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
Rebecca Sword, Senior Administrative Assistant and Board Liaison

Orlando Abarca, Facilities Assistant
Nevertha Brooks, Finance Associate
Patrick Carroll, Controller
Jennifer Casteller, Chief Operating Officer
Yolanda Davis, Human Resources Director
Tom Etherington, Staff Accountant
Chris Guzaitis, Director of Grants and Awards
Annie Jackson, Finance Assistant
Lawrence T. Mangan, Senior Advisor

Jonathan Antos, Guest Experience Representative
Itzel Blancas, Community Programs Manager
Noa Fields, Public Programs Manager
Angelica Flores, Education Programs Assistant
Evalena Friedman, Library Assistant
Fran Grinnan, Cataloging Intern
Justine Haka, Education Programs Manager
Christine Jordan, Guest Experience Manager
Rebeca Jurado, Guest Experience Representative
Michael Keating, Guest Experience Representative
Katherine Litwin, Library Director and Exhibitions Co-curator
Ydalmi Noriega, Vice President of Programs and Engagement
Maggie Queeney, Library Associate
Elon Sloan, Community Programs Assistant

Keri Cascio, Vice President of Information Technology
Janet Cheung, Web Producer
Meg Forajter, Permissions Coordinator
Erin Watson, Product Manager

Moyo Abiona, Media Assistant
Allison Claybon, Vice President of Marketing & Communications
Liz O’Connell-Thompson, Media Manager
Meredith Riemersma, Communications Manager
Fred Sasaki, Creative Director and Exhibitions Co-curator

Holly Amos, Associate Editor
Angela Flores, Assistant Editor
Lindsay Garbutt, Senior Editor
Jeremy Lybarger, Features Editor
Adrian Matejka, Editor
Shoshana Olidort, Web Editor
Charif Shanahan, Guest Editor (Summer 2023)
Robert Eric Shoemaker, Digital Archive Editor

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.