AFN Announces New Executive Director: Dr. Kit Matthew
We are pleased to introduce Dr. Kit Matthew as the new executive director of AFN. Kit brings cross-sector experiences—in community development, cultural leadership, corporate product development, grant making, government affairs, fundraising campaigns, and operational improvements—to the new role of AFN’s Executive Director. Currently, Kit is an expert consultant with the St. David's Foundation focused on developing new investment strategies to strengthen the Social Determinants of Health for underserved and rural communities through cultural nonprofits and their social service partners.
Appointed by President Obama and Senate confirmed, she served as the agency head of the Institute of Museum and Library Services within two Presidential Administrations. In that role she blended grantmaking, capacity-building, mixed methods evaluation, shared learning, and policy development to strengthen communities nationwide. She has worked closely with other federal agencies (e.g., USDA, EPA, DOI, Dept Education, VA, USCIS), Congress, national nonprofits, movement leaders and private funders. She applies her program development, change management, social impact, and innovation management skills throughout her work. Her background includes corporate sector team leadership roles at Reebok, Blackbaud, and Unilever among others.
Her forthcoming book “Fundraising for Impact” speaks to the need for nonprofits and funders to align their outcomes and indicators to create deeper community impact. She has a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and MBA from the University of Minnesota. A 5th generation southerner, she has familial roots in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and western Pennsylvania.
Kit will hit the ground running as of January 3rd, 2022. She has already started the onboarding process and has great enthusiasm for taking the Network into this next phase of development. Rural Support Partners will continue to provide support to the Network in the first half of 2022 as this transition unfolds.