McCormick Foundation Elects Two New Board Members
Chicago, IL, December 16, 2009
The Robert R. McCormick Foundation today announced the election of two new directors: Ruthellyn Musil and Don Wycliff. They will both join the Foundation’s board in January 2010.
Don Wycliff is Distinguished Journalist in Residence at the School of Communications at Loyola University Chicago. Prior to his current post he spent 35 years in the newspaper industry as a reporter, editor, editorial writer and columnist. His career included almost ten years as editorial page editor of the Chicago Tribune, five years as the Tribune’s public editor and five years as a member of the editorial board of The New York Times. During his tenure as the Chicago Tribune’s editorial page editor, the paper won one Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing and was a finalist for a second.
Wycliff received his B.A. in government/international studies from the University of
Notre Dame and was named a Woodrow Wilson Fellow at the University of Chicago.
Ruthellyn Musil was Senior Vice President/Corporate Relations for Tribune Company, retiring in 2007 after a distinguished 36-year career at the company. As the company’s senior communications executive, Musil directed Tribune’s internal and external communications activities. She is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of Loyal University Chicago, serving on its Executive Committee. Musil holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Loyola and a Master’s degree in business administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
“These two accomplished individuals will be excellent additions to our board of directors, and we welcome their experience and insights,” said Dennis J. FitzSimons, Chairman of the
McCormick Foundation. “Ruth and Don are exceptional leaders in their professional fields and bring a deep understanding of the civic and community needs that are at the heart of the Foundation’s mission.”
About the McCormick Foundation
The McCormick Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to strengthening our free, democratic society by investing in our children, communities and country. It was established as a charitable trust in 1955, upon the death of Col. Robert R. McCormick, the longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune, who believed that philanthropy and service to others strengthens the civic health of our communities. The Foundation is one of the nation’s largest charities, with more than $1 billion in assets. To learn more about the McCormick Foundation visit
www.McCormickFoundation.org.