Foundation Welcomes Michelle Benson
The Minneapolis Foundation is pleased to welcome Michelle Benson as its new Vice President of Marketing and Communications, effective December 14.
Benson will work with colleagues, donors, and other community partners of the Minneapolis Foundation to implement its new strategic framework and advance its mission of driving collective action to realize strong, vibrant communities. She comes to the Foundation with well over a decade of marketing and strategic communications experience across the nonprofit, public, and private sectors.
“Michelle has the ideal experience to help us implement our new strategy, which calls for deeper partnership with community and more responsive action,” said R.T. Rybak, President and CEO of the Minneapolis Foundation. “She is a proven communicator who recognizes, especially today, that communicating as a Foundation also means listening deeply to others.”
“I first experienced the transformative power of community foundations when I partnered with my local foundation to bring a series of free summer concerts to parks on the westside of Chicago where I grew up. I am thrilled to have the opportunity now to join the Minneapolis Foundation as it works to serve this community in a time of unprecedented challenges.”
Benson comes to the Minneapolis Foundation from College Possible, a national nonprofit that makes college admission and success possible for students from low-income backgrounds through an intensive curriculum of coaching and support. Before serving as National Director of Marketing and Communication at College Possible, she held senior marketing roles at the Minnesota Zoo and the Chicago Park District.
A 105-year-old community foundation, the Minneapolis Foundation cultivates generosity by driving action to address the greatest civic, social, and economic needs. The Foundation administers charitable funds established by more than 1,600 individuals, businesses, and families, with more than $800 million in assets under management and $93 million distributed annually to strengthen communities in Minnesota and around the world.
