Erika L. Binger Elected Chair of The McKnight Foundation

Erika L. Binger has been elected chair of the board of directors of The McKnight Foundation, Minnesota's largest charitable foundation. Binger, 32, will be the foundation's fourth chair since it was established in 1953.

Binger has been a member of the foundation's board since 1994, and is the great granddaughter of William L. and Maude L. McKnight, creators of the foundation. She succeeds her cousin, Noa Staryk, who has served as board chair since 1999.

"In a family foundation, it's important to share leadership among all members who are interested," said Staryk. "I'm grateful to my family for putting their faith in me and appointing me board chair at a very young age, and I'm thrilled that Erika will be my successor. She brings to this work enormous compassion and a wonderful ability to interact with people. In many ways, her quiet, unpretentious approach to philanthropy reminds me of my late grandmother, Virginia. Erika shares that same desire to help people realize their potential and their dreams."

Binger has a diverse background in mentoring programs and youth athletics, often combining the two. From 1994 to 2000, she was athletic director at the Jack Cornelius Boys and Girls Club in Minneapolis, where she received 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. The program works with young offenders and Hennepin County at-risk youth from ages 11 to 17.

A member of the board of the Minnesota Coalition for Adolescent Females, Binger assisted the freshmen girls basketball coach at North High School, where she volunteers in the guidance and career center. She also is a member of the Minneapolis Junior League.

A graduate of Pepperdine University in California, Binger earned a master's degree in organizational leadership from Bethel College in Arden Hills. Binger is a national duathlon champion and qualified for the world triathlon championship. She also is a mountain climber. In addition to her athletic pursuits, Binger is working on writing and illustrating a book about sports and young women.

Binger said she is looking forward to the challenge of leading the foundation. "I am honored and excited to take on this leadership role. I look forward to working with and meeting our partners in the community. The great opportunity I have in this position with the foundation is the chance to learn from our grantees and other partners. What people can expect from me is a person who listens, who is eager to learn, and who is open to new solutions to the goals we have in common," said Binger.

"Erika will bring a compelling set of skills, ideas and approaches to her service as board chair," said foundation president Rip Rapson. "She is deeply committed to the foundation's programs and passionate about the welfare of children in our state. As a board member, she has been involved in many areas, including our international grantmaking and our work on behalf of children and families. She's warm, understanding, enormously empathetic, and will be - as was Noa Staryk before her - a wonderful community ambassador for the foundation." Binger will assume her new role as McKnight's board chair on September 1, 2004.

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