Vickie Benson

After spending the last 30 years in arts grantmaking, Vickie Benson is now a certified professional coach (www.vickiebenson.com). During her time at the McKnight Foundation, she was instrumental in co-creating coalitions and practices that center on racial equity in grantmaking. She is a past president of Grantmakers in the Arts board of directors and was a leader in the ArtPlace America initiative, a collaboration of 14 national and regional foundations focused on creative placemaking. Before joining McKnight, she was vice president of the Jerome Foundation in St. Paul, program director at Chamber Music America in New York City, and senior program specialist at the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C. She holds a BA in arts administration from Metropolitan State University, and an MA in nonprofit management from the Hamline University Graduate School of Management. She studied music at the University of Minnesota as an undergrad. She also holds professional certification with the International Coach Federation and as an Intercultural Development Inventory administrator. She has a background as a folk singer and guitar player.