The Foundation also welcomes two new Investment Committee members and expresses gratitude for the service of two long-standing Board members and two Investment Committee members
McKnight is delighted to announce that distinguished journalist and media leader Duchesne Drew has joined our board of directors, with a term starting in January 2024.
With a more than 20-year career as a journalist and philanthropic leader, Drew currently serves as senior vice president of American Public Media Group and president of Minnesota Public Radio (MPR). In this role, he oversees the teams that produce MPR News, The Current, APM Reports, Marketplace, and more. Prior to this, he was the Community Network vice president for the Bush Foundation, overseeing its leadership programs, community innovation, and communication teams, and building networks across the region.
“It’s clear that Duchesne demonstrates a remarkable commitment to strengthening journalism and community building in everything he does,” said Ted Staryk, chair of McKnight’s board. “With his decades of experience in media and philanthropy, he will bring sharp guidance to McKnight’s board that will advance our mission as we work toward a more just, creative, and abundant future. We warmly welcome him to the board and look forward to his expertise and contributions toward our mission.”
A seasoned newspaper reporter, editor and manager, Drew was a managing editor at the Star Tribune, where he began as a summer intern and rose to one of the most senior roles in the newsroom. In 2019, he was honored with the Widening the Circle Award by ThreeSixty Journalism, recognizing his contributions to the next generation of journalists while promoting inclusion and diversity. Additionally, in 2021, he was inducted into the Hall of Achievement at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and awarded the 2022 Spurgeon Award for outstanding community leaders. And in 2022, he was named to The Root 100, an annual list of the most influential Black Americans in the fields of arts, community, business, entertainment, media, and politics.
“It’s clear that Duchesne demonstrates a remarkable commitment to strengthening journalism and community building in everything he does. With his decades of experience in media and philanthropy, he will bring sharp guidance to McKnight’s board that will advance our mission.”– TED STARYK, MCKNIGHT FOUNDATION BOARD PRESIDENT
Recognizing the Service and Impact of Two Longtime Board Leaders
As we welcome our new board member, we also honor our longtime community board leaders Phyllis Goff and Roger Sit, who will transition from McKnight’s board as their nearly decade-long terms end.
Phyllis Goff has served on McKnight’s board since February 2014. Her roles included executive and investment committee member, board vice-chair, and chair of the governance committee. She has provided pivotal leadership in advancing McKnight’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at both the board and staff levels. Prior to joining McKnight’s board, she was interim chief of staff at Minnesota Philanthropy Partners, and chief of staff in the office of the president at Hamline University. She is a highly active community volunteer whose work focuses on youth development, the arts, and empowering communities of color.
Roger Sit joined McKnight’s board in 2014 and has served on the executive, investment, and finance & audit committees, two of which he also chaired. He has provided steady and strategic leadership in advising McKnight’s Investments Team in managing the Foundation’s endowment and advancing their mission-aligned investment strategies. He is the CEO and global chief investment officer of the Minneapolis-based Sit Investment Associates. Roger joined the Foundation’s investment committee in March 2014. He chairs the Minnesotans’ Military Appreciation Fund and serves on the boards of Huntington Bank, University of Minnesota Foundation, Lakewood Cemetery, and Minnesota Historical Society. He previously served on the boards of Convergent Capital, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and TCF Financial.
“We are incredibly grateful for Phyllis and Roger’s service to McKnight,” said Tonya Allen, president. “They are true leaders and changemakers in our region and world, and their contributions to our mission and the people we serve will persist for many years to come. McKnight is a stronger, more effective, and equitable institution because of their service.”
Welcoming New Investment Committee Members
McKnight additionally welcomed two new investment committee members. The Investment Committee advises our board of directors as it fulfills its fiduciary responsibilities for prudent investment of McKnight’s endowment, setting strategies, and providing oversight. At McKnight, we invest our endowment in ways that advance financial, program, and learning returns. Impact investing has been a powerful tool to do this. 2024 will mark McKnight’s 10-year anniversary of our impact investing work, and today, nearly half of McKnight’s entire endowment is mission-aligned.
Roy Swan leads the Ford Foundation’s Mission Investments team, managing Ford’s portfolio of mission-related investments (MRIs) and program-related investments (PRIs), and working to expand and strengthen the impact investing field. Michael Barry is the chief investment officer at Georgetown University, overseeing Georgetown’s investment portfolios, including the endowment and retirement plan, and he previously served as CIO at the University of Maryland Foundation.
“We could not be more excited about Roy Swan’s and Michael Barry’s willingness to join McKnight’s Investment Committee. They bring tremendous expertise and insights to help us be even more effective, especially as we ambitiously integrate climate and equity considerations across the portfolio,” said Luther Ragin, Jr. Chair of the Investment Committee.
“We could not be more excited about Roy Swan’s and Michael Barry’s willingness to join McKnight’s Investment Committee. They bring tremendous expertise and insights to help us be even more effective, especially as we ambitiously integrate climate and equity considerations across the portfolio.” – LUTHER RAGIN, JR., MCKNIGHT FOUNDATION INVESTMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR
Gratitude for Outgoing Investment Committee Members
We are profoundly grateful to longtime outgoing Investment Committee members Bob Struyk and David Crosby for their expertise and joyful efforts on behalf of the endowment. Both served for more than a dozen years on the Investment Committee, were founding members of the Mission Investing Committee, and were previously part of the McKnight board of directors.
“Bob was a powerful advocate for good governance and a sage advisor as the Foundation brought our endowment into harmony with our mission,” said Elizabeth McGeveran, McKnight’s director of investments. “David was a driving force for a direct private equity program, which has diversified and strengthened performance. His combination of enthusiasm and skepticism was the right formula for building a strong impact investing program and for growing a climate solutions portfolio that laid the groundwork for our current path to net zero.”
About the McKnight Foundation: The McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation, advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive. Established in 1953, the McKnight Foundation is deeply committed to advancing climate solutions in the Midwest; building an equitable and inclusive Minnesota; and supporting the arts and culture in Minnesota, neuroscience, and global food systems.
