The board of directors for Coffee House Press in Minneapolis has selected Linda Ewing, a Twin Cities consultant with extensive nonprofit management and fundraising experience, to serve as the nonprofit publisher's interim executive director. The news comes six months after Anitra Budd resigned as executive director and publisher of Coffee House Press in Minneapolis after only a year in that role. With Ewing in place, the board will begin a national search for a permanent executive director and publisher.
According to a CHP release, Ewing will “oversee the press’s operations, streamline processes, support staff, liaise with the board, and assist the press” during the search for permanent new leadership to replace Budd, who wanted to resume her work as a freelance editor and copywriter. Until a new publisher is installed, senior editor Lizzie Davis will “continue to drive the artistic vision of the press," which is well-known for its literary—and sometimes edgy—fiction, nonfiction, and poetry offerings.
Ewing launched her career in the nonprofit sector more than 40 years ago as director of program management with the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce. She subsequently joined Professional Fundraising Services, Inc., as a senior associate, where she led fundraising and capital campaigns for such organizations as St. Paul’s Como Park Zoo and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
Prior to that, Ewing served, for 15 years, as president of Special Olympics Minnesota, then executive director of St. Croix Therapy in Hudson, Wisc., and CEO of JustUs Health in Minneapolis. Besides running her own consulting firm, Ewing worked for many years as a consultant under the auspices of Cincinnatus, a St. Paul group providing their expertise to civic, nonprofit, and other socially-oriented organizations.
“Linda brings to Coffee House a deep commitment to mission-driven work and an extensive background in nonprofit leadership,” said board president Pat Beithon, “As she works with the staff, board, authors, donors, and others across the literary community, we are certain that Linda’s skills will support and strengthen Coffee House while we begin the search for the organization’s next phase of leadership.”
