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Erika L. Binger
Board Chair, The McKnight Foundation
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Erika L. Binger was elected chair of The McKnight Foundation board of directors in August 2004. Erika, a member of the board since 1994, is the Foundation's fourth board chair since it was established in 1953. She is the great granddaughter of William L. and Maude L. McKnight, creators of the Foundation.
Binger has a diverse background in mentoring programs and youth athletics, often combining the two. From 1994 to 2000, she worked at and was athletic director at the Jack Cornelius Boys and Girls Club in Minneapolis, receiving a Heroes in the Making award from the Minnesota Lynx and Timberwolves. She serves on an advisory committee for Bolder Options, a mentoring program that uses running and biking to redirect and change youth behavior.
Erika helped create the Minnesota Coalition for Adolescent Females, assisted the freshmen girls basketball coach at North and Roosevelt High Schools, and has volunteered in the guidance and career center at North High School. Erika tutors two 12-year-old girls daily. She has volunteered as a swim coach at North Community YMCA, and developed a triathlon program for inner-city youth age 7-17. In 2007, its first year, the program had 21 participants, presented guest speakers, and explored issues around character, attitude, determination, and goal-setting, as well as a career fair. The program is now an incorporated nonprofit organization, Profound Sports.
A graduate of Pepperdine University in California, Binger earned a masters degree in organizational leadership from Bethel College in Arden Hills. Binger is a three-time national duathlon champion and a three-time triathlon world champion and aquathlon champion. She also is a hiker and mountain climber. In addition to her athletic pursuits, Binger is working on writing and illustrating a book about sports and young women.
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Photo: Tom Roster
High-resolution image
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