Knight Foundation Expands Cadre of Community Liaison Program Officers – Knight Foundation

Knight Foundation Expands Cadre of Community Liaison Program Officers

MIAMI, Fla. — The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s Community Partners Program welcomes two new community liaison program officers: Beverly Blake for the Georgia communities of Macon, Milledgeville and Columbus; and Anne Corriston for the Great Plains communities of Wichita, Kan.; Aberdeen, S.D.; and Grand Forks, N.D.

Blake and Corriston join eight program officers already serving as the primary grant-making officers, living and working in the 26 U.S. communities where Knight serves as a local funder.  “Their addition is part a broader realignment in which many of our liaisons will work in a more focused geographic area,” says Michael Maidenberg, vice president and chief program officer.

Knight liaisons coordinate with nonprofit organizations in their communities and work with local advisory committees to identify funding priorities.

The addition of Corriston and Blake allows the following program officers to concentrate their efforts in a more geographically focused area:

  • Susan Patterson in the Carolinas, to serve the cities of Charlotte, N.C.; and Columbia and Myrtle Beach , S.C.
  • Julie Tarr in Pennsylvania, to serve Philadelphia and State College, Pa.
  • Polly Talen in Minnesota, to serve the cities of St. Paul and Duluth, Minn.
  • Alfredo Cruz to serve the Gulf Coast communities of Tallahassee and Bradenton, Fla., and Biloxi, Miss.
  • Suzette L. Prude to serve the South Florida region; Miami-Dade, Broward and  Palm Beach Counties.

Brenda Price will remain working in the Great Lakes communities of Detroit, Mich., and Gary, Ind. Vivian Celeste Neal will continue working in the Midwest cities of Lexington, Ky.; Akron, Ohio; and Fort Wayne, Ind. John Williams retains the Western communities of Boulder, Colo.; and San Jose and Long Beach, Calif.

The Miami-based John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes excellence in journalism worldwide and invests in the vitality of 26 U.S. communities.  With assets of $1.9 billion, Knight Foundation is a private independent foundation making $90 million in grants annually.