KCCI Announces New Executive Director
Tallahassee, Fla. – The Knight Creative Communities Institute (KCCI) is pleased to announce that Betsy Couch, APR has been named Executive Director, effective immediately.
“KCCI and our Advisory board look forward to working with Betsy,” said Mike Pate, who was the Program Director for Knight Foundation when the project was created, and continues to remain active. “Her experience as a former catalyst as well as past experience leading nonprofits and working in the private sector lend well to this position. She is a passionate advocate for KCCI and our mission, which will inspiring future Community Catalysts and partnering organizations.”
Betsy’s resume includes more than 15 years of experience of planning, fundraising and public relations. In August 2013, she was featured on the cover of Tallahassee Woman Magazine as a “Generation X Community Builder.” In 2012 Betsy was also named “25 Women You Need to Know” by the Tallahassee Democrat. Prior to this KCCI position, she taught Public Relations Techniques and PR Writing at Florida State University . She also previously served as the Communications Director at VISIT FLORIDA where she managed global public relations strategies. She began her career working at Moore Communications Group, a top 100 Public Relations firm. Betsy has an Accreditation in Public Relations (APR), which is considered the mark of distinction for those who demonstrate commitment to the profession and to its ethical practice, and currently, there are 5,000 public relations professionals worldwide who earned this voluntary certification.
Through her volunteer endeavors, Betsy is passionate about improving the Tallahassee community. She is a past President of the Junior League of Tallahassee where she motivated volunteers and led the organization in: developing a strategic plan and a community impact area, increasing fundraising profits by more than 100 percent; increasing volunteer training opportunities; and doubling the JLT’s community impact by directly working with more than 1,500 children and families.
Betsy is also a former President of the Florida Public Relations Association-Capital Chapter and past President of the Advent Parent’s Association. She currently serves on the boards of the Foundation for Leon County Schools, Children’s Home Society; and The Tallahassee Ballet. She is a graduate of the University of Florida.
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About KCCI: The Knight Creative Communities Institute (KCCI) was created and funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Since 2007, KCCI, thanks to a grant from the Knight Foundation, has been selecting around 30 Tallahassee residents annually and training them on the concepts of Richard Florida’s book, The Rise of the Creative Class. These “Community Catalysts” volunteer their time to learn the concepts and come up with ideas that would improve Tallahassee’s “sense of place” as a community that would be able to attract and retain the creative class, young professionals and college graduates. KCCI has led 18 successful programs that have helped create a sense of place throughout Tallahassee while engaging the creative class. A sampling of these include: Get Gaines Going, Sustainable Tallahassee, Tallahassee Film Festival, Identify Tallahassee, Discovery at Cascades Park and Ella Vate. For more information about KCCI and its other projects, please visit www.kccitallahassee.com.