Susan Patterson, who directs the Knight Foundation in Charlotte, will retire at the end of the year, the foundation announced Wednesday.
Patterson joined the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in 2001 and developed Knight investments in Charlotte that included: the Carolina Thread Trail; the Cultural Facilities campaign and naming of Knight Theater; Crossroads Charlotte, a community-wide engagement project; laptops for elementary students in Project LIFT; the Knight School of Communication at Queens University of Charlotte and, most recently, expansion of Center City Partners’ work in the Historic West End.
Previously, she led the foundation’s work in Georgia and South Carolina and was program director for the communities program, based in Miami, covering the 26 cities where Knight invests. She was also instrumental in leading the Knight Community Information Challenge, an effort to engage community foundations across the country in meeting the information needs of those they serve.
Before joining the foundation, Patterson was editor-publisher of the Union-Recorder in Milledgeville, Ga., and previously worked at The Charlotte News and The Charlotte Observer.
“What I’ve treasured most are the friendships with my Knight colleagues and my relationships with civic and nonprofit leaders across the community,” Patterson said in a statement Wednesday. “It’s been such a privilege to work alongside all of them.”
The search for Patterson’s successor has begun, the foundation said. Knight is looking for candidates who will “build Charlotte’s momentum for success and help the city attract and keep talent, expand economic opportunity and create a culture of civic engagement.”
Interested candidates should email: recruiter@knightfoundation.org.
