People

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.

Michelle T. Boone, President
Hannah Doherty, Executive Assistant to the President and Board Liason
Marilynn Rubio, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Special Projects

Lawrence T. Mangan, Vice President of Finance and Administration
Patrick Carroll, Controller
Chris Guzaitis, Grants Manager
Nevertha Brooks, Finance Associate
Tom Etherington, Staff Accountant

Ydalmi Noriega, Vice President of Programs and Engagement
Justine Haka, Program Manager
Itzel Blancas, Community Programs Manager
Christine Jordan, Guest Experience Manager
Noa/h Fields, Events and Accessibility Coordinator
Angelica Flores, Education Programs Assistant
Michael Keating, Guest Services Representative

Keri Cascio, Technology Director
Erin Watson, Product Manager
Jeremy Lybarger, Features Editor
Shoshana Olidort, Web Editor
Robert Eric Shoemaker, Digital Archive Editor
Janet Cheung, Web Producer
Meg Forajter, Permissions Coordinator

Katherine Litwin, Library Director and Exhibitions Co-curator
Maggie Queeney, Library Associate
Evalena Friedman, Library Assistant
Stefania Gomez, Education and Youth Services Assistant

Allison Claybon, Vice President of Marketing & Communications
Liz O’Connell-Thompson, Media Manager
Hannah Kucharzak, Marketing Associate
Moyo Abiona, Media Assistant

Adrian Matejka, Editor
Fred Sasaki, Creative Director and Exhibitions Co-curator, Interim Coeditor
Lindsay Garbutt, Interim Coeditor
Winshen Liu, Business and Circulation Manager
Holly Amos, Associate Editor
Hannah Kucharzak, Marketing Associate
Angela Flores, Editorial Assistant
Srikanth Reddy, Guest Editor (March 2022-May 2022)
Esther Belin, Guest Editor (June 2022-September 2022)

Ruth Lilly

American poetry has no greater friend than Ruth Lilly. Over many years and in many ways, it has been blessed by her personal generosity. In 1985 she endowed the Ruth Lilly Professorship in Poetry at Indiana University.

In 1986 she established the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. Awarded annually, the $100,000 prize honors a living US poet whose lifetime accomplishments warrant extraordinary recognition. In 1989 she created two Ruth Lilly Fellowships, for $15,000 each, given annually by the Poetry Foundation to undergraduate or graduate students selected through a national competition. In 2002 her lifetime engagement with poetry culminated in a magnificent bequest that will enable the Poetry Foundation to promote, in perpetuity, a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture.