A top FedEx executive, the co-founder of a South Florida investment firm and the managing director of an L.A. venture capital firm will be joining Knight’s Board of Trustees.
MIAMI – Three business leaders, who have contributed greatly to their communities, are joining the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s Board of Trustees.
The three new trustees are: Austin Clements, managing partner of Slauson & Co., a Los Angeles-based, early-stage venture capital firm with a mission of investing in intention, rooted in inclusion. Ana-Marie Codina Barlick, CEO of Codina Partners, a real estate development and investment firm focused on driving the successful transformation of South Florida’s communities into vital, prosperous centers for living, working, culture and commerce. Ramona Hood, president and CEO of FedEx Custom Critical, a leading North American transportation provider located in Green, Ohio.
“Austin, Ana and Ramona are transformative business leaders who have impacted their communities. They share a belief that in order to build a more effective democracy, communities need to be informed and engaged,” said Frank Borges, chair of the Knight Foundation board of trustees. The foundation’s president, Alberto Ibargüen, added, “Their leadership will help elevate Knight’s work in funding journalism, arts, research in areas of media and democracy, and the success of cities where the Knight brothers published newspapers.”
As managing partner of Slauson & Co., Clements leads the firm’s investments in early-stage technology companies that are primarily led by entrepreneurs who identify as a person of color. A champion of inclusion in the Los Angeles tech ecosystem, Clements is a founding chairman for PledgeLA, a city-wide initiative that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion in tech. Read more about Clements and download a hi-res photo.
“The arc of technology will have a significant impact on the way communities across America engage, so it is critical that it is shaped by those who it will impact,” Clements said. “Over the years, Knight Foundation has ensured more voices and perspectives are reflected and honored. I am excited to play a role in continuing that for the next generation.”
Barlick founded Codina Partners with her father, Armando Codina, in 2009. She oversees all of its operations. Before becoming CEO, she led a master planning of a suburban office park into the 250-acre, mixed-use development Downtown Doral (in Miami-Dade County) with more than 5,000 residential units; 250,000 square feet of retail; more than one million square feet of commercial space; Downtown Doral Charter Elementary School; Downtown Doral Charter Upper School; Doral City Hall; and a 4.5-acre park. Read more about Barlick and download a hi-res photo.
“As a native of Miami, I grew up under the halo of the Knight organization and their tremendous impact on our community,” Barlick said. “I am honored to serve on the Knight Foundation Board and look forward to stewarding the legacy and vision of the Knight brothers.”
Hood is a highly accomplished leader, culture-shaper and developer of people, who brings more than 30 years of FedEx experience to her role at FedEx Custom Critical as the president and CEO. Ramona played a critical role in maintaining the strategic vision of the business despite unexpected national and global crises. Her company advancement and valued success span across a range of areas including sales, marketing, compliance and operations, resulting in her intuitive ability to embrace challenges and transform them into strategic opportunities with long-term solutions. Read more about Hood and download a hi-res photo.
“I’m ecstatic to join the Knight Foundation Board of Trustees and continue to move the organization’s strategy and vision forward,” Hood said. “Supporting the success of our communities has always been important to me, and I look forward to contributing to the work of the Knight Foundation.”
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About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
We are social investors who support a more effective democracy by funding free expression and journalism, arts and culture in community, research in areas of media and democracy, and in the success of American cities and towns where the Knight brothers once published newspapers. Learn more at kf.org and follow @knightfdn on social media.