The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has appointed six local community leaders to its Fort Wayne Community Advisory Committee.

Fort Wayne’s appointed advisers are: David J. Bennett, executive director, Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne; Rick Cartwright, dean of the art department, University of St. Francis; Herb Hernandez, president, Asset and Estate Management; Gregory A. Johnson, vice president and chief financial officer, Fort Wayne Newspapers; Wendy Robinson, a superintendent for Fort Wayne Community Schools; and Kyaw Soe, a director for the Fort Wayne Schools literacy program.

“These leaders will provide counsel to Knight Foundation as we seek to make grants in Fort Wayne with the potential to transform the community,” said Vivian Neal, the foundation’s program director for Fort Wayne. 

Fort Wayne is one of 26 U.S. cities and towns served by Knight Foundation, a $2.5 billion national foundation with local roots where the Knight brothers owned newspapers in their lifetimes.

Community Advisory Committee members are an integral part of Knight Foundation’s grant-making work.  Each committee is a small group of creative, connected and strategic advisers who work with Neal and other program directors to discover opportunities that produce maximum impact and lasting change in the communities they serve.

The funding strategy in Fort Wayne centers on using its diversity to build community ties.  Funding priorities include partnering with grassroots organizations, increasing the number of arts organizations as a way to bring diverse cultures together and helping to connect immigrant families. 

“We thank these individuals for their leadership and willingness to share their knowledge and ideas as Knight Foundation explores how we can best invest in Fort Wayne,” said Neal.  “We look forward to our future work together.” 

About Knight Foundation

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes journalism excellence worldwide and invests in the vitality of Fort Wayne and 25 other communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Knight Foundation supports ideas and projects that create transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.