Richard Kiphart Joins the Poetry Foundation

Richard P. Kiphart was appointed on June 9 to the position of board chair for the Poetry Foundation, an independent literary organization and the publisher of Poetry magazine.

Kiphart was formerly the chairman of Chicago’s Merit School of Music, and in 2006, he became president and CEO of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and chairman of the Erikson Institute. Kiphart is also vice chairman of the board of Columbia College and serves on the board for Children’s Memorial Hospital.

“It is a premier poetry organization in the United States for which we can thank and attribute to the efforts of a terrific staff, our board, and the source of our good fortune,” said Kipart of the Poetry Foundation in a press release.

Kiphart is also a Vietnam War veteran, having served in the U.S. Navy, and has worked for William Blair & Company since 1965. He will be replacing John J. Kenney, who has completed his term limit for the position of board chair.

Kenney said in a press release, “Being a part of the Poetry Foundation’s growth from the opening of its beautiful building, to leading the transition team from the first to the second president and, especially, to watching it build on the excellent and long-standing reputation of Poetry magazine to become a world-class literary institution, have been proud moments for me.”

He continued, “Turning the reins over to Dick Kiphart, whom I have worked with closely since he joined the board in 2012, I believe that the Foundation could not be in better hands.”