Thorman will work with Vice President of National and New Initiatives, Paula Ellis, in the foundation’s efforts to support innovative leadership, organizations and ideas with the potential to drive transformative change nationally and in Knight’s 26 communities.

Thorman will help develop new grant opportunities with philanthropic organizations and nonprofits at a national level that target systemic change. He will network and collaborate with others to share knowledge of the work and will monitor progress of grant partners.

“Damian has a wide range of experiences and talents to contribute to us and the grantees we support,” said Ellis. “The experiences have one common thread: A lifelong desire to help improve the lives of others.”

Thorman most recently served as assistant prosecuting attorney and deputy director of the Family Support Division of the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office in Kansas City, Mo.

He founded and ran the Thorman Group, a consulting practice that assisted foundations, nonprofits and for-profit organizations from 2002 to 2005. He served as adjunct political science professor at Avila College in Kansas City, Mo. He was the director of public affairs and policy at the Ewing Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City from 1994 to 2002. His Washington, D.C., experience includes serving as assistant director at the American Academy of Pediatrics, staff work with the House Education and Labor Committee, and congressional staff work with then-U.S. Rep. Bill Richardson.

Thorman has a law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a master’s in business administration from Rockhurst University.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes journalism excellence worldwide and invests in the vitality of U.S. communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. For more, visit www.knightfdn.org.