The Foundation has made this hire to support its mission and the strategies set forward in its
All For NC Framework for Grantmaking and Learning. The role of the program officer includes developing effective strategies for the Foundation to facilitate positive change, analyzing grant applications, helping develop organizational capacity and evaluating the effectiveness of the Foundation’s past grantees. The program officer’s work also helps to inform the final grant decisions made by Foundation Trustees.
Caitlin Burke brings more than 18 years of experience in the nonprofit sector working in various positions. She comes to the Foundation most recently as the associate director of Conservation Trust for North Carolina. She previously served as special projects and grants coordinator for Conservation Trust for North Carolina. Prior to those positions, Caitlin was a nonprofit and policy advocacy fellow for WakeUP Wake County in Raleigh and a wildlife policy associate with The Wildlife Society in Bethesda, Maryland. Caitlin also has research and teaching experience at North Carolina State University and Duke University. She has a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Science from Virginia Tech and a doctorate in Forestry from North Carolina State University.
“We are very excited to have Caitlin join our team,” said Maurice “Mo” Green, executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. “Her solid understanding and direct experience working in the nonprofit sector will be a tremendous asset to the Foundation. In addition, her extensive knowledge of conservation, issues affecting land and water, and equity within the environmental sector will be invaluable to us, especially as we continue to support organizations across North Carolina in fostering a healthy and sustainable environment. We look forward to introducing Caitlin to all of our partners across the state.”
“I have long admired and appreciated the Foundation’s work and believe its new framework for grantmaking and learning is a national model for more impactful and equitable philanthropic giving,” said Caitlin Burke. “I am thrilled to bring my skills, experience, curiosity, and commitment to the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, and look forward to working with and learning alongside staff, Trustees, partners, and grantees.”
The Foundation posted the program officer position in July, which is based in Winston-Salem, NC. It received 160 applications for the position.