Dear Friends of Cave Canem,

I am writing to inform the Cave Canem community that I will be passing the honor of serving as the President of the Cave Canem Board to Amanda Johnston, Cave Canem graduate fellow and Black Poets Speak Out cofounder, by the end of this quarter, March 31, 2019.

As Cave Canem builds momentum toward its 25th Anniversary year, the board is charting ambitious goals to expand the team and raise more money to sustain and grow our programs and outreach. As I have just accepted a faculty position with Vermont College of Fine Arts, in addition to my full-time role as Sales and Community Outreach Manager and Poetry Editor at Northwestern University, I wanted to yield the Presidency to someone with more time and likewise devotion to continue on this path of exciting growth. Selected by the board, Amanda Johnston has enthusiastically served on the Board of Directors since 2017, and will assume the role of President on an interim basis until June 30, 2019. Before which, the board, which expects to add new members in the coming months, will formally elect a permanent Board President and a new slate of officers.

I am especially proud of Cave Canem’s accomplishments during the time I have had the privilege of serving as Board President. My fellow board members, in partnership with our talented Executive Director Nicole Sealey and her hardworking staff, have reached a number of milestones, including:

• A strengthening of programs, notably the expansion of our partnership with the Brooklyn Museum.
• The growth of the Board of Directors to include energy and expertise from Allen A. Drexel, Esq. and Kelly Davis.
• A SPARK Prize from the Brooklyn Community Foundation that comes with a $100,000 grant award.

As we work through this transition period, Amanda has already demonstrated her desire to see the board grow with ambassadors who can help us expand our national and international reach to individuals who and institutions that will support our commitment to cultivate the artistic and professional growth of Black poets. She will also lead the conversation about our goals for our 25th year, and soon we will seek to engage each of you, as members of our community with distinct talents and resources, to participate in building our next decade together. Please join me in congratulating Amanda as she assumes leadership at this inspiring time.

Warmly,
Parneshia Jones
Board President