Forty Under 40 Alumna of the Year: Kristi Knous
MEGAN VERHELST Feb 12, 2015 | 8:34 pm
2 min read time
437 wordsAll Latest News, Arts and Culture, BPC News Releases, Forty under 40Each year, the Business Record honors a member of a previous Forty Under 40 class to recognize that person’s contributions since being named a Forty. This year, that alumna is Kristi Knous, president of the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines.
Kristi Knous |
Knous was a member of the 2003 Forty Under 40 class (see all past Forty Under 40 members). At the time, she had been with the Community Foundation for a year. During her tenure there, she led the organization’s grantmaking and community investment programs and was eventually named vice president of donor relations and community investment. Prior to that, Knous worked as a child life specialist at Blank Children’s Hospital.
Knous was promoted to her current position with the Community Foundation in 2011.
At the helm of the Community Foundation, she oversees the administration of more than $375 million in assets and 1,400 charitable funds. The organization distributed just under $26 million in grants in 2014.
Knous also helped lead efforts to create the next vision for Greater Des Moines by providing leadership and support to the Capital Crossroads community visioning initiative. She currently serves as a tri-chair.
In nominating Knous for the Alumna of the Year honor, Greater Des Moines Partnership CEO Jay Byers, who serves as one of the Capital Crossroads tri-chairs alongside Knous, wrote that he has “witnessed firsthand Kristi’s impressive displays of community leadership and drive to make Central Iowa best in class time and time again.”
In 2012, Knous received the 2012 MPA Distinguished Alumna Award from Drake University. She also was recognized by the Business Record in 2010, when she was named a Woman of Influence. Read her story here
Knous serves on the boards of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, Bravo Greater Des Moines, the Homeless Coordinating Council and Midwest Housing Equity Group. She is a member of the Iowa State University Foundation Women and Philanthropy advisory committee. She has also served on many advocacy boards, including the Iowa SAFE KIDS Coalition.
Knous is an Iowa native and graduate of Iowa State University. She obtained a master’s degree in public administration and a certificate in business management from Drake University. She currently lives in Urbandale with her husband, Lauren, and their two children, Abbey, 19, and Jonah, 17.
Knous joins past Forty Under 40 alumni of the year honorees Michael Sadler (2014), Carole Tillotson (2013), Jay Byers (2012), Kyle Krause (2011), Drew McLellan (2010), and Brian Laurenzo (2009.)
She will be honored at the Business Record Forty Under 40 event on March 10.Register for the event | See the 2015 class