Press Release – MACON, Ga. — Jan. 23, 2017—Lynn Murphey, a senior business executive with a strong record of community leadership, will join the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as its Macon program director beginning Jan. 30.
Murphey was a member of the Cox Communications leadership team for more than 20 years, most recently serving as vice president and market leader for Middle Georgia. Prior to joining Cox, Murphey served in senior positions in government affairs and marketing for the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce and as volunteer coordinator for the city of Macon.
Murphey, a graduate of Mercer University, has served on the Knight Foundation Macon Community Advisory Committee since 2012. She worked with Knight on the Connect2Compete pilot, a public-private partnership that successfully promoted digital literacy and broadened internet access in Middle Georgia.
“Lynn Murphey is a dynamic leader with the combination of business skills and local commitment needed to lead Knight Foundation’s investments in Macon,” said Alberto Ibargüen, president of Knight Foundation. “Through journalism, neighborhood renewal and the arts, our goal is to help Macon become more informed and engaged, while including ideas and perspectives from across the community. Lynn is well suited to pursue this work.”
Knight has invested more than $25 million in Macon over the past 10 years, supporting projects such as the Center for Collaborative Journalism, the redevelopment of the College Hill Corridor, and the ongoing Beal’s Hill revitalization, which seeks to be a model for mixed-income neighborhood renewal.
“As an advisory committee member and corporate community partner, I have genuinely appreciated Knight’s work to help literally and figuratively transform Macon. I consider it some of the most important work of my career,” Murphey said. “With that experience, I am eager to lead Knight’s local strategies and work alongside our many community partners and with my fellow residents to build a better Macon.”
A native of Conyers, Georgia, Murphey has lived in Macon for 30 years. She is a graduate of Leadership Macon and has served as a community liaison for Robins Air Force Base and as a gubernatorial appointee to the Georgia Commission on Women. In 2015, she was appointed to the Macon Transit Authority and served as co-chair of Macon Terminal Station’s centennial celebration in 2016.
Murphey and her husband, J. Clay Murphey IV, live in Macon’s Vineville Historic District with their two children.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy. Go to knightfoundation.org for more.
