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>NORTHWEST AREA FOUNDATION NEWS
>
>Northwest Area Foundation
>332 Minnesota Street, Suite E,-1201
>St. Paul, Minnesota 55101-1373
>Tel; (612) 224-9635 Fax; (612) 225-3881
>
>EMBARGOED UNTIL: May 8,1996
>
>FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
>Vicki Itzkowitz, Director of Communications
>(612) 225-3864
>
>
>KARL STAUBER, USDA UNDER SECRETARY, APPOINTED
>PRESIDENT OF THE NORTHWEST AREA FOUNDATION
>
>ST. PAUL-Marcia J. Bystrorn, board chair of the Northwest Area Foundation,
today
>announced the appointment of Karl Stauber as president of the Foundation,
>effective June 17, 1996. Stauber, currently Under Secretary for Research,
>Education, and Economics,U.S. Department of Agriculture, and a former vice
>president-program of the Northwest Area Foundation, will be the
>Foundation's fourth executive officer since its creation in 1934. He
>succeeds Terry Saario, who served as president from December 1984 through
>February 1996.
> "The Board of Directors is delighted to announce this appointment,"
>Bystrom said. "Karl Stauber brings not only a deep understanding of the
>economic and environmental issues facing the upper Midwest and Northwest
>but a keen appreciation of the need for grassroots and policy innovation
>in tackling these issues. We believe Karl will provide strategic and
>creative leadership as the Foundation continues to address its regional
>mission."
> Stauber brings valuable experience to his new post at the Northwest Area
>Foundation. During his time at USDA, Stauber's Work has focused on the 1996
>Farm Bill, refocusing federal agricultural research and education policy,
>and the community development portion of the President's Northwest Timber
>Initiative. As the first Under Secretary for Research, Education, and
>Economics, Stauber has overseen the consolidation and integration of
>USDA's "knowledge producing agencies." Before being nominated by President
>Clinton for the Under Secretary position, Stauber served as the
>Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development at USDA. In this role he was
chief
>strategist for implementing the rural component of the Empowerment
>Zone/Enterprise Community Initiative.
> As vice president-program of the Foundation from 1986 through 1993,
>Stauber was responsible for developing new approaches to economic
>development, focusing particularly on rural and other low-income
>communities. Under his direction, the Foundation launched programs to
>provide technical assistance and expand access to capital as a means of
>creating businesses in low-income communities, and to examine the
>economic, environmental, and social impact of sustainable agriculture. Stauber
>commissioned intensive evaluations of each of these programs and shared
>lessons learned widely with practitioners and policy makers.
> "I'm excited about the opportunity to rejoin the Foundation at this
>important time in the life of both the organization and the region it
>serves," Stauber said. "Northwest Area Foundation is one of the leading
>foundations in the U.S. addressing rural development. We should build on
>this success. At the same time, the Foundation needs to be open to new
>approaches as circumstances change."
> "For example," Stauber added, "as authority and responsibility flow away
>from Washington toward state, tribal, and local governments, the roles and
>relationships between government, the for-profit sector, and nonprofit
>organizations are being reexamined. Northwest Area Foundation can help in the
>creation of new types of partnerships and work to turn problems into
>opportunities that benefit all parts of a community."
> Prior to joining the Foundation in 1986, Stauber managed a venture
>capital firm in Colorado specializing in rural ventures. He also served
>as executive director of the Needmor Fund, then based in Toledo, Ohio, and
>as assistant director of the Babcock Foundation in Winston-Salem, North
>Carolina. Stauber holds a Ph.D. in public policy
>from the Union Institute and a B.A. in American studies from the University of
>North Carolina.
> The Northwest Area Foundation, with assets totaling over $358 million, is
>committed to promoting economic revitalization in its eight-state funding
>region and improving the standard of living for the region's most
>vulnerable citizens. Established in 1934 by Louis W. Hill, son of James
>J. Hill, pioneer builder of the Great Northern Railway, the Foundation
>makes grants in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota,
>Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. In the fiscal year ending February 29,
>1996, $13.5 million was appropriated for grants to alleviate rural and
>urban poverty and to promote sustainable development.
===============================
Elizabeth Ann R. Bird, Ph.D.
Organization and Development Director,
Consortium for Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
c/o Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems
1450 Linden Dr. Room 146
University of Wisconsin
Madison, WI 53706
608-265-6483
FAX 608-265-3020
Internet: eabird@facstaff.wisc.edu