Richard Rapson

Rip Rapson has served as president and chief executive officer of the Kresge Foundation since 2006. During his tenure, Rapson has transformed Kresge from a foundation that focused on challenge grants for building projects to one that seeks to improve the cultural, economic, social, and environmental conditions of urban life through six grants programs (arts and culture, education, environment, health, human services, and community development in Detroit). From 1989 to 1993 he was the deputy mayor of Minneapolis. In that role, he designed the city's Neighborhood Revitalization program, a 20-year, $400- million effort to strengthen the city's neighborhoods. From 1999 to 2006 he served as President of the McKnight Foundation, which was recognized as a national leader in public policy issues, including early childhood development, metropolitan growth, open space protection and wind energy.