March 24, 2003
March 24, 2003
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| www.michiganlanduse.org |
At the first meeting of the state's new Land Use Leadership Council Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced the appointment of Karen Aldridge-Eason as her Foundation Liaison. Aldridge-Eason will serve as a policy advisor who will strengthen relationships between Michigan's foundation community and state departments to advance initiatives outlined by the Granholm Administration.
The appointment marks the first time that the State of Michigan has established a formal partnership with the private sector to strengthen and further state initiatives. As the Foundation Liaison, Aldridge-Eason will focus on the Michigan Land Use Leadership Council and the Project Great Start early childhood initiative.
"In a time of tight resources, this is a creative opportunity to improve services for all Michigan residents through increased cooperation and new partnerships between state government and private foundations," Granholm said today.
"Having the chance to work on advancing early childhood learning and better management of our land resources is both an opportunity and a challenge I am eager to take on, " added Aldridge-Eason.
Aldridge-Eason is currently a program director for the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation where she is responsible for monitoring $10 to $20 million in Mott Foundation grants that support local programs in the Flint area. Prior to joining the Mott Foundation in 1994, she was Director of the Office of Health and Human Services for the Michigan Department of Management and Budget.
Aldridge-Eason is a graduate of the University of Michigan and holds a Master's of Public Administration degree from Western Michigan University.
The Mott Foundation has made Aldridge-Eason a loaned executive to the state.
"Karen brings a wonderful blend of public service and philanthropic experience to our administration," Granholm said. "She is the right person for the right time who will help us build important partnerships for many of our initiatives, including land use and early childhood development."
As Granholm's Foundation Liaison, Aldridge-Eason will be responsible for:
"We are pleased to partner with Governor Granholm and the Michigan foundation community by providing a loaned executive to fill this new position," said William S. White, Mott Foundation President. "Karen's skills and her past experiences in both state government and philanthropy make her uniquely qualified for this role."
According to David Campbell, Chairman of the Council of Michigan Foundations Board of Directors, Aldridge-Eason's appointment is just the latest example of the foundation community's support for state programs.
"Michigan's foundation community has a long history of partnering with state government. With Karen's background in both state government and philanthropy, we are excited about the potential of the Foundation Liaison position."
Granholm explained that the Foundation Liaison position builds on many years of close cooperation between the foundation and previous Governors in strengthening the nonprofit sector and the environment for giving and volunteering in Michigan. For example, the foundation community worked closely with Governor George Romney's administration to support the development of a network of volunteer centers now known as the Volunteer Centers of Michigan and worked with Governor James Blanchard's administration on the development of Michigan's Investment Fund.
The position will be 100 percent funded by private foundations through the Council of Michigan Foundations for the first two and a half years. In addition to the Mott Foundation, funding will come from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, the Skillman Foundation, the Hudson-Webber Foundation and the McGregor Fund.
