A New Co-Leadership Model on Our Impact Team
The Minneapolis Foundation is delighted to announce that Jo-Anne Stately and Patrice Relerford, two seasoned leaders on our team, have been promoted to new roles as our Impact department adopts a new leadership structure to advance our mission of cultivating change together. Jo-Anne Stately has been named Senior Vice President of Impact, and Patrice Relerford will serve in a newly created position, Vice President of Collective Impact and Giving.
“Jo-Anne and Patrice have been extremely effective in leading our Impact work on an interim basis, and it has become very clear they have uniquely complementary skills,” said R.T. Rybak, President and CEO of the Minneapolis Foundation.
“We also believe a collaborative leadership model can be especially important as the Foundation continues to bring more voices into our decision-making and engage more deeply with our community.”
Jo-Anne Stately, Senior Vice President of Impact, has more than 30 years of experience in nonprofit management, public health, and philanthropy. A member of the Foundation’s team since 2009, Jo-Anne has led grantmaking and partnerships on issues related to workforce development, support for entrepreneurs of color, impact investing, and wealth building in historically underserved communities. In her new role, Jo-Anne will oversee initiatives such as the Foundation’s impact investing, Racial and Economic Justice grant program, and public-private partnerships such as our Main Street Economic Revitalization grants and Climate Action and Racial Equity Fund. Jo-Anne is a citizen of the White Earth Nation (Mississippi Band) and an enrolled member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.
Patrice Relerford, Vice President of Collective Impact and Giving, has more than 15 years of experience in nonprofit development and fundraising, journalism, and philanthropy. Since joining the Foundation in 2015, she has guided our Reimagine Education strategy, special projects and research partnerships, collective giving, and related programs to ensure local philanthropy is more inclusive and responsive. In her new role, Patrice will oversee the Foundation’s collective giving work, including giving circles and funds such as the WCA Foundation; K-12 education investments and partnerships; and responsive philanthropy initiatives such as our OneMPLS Fund and Fund for Safe Communities. She will also collaborate with our Philanthropic Services team to create engaging learning experiences related to key issues that impact the quality of life in Minneapolis and the surrounding suburbs.
Patrice and Jo-Anne will share responsibility for internal functions such as budget-setting and grants approval, as well as efforts related to the Foundation’s advocacy and policy work.
Darlynn Benjamin, Executive Assistant on the Impact team, will continue to schedule meetings and direct inquiries from our community partners; you can reach her at (612) 672-3875 or dbenjamin@mplsfoundation.org.
Our whole team at the Foundation is deeply grateful for your continued partnership as we pursue our mission of cultivating generosity to realize strong, vibrant communities.
