McCormick Foundation Appoints Director of Evaluation and Learning

CHICAGO, Oct. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The McCormick Foundation today announced that Rebekah Levin will join the organization as Director of Evaluation and Learning, effective Monday, November 1.

In this newly created position, Levin will assist the Foundation in evaluating the impact of its philanthropic giving and its involvement in community issues.  As part of its newly completed 10-year strategic plan, the Foundation has committed itself to ensuring that its grant-making and work with partners are as effective as possible in furthering the Foundation's mission – creating communities of educated, informed, and engaged citizens. Levin will work both with the Foundation's grant-making programs, and also with the parks, gardens, and museums at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Illinois.  In 2009, the Foundation made more than 1,100 grants, totaling over $47 million.

"With as much need as there is in our communities, we have to make sure we are investing resources where they will do the most good," said David Hiller, McCormick Foundation president and CEO.  "Rebekah combines a passion for helping families and communities, with the professional discipline to assess where and how progress is really being made."

Levin will also work with the Foundation staff to communicate the knowledge and lessons learned from the work of the Foundation and its grantees. "Collaboration and sharing knowledge is the way to multiply the impact of the work that nonprofit groups are trying to sustain in a time of severely limited resources," added Hiller.

Levin joins the Foundation from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she has served since 2006.  At UIC she was Research Associate Professor in the College of Education, designing and implementing evaluations for a variety of clients including foundations and nonprofits.  She also served as Director of Evaluation for the Council of Chicago Area Deans of Education.

Prior to UIC, Levin was with the Center for Impact Research in Chicago for 10 years, and served as its Executive Director from 2001 to 2006.  She began her career in evaluation and research at the University of Chicago in 1989.

Levin earned a Ph.D. in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago, and holds a Master of Arts degree from the same institution.  Her bachelor's degree is from Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio.

About the McCormick Foundation

The McCormick Foundation is committed to strengthening our nation's civic health by fostering educated, informed and engaged citizens. Through its grantmaking programs, Cantigny Park and Golf, and museums, the Foundation helps citizens make life better in our communities. The Foundation was established as a charitable trust in 1955, upon the death of Colonel Robert R. McCormick, the longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. The McCormick Foundation is one of the nation's largest charities, with more than $1 billion in assets.  For more information, please visit www.McCormickFoundation.org.

SOURCE McCormick Foundation