DETROIT (AP) - A longtime leader in Detroit’s philanthropic community has announced that she plans to retire at the end of this year.
Mariam Noland has spent 36 years with the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. She announced Tuesday that she expects to step down as president at the end of 2021.
The foundation is expected to start a national search for her successor in the near future.
Noland is founding president of the organization, which is a permanent community endowment built by gifts. The foundation supports activities that benefit education, arts and culture, health, human services, community development, and civic affairs.
It has awarded more than $1.2 billion in grants to nonprofit organizations, including $104 million last year, and has assets of more than $1 billion.
“The generosity and caring nature of this region are extraordinary,” Noland said. “I have been so fortunate to work with many others to help our region and its residents thrive.”
Noland launched and raised funds in support of the regional Detroit GreenWays Initiative, Arts and Cultural Participation Fund and other efforts.
“Mariam Noland’s leadership in this community cannot be overstated,” James B. Nicholson, chair of the foundation’s board of trustees, said in a statement. “Her career has been dedicated to building our region’s charitable infrastructure. Along the way, she became a hero in the effort to preserve retiree pensions and cultural assets during Detroit’s bankruptcy.”
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