Knight Foundation trustees Monday elected John Palfrey to be their next chair, starting in March 2014.

The decision will give Palfrey six months to prepare to succeed Robert Briggs, the current chair of Knight’s board of trustees.

Palfrey, an authority on technology and civic engagement, is the head of school for Phillips Academy Andover and chair of the board of the Digital Public Library of America. Previously he was faculty co-director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and the Henry N. Ess III Professor of Law and vice dean for Library and Information Resources at Harvard Law School.

Palfrey, a trustee since 2011, is co-author of “Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives,” “Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly Interconnected Systems” and “Enhancing Child Safety and Online Technologies,” a report for a multi-state group of attorneys general.

Briggs, who is serving his fourth year as chair, is in his 12th year on the board, the maximum term for Knight board membership.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.

Knight Foundation Media Contact:

Andrew Sherry, Vice President of Communications, [email protected], 305-908-2646