Staff & Board
A Message from the President
Welcome to the Poetry Foundation. We can trace the roots of our organization back a century into the history of Chicago, to the origins of Poetry magazine and to its founder Harriet Monroe. It is her vision that informs the work we do every day. But there is also a second woman—really a second founder—whose philanthropy has made everything the Foundation does possible. Ruth Lilly, in bestowing on poetry a significant portion of her personal wealth, ensured that Harriet Monroe’s desire to celebrate and discover the best poetry will continue long into the magazine’s second century. The Foundation, whose mission commits it to a more vigorous presence for poetry in our culture, has pursued this through a family of programs, all realized with Ms. Lilly’s generous gift. Harriet Monroe and Ruth Lilly were two women of the Midwest for whom poetry was a passion central to life itself. We celebrate their lasting gifts every day and share them with you through our work.
Poetry Foundation
John Barr, President
Caren F. Skoulas, CFO
Ydalmi Noriega, Special Assistant to the President
Dana Bassett, Administrative Assistant
Ashley Sheehan, Logistics Coordinator
Dylan Swisher, Receptionist
Digital Programs
Catherine Halley, Director of Digital Programs & Editor
James Sitar, Archive Editor
David Schober, Web Project Manager
Ellen Umansky, Features Editor
Michael Slosek, Assistant Web Editor
Nuria Sheehan, Web Producer
Polly Faust, Intern
Jewel Smith, Intern
Harriet Monroe Poetry Institute
Ilya Kaminsky, Director
Beth Allen, Project Manager
Susan Hogan, Intern
Library
Katherine Litwin, Library Director
Holly Amos, Library Assistant
Mairead Case, Youth Services Assistant
Media
Kristin Gecan, Media Associate
Poetry Magazine
Christian Wiman, Editor
Don Share, Senior Editor
Fred Sasaki, Associate Editor
Valerie Jean Johnson, Managing Editor
Lindsay Garbutt, Editorial Assistant
Programming & Events
Stephen Young, Program Director
Justine Haka, Program Associate
