MIAMI – Dec. 15, 2011 – The trustees of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation have elected Andrew Sherry as vice president of communications. He will be a member of the foundation’s Executive Committee and report to Knight Foundation President and CEO Alberto Ibargüen.

As vice president, Sherry will lead the foundation’s strategic communications and marketing functions, ensuring that Knight’s programs to build informed and engaged communities attract the strongest potential applicants and partners, and the impact of these programs is communicated both externally and internally.

The leadership transition reinforces Knight’s focus on digital technology. Sherry was senior vice president, online communications at the Center for American Progress. He was previously director, online ventures at USA TODAY and vice president of a Hong Kong-based travel technology start-up, after a journalism career that included serving as AFP correspondent in Vietnam and Cambodia and regional editor of the Dow Jones-owned Far Eastern Economic Review.

“Andrew has a track record of building technology, editorial and interactive marketing platforms. Combined with his entrepreneurial and journalistic background, this makes him perfect for leading the communications side of our mission to create informed and engaged communities,” said Alberto Ibargüen, the foundation’s president and CEO. “Communication is at the core of what we do at Knight, which makes our communications department a crucial partner in all of our initiatives.”

Sherry’s responsibilities will include press outreach, government relations and managing the foundation’s offline and online communications platforms, including web strategy and social networking. He will be integrating a metrics-driven approach to communications into all of the foundation’s initiatives.

“Knight has evolved a high-performance culture that reminds me of the tech start-up world,” said Sherry. “The staff clearly feels a strong sense of responsibility to make sure the foundation’s resources have the greatest possible impact. I’m delighted to be joining an organization that has journalism in its DNA, digital innovation as its focus, and a market-oriented approach to grant-making designed to ensure its positive impact on communities is sustainable.”

Sherry succeeds Marc Fest, who is leaving the foundation to lead social portal Joy.net. Sherry will take over from Fest on Jan. 9, 2012.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Knight Foundation is dedicated to the ideal that democracies thrive when communities are informed and engaged. The foundation supports transformational ideas that engage communities, promote quality journalism and media innovation and foster the arts.

Contacts: Marc Fest, vice president/communications (interim), (305) 908-2677, [email protected]

High resolution photo of Andrew Sherry: http://www.kflinks.com/sherryphoto

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