News Release: McKnight names director of international program
April 24, 2008 - The McKnight Foundation has named Jane Maland Cady as international program director.
The McKnight Foundation has named Jane Maland Cady as international program director. Maland Cady will oversee McKnight's grantmaking to promote strong rural livelihoods in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Tanzania and Uganda; and to promote food security through applied crop research in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Maland Cady begins work at the Foundation on April 28.
Maland Cady has 20 years of experience in research and evaluation in the nonprofit sector, both overseas and in Minnesota. Prior to joining McKnight, she spent 11 years managing her own consulting firm, Criando Research and Evaluation Services. The recipient of a Fulbright Senior Scholar grant to teach evaluation at two federal universities in Brazil, Maland Cady has extensive domestic and international experience working with community development initiatives and sustainable agriculture programs. Most recently, she launched a business with several partners to expand markets in the U.S.A. for fair trade and organic products from South America. Maland Cady has a Ph.D. and an M.A. from the University of Minnesota. She has lived and worked in Brazil and Mexico, and speaks Portuguese and Spanish.
"We are delighted to be adding Jane's formidable skills and talents to McKnight's staff," says McKnight president Kate Wolford. "Much of her professional life has been devoted to bridging the gap between the academic and nonprofit communities. Her experience and knowledge could not be more pertinent to the bridges we are trying to build with our international grantmaking — connecting vulnerable people with sustainable livelihoods."
The overarching goal of McKnight's international funding is to promote strong rural livelihoods and food security for people with limited opportunities. The program is divided into three areas: support of community development and economic empowerment efforts in three countries in Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam); support of women's social and economic empowerment efforts in two countries in Africa (Tanzania and Uganda); and support for collaborative crop research to build capacity among resource-poor rural people in developing countries to achieve food and nutritional security. In 2007, an estimated 7 percent of the Foundation's total annual payout was invested in this work.
ABOUT THE MCKNIGHT FOUNDATION
The McKnight Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for present and future generations through grantmaking, coalition-building, and encouragement of strategic policy reform. Founded in 1953 and independently endowed by William and Maude McKnight, the Minnesota-based Foundation had assets of approximately $2.3 billion and granted about $93 million in 2007.
Contact
Tim Hanrahan, Communications Director, 612-333-4220