Marion native joins staff at Marion Community Foundation

A new program manager for the Marion Community Foundation has been named.

Kate McCleese will oversee the foundation’s annual scholarship program and the year-round grants programs, including community grants and the Racial Equity & Justice grants program, as well as awards from the foundation’s field of interest, donor advised and designated endowment funds.

"As a Marion native, Kate’s knowledge and understanding of the community will set Marion Community Foundation up for next level success,” said Julie Prettyman, president & CEO. “She is 100% community-minded. Kate brings both the technical skills and the heart to help the people and programs in Marion. We can’t be more excited that she is stepping in to manage the Foundation’s programs.”

McCleese skills include project management, organizational development, process evaluation and cross-functional team development.

Before joining Marion Community Foundation, McCleese’s career included roles at ParentsTogether, PL+US: Paid Leave for the US, Ohio Environmental Council, AFL-CIO and AFSCME, where she gained experience in volunteer and stakeholder coordination, project management and team collaboration.

“It is this type of strategic thinking and program execution that I will bring to this program manager role,” McCleese in a news release. “I thrive in a position where I can connect the dots between problems and solutions that lead to real community impact and foster relationships with instrumental leaders and organizations along the way.”

Marion Community Foundation is steward more than 500 charitable endowment funds, annually providing more than $500,000 in college scholarships and $2.5 million in community-based grants to support nonprofits and charities.

For more information, call 740-387-9704 or visit marioncommunityfoundation.org.