MIAMI – (May 19, 2015) – The trustees of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation have elected Sam Gill as vice president for learning and impact. Gill is an experienced strategic planning and evaluation professional with a range of expertise in the areas of philanthropy, politics, civic engagement and technology.
Sam Gill
Gill will reinforce Knight’s emphasis on measuring the impact of its work and sharing lessons learned, both from its own grantmaking, field-wide evaluations and other research and study. He will begin on June 22 and report directly to Knight Foundation President Alberto Ibargüen.
Gill has been with Freedman Consulting since 2008, and served as a vice president of the firm. In this role, he has led many of the firm’s projects, including strategic planning and evaluation, as well as campaign and initiative management. He has led or participated in projects for elected officials and candidates for office, Fortune 500 companies and many prominent philanthropies and nonprofits.
Gill also helped create Next Century Cities, a leading coalition of cities and their elected officials committed to fostering next-generation Internet networks that are accessible to all. Launched in October 2014, the effort has grown to more than 80 communities across the country, and has been recognized widely.
”We need to be intentional about our assessment, clear about why we succeed and honest when we fail. That’s how we learn and stay focused on impact,” Ibargüen said. “Sam’s wealth of expertise will help us down this path. His track record of smart, collaborative problem-solving and focus on community transformation will be a major asset to Knight.”
“Knight Foundation has a clear commitment to experimenting and taking risks in ways that help people test new ideas and learn from their work. This focus creates fertile terrain for doing and supporting work that results in positive change,” said Gill. “In a world in which the boundaries of communities and information are shifting beneath our feet, I am excited to take on this new role and help Knight create sustained impact through learning.”
Gill has led and managed research and authored numerous reports. His commentary on philanthropy and society has been published widely, including in The Foundation Review and The Chronicle of Philanthropy, as well as the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Politico, The Christian Science Monitor, the New York Daily News, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Huffington Post, Policy & Practice, MinnPost and The Oxonian Review.
Previously, he worked for Media Matters for America, the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights and Mental Disability Rights International.
Gill has a master’s of philosophy in politics from the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar and a bachelor of arts in politics from the University of Chicago.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. We believe that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more visit, www.knightfoundation.org
Contact: Anusha Alikhan, Director of Communications, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, 305-908-2677, [email protected]